Policy Statement | There has been a lot of discussion within LTOP working parties, faculties and student forums about the increasing need for students to access electronic based services and resources and it is appropriate that policy and procedures be determined that address this issue. Important questions are: how should students gain access to electronic services provided by the university, and what is the appropriate division of responsibility between the University and students for capital costs, operational costs, training and support services? These are difficult issues since social norms about the use of technology are changing rapidly, and policies will need to be revised accordingly. The major influences are not of a technical nature:
- The constraints of the Higher Education Funding Act.
- Student equity issues and the inability of some student groups to gain suitable access.
- Widespread introduction of learning and teaching methods that incorporate electronic means.
- The varying levels of dependence on electronic resources of different courses.
- Co-ordination between academic decision making and resource allocation.
- The increasing incidence of personal ownership of microcomputers and Internet access by Australian households.
- The Victorian School system has moved towards school pupils having a high level of IT skills and using IT-based teaching.
- Disparate levels of students’ IT skills.
- The introduction of ancillary, electronic based information and administrative services.
- Rapid developments in technology/software and rate of technological obsolescence.
Some of the key resources and services that are directly affected by these issues are:
- Timetabled on campus computer laboratories.
- Non-bookable general purpose computers.
- Arrangements with external suppliers of computers, software site licences, training and support services.
- Provision of network plug-in points around campus suitable for laptop connection.
- Distributed learning students or students who have a disability are eligible to apply for a Monash external modem account with full internet access. This enables students to have off-campus access to most of the Monash electronic services and information plus the internet.
- IT training and IT support services to students.
|
