4 Ways Institutions Can Meet Students’ Connectivity and Technology Needs

4 Ways Institutions Can Meet Students’ Connectivity and Technology Needs

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2021/04/05/4-ways-institutions-can-meet-students-connectivity-and-technology-needs.aspx

“Educause recommended four steps institutional leaders can take to help address students’ technology and connectivity needs:

1) Provide more support for reliable internet access. That includes allocating funds for student mobile hotspots, expanding financial aid packages to cover connectivity needs, and boosting WiFi coverage on campus.

2) Expand investments in device-lending initiatives. Scale up laptop and tablet loan and rental programs to make sure students have access to up-to-date devices that are equipped to support coursework requirements.

3) Encourage faculty to presume students are under-connected. Asynchronous, low-bandwidth approaches help give students more flexibility in accessing course content in the face of connectivity challenges.

4) Increase campus technology support services for device and internet connectivity. Recommendations here include expanding help desk hours or contracting with managed services providers to provide wider access to support. Institutions must also ensure students are aware of the available support by promoting services across campus e-mail, social media, advisers, faculty, IT websites, the learning management system and more.

The full report, “Student Experiences with Technology in the Pandemic,” is available on the Educause site.”