In this article, the author talks about the education technology journey and a future driven by disruptive change. The author first provides a definition of disruptive change. To understand the potential for disruptive change in higher education--a disruption fueled by technology and related trends--the author begins with a look at the past and…

After starting off as a simple way to provide users with access to internet resources, WiFi networks have evolved to become an important communications cornerstone for a growing number of academic institutions. Not only have colleges been working to make these networks available across their entire campuses (or at least pretty close to 100 percent…

Working on the digital side of higher education is high-profile. The value of the services being offered by the UMassOnline IT organization, for instance, has placed it in a leadership role, giving it "the opportunity to work with a variety of departments and divisions within the system, other local colleges and, of course, the higher education…

As the national economic climate worsens, and college and university endowments, coffers, and funding sources shrink, schools are forced to get the most out of every dollar. That means that administrators are bending over backwards to see that all new investments provide maximum return on investment (ROI) over the long term. Campus eCommerce is no…

As Web 2.0 technologies impact the evolution of online learning, they are certain to blur the definitional lines between electronic portfolios and personal learning environments (PLEs). According to Gary Brown, director of Washington State University's Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology, the Web 2.0 technologies that are emerging…

Building access control (BAC)--a catchall phrase to describe the systems that control access to facilities across campus--has traditionally been handled with remarkably low-tech solutions: (1) manual locks; (2) electronic locks; and (3) ID cards with magnetic strips. Recent improvements have included smart cards and keyless solutions that make use…

In the age of electronic media, some say producing textbooks is a dying art. And it may be true that every day, devices with names such as iPod and eBook threaten to replace the age-old "technology" of the traditional book with a newer, faster, and equally (if not more) portable approach. In many cases, at colleges and universities across the…

Metaphysically speaking, the idea of self-reflection has been the subject of discussion for thousands of years. The idea carried human beings through the Renaissance, and an entire movement tied to it sparked a sociopolitical movement called the Enlightenment. In more recent times, thought leaders such as Immanuel Kant, Karl Marx, and Sigmund…