6.3: Information and Instructional Technology

Enhance Duke's information and instructional technology resources

Other Information:

Duke has undergone an enormous transformation over the last decade, becoming a progressive leader in the innovative application of technology to education and the efficient modernization of administrative systems. Extensive and reliable technology infrastructure - from telephones to computer networks, financial systems to course management systems, email applications to web-based portals - is essential to the university enterprise. When designed, implemented, and maintained properly, this complex infrastructure should be invisible and taken for granted. To maintain this level of reliability and transparency, however, this infrastructure cannot be neglected, and priority must be placed on assessing potential vulnerabilities while mitigating risks. The University's technological infrastructure and support capabilities must be responsive to the need for high-speed connectivity in support of videoconferencing and the transmission of massive amounts of data across organizational, institutional, and geographic boundaries. Likewise, that infrastructure must support high-performance computing, along with robust storage and back-up services that provide protection without limiting access to data. Expanded use of educational technology will empower faculty and students by ensuring that faculty time spent on course preparation and delivery is used for the most important activities in teaching: engaging students actively in the learning process, supporting curricular goals, and closely linking teaching and research. To enhance Duke's leadership in education, we must provide faculty and students with resources and services that are easy to use and well-matched to their needs. Duke students, having grown up in a networked world, arrive on campus with high technology expectations. They regard visual media as their vernacular, multitasking as a way of life, and working in teams as their preferred mode of learning. Faculty, on the other hand, need to be adept at and trained with using new technologies. Thoughtful, innovative uses of technology will encourage active, inquiry-based learning, foster communication and interaction, and maximize opportunities to learn inside and outside the classroom. Technology will also play an important role in increasing our international perspective, facilitating service learning, and preparing students for lifelong learning. Faculty and students expect to collaborate with equal ease with peers across campus or the nation, and technology will play an increasingly critical role in the expansion of global learning. We will work to build a technology support structure responsive to these demands, one that provides a consistent baseline of classroom technology, offers increased support for teaching innovation and experimentation, and preserves digital resources through central data storage, digital archiving, and backup services.

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