The College of Education Enters the Technology Age

Another major effort of the college, which may turn out to be one of Dean Carole Ames’ most lasting legacies, is technology. In 1993, when the Internet was not nearly as well known and technology’s place in education not nearly as influential, Ames set a course for the college to build a strong technological infrastructure—both physical and human. One of the first projects was clearing out what had been for years the college’s media center and library on the first floor to establish the Technology Exploration Center. This computer learning center occupies more than 5,000 square feet and is equipped with multimedia computers, videodiscs, and cd-roms, as well as conference rooms for two-way interactive video and collaborative problem solving. It remains today one of the most visible features of the college’s commitment to cutting-edge technology.

“This issue has clearly been an agenda item for me,” Ames said. “I think it may have been a shock at the beginning when we emptied out that room on the first floor and turned it into the Technology Exploration Center. That wasn’t necessarily popular. But I felt very strongly about it. Technology is an area we need to continue to focus on, and I am proud of the fact that it has evolved into an important graduate program for us.”

The Technology Exploration Center would be only the first of a number of changes that have transformed the technological capacity of the college. Erickson Hall also houses a computer lab with twenty computers, an instructor’s station that is connected to a ceiling-mounted projector, and laptop connections. The building now contains a state-of-the-art digital editing room that is equipped with nine computer workstations. Other conference rooms and classrooms also have been wired for full Internet capabilities.

Ames also established the Office of Teaching with Technology, which helps faculty and graduate students use computers and software as powerful teaching tools, and appointed Professor Yong Zhao its director. She established a graduate-level course for faculty where they work directly with technology-proficient graduate students in developing programs and applications for their own teaching and classrooms. For Ames, it has been imperative that the teachers of teachers model technology, and she has been aggressive in helping faculty members acquire the technology skills to be able to do that.

The changes have extended beyond Erickson Hall. The IM Sports Circle Building, home to the Department of Kinesiology, houses the Kinesiology Computer Laboratory, as well as the Human Energy Research Laboratory and the Biomechanics Research Station, both of which are equipped with advanced technology.

The outreach and service imperative has also been an important aspect of the technological development. Since the late 1990s, the college has offered the Educational Technology Certificate Program for teachers and administrators. Conceived by Richard Prawat, chairperson of the Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Special Education, the program has grown steadily into one of the most successful in the college. In some ways, it is reminiscent of the Extern Program for Administrators of decades past in that faculty members travel throughout the state to teach a sequence of three graduate-level technology courses to educators. The courses have been taught in schools, school district offices, and other locations in an effort to accommodate the busy schedules of teachers. The courses allow educators to use computer-based tools, adapt technologies to education, and apply the latest applications to helping students learn.

In the 1990s, the college also established <edtech.connect>, which provides research-based consulting and services to school districts throughout the state. The service project is active in many areas of technology integration in education. It uses a customized approach to meeting the needs of individual organizations, whether professional development, assessment and evaluation, or collaboration on grant or other projects.

 In fall 2001, the college took another major step in fusing technology and outreach when it launched a Master of Arts degree in teaching that can be completed through the World Wide Web. With Ames strong support and the leadership of Professor Susan Melnick, director of the Office of Academic Outreach, the fledgling program marks the college’s fist foray into the world of on-line learning, and one of the first on-line degrees to be offered by the university. “With education and teacher quality at the top of the national agenda, it is more important than ever that we provide our teachers the very best opportunities,” said Ames when the program was launched. “It is part of our mission to both prepare tomorrow’s teachers and to provide access for experienced educators to better equip them for the challenges they face in today’s classrooms.”

 Technology promises to be an increasingly exciting and fruitful area of research and development, and the college has recruited outstanding faculty members who are pushing the outer limits of our understanding of technology and learning.

Given the intense level of research and outreach activity, the past ten years have been good ones for the college. In 1994, U.S. News and World Report magazine began ranking graduate schools of education. Of the more than 180 such programs in the country, MSU’s was ranked as one of the twenty best. It has consistently remained in the top twenty since. In terms of specific programs, the magazine ranked the elementary and secondary education programs as the most prestigious in the nation, earning the No. 1 position for seven consecutive years. In addition, the magazine has ranked another five programs in the top ten in their fields. Rehabilitation counseling is currently ranked second in the nation, curriculum and instruction is ranked third, educational psychology is also ranked third, higher education administration is ranked fourth, and educational policy is ranked seventh. The rankings are an indication of the strength of the faculty across the college and the solid foundation laid by generations of professors and visionary administrators over the decades.

It can be rightfully said that the college now stands poised to begin another century as it was in 1902 when the first course on education was offered on campus. As it enters its second century of research, teaching, and service, those who have been affiliated with the college over those years as faculty members, students, staff can take pride in having played a role in a remarkable story of success and achievement and helped create one of the “best schools of education in the country.” From Maude Gilchrist and Walter French to Clifford Erickson and Carole Ames, the story of education at Michigan State University is one of commitment and achievement, of excellence and vigor in the service of others, and of the search for knowledge. Given what has transpired over its first fifty years, the future looks promising indeed for the College of Education at Michigan State University.