Using Data To Improve 
The Student Technology Fellows Program
South Dakota State University:

 Bridging the Intergenerational Gap

Allan Jones, Ed.D.

The Program: To meet the need for increased technical support of faculty in the curriculum, a program of Student Technology Fellows was created at South Dakota State University starting in  the Fall 2000 semester with funds for 73 Fellows.  This is a special opportunity for all undergraduate students to develop professional-level skills in the design and implementation of technology for instructional purposes.

The Evaluation: As this program progresses, we employ several methods to gather information in an effort to improve the services that are being provided. Student Technology Fellows are required to provide a weekly journal and faulty supervisors submit monthly reports of activities and projects. Anecdotal reports are collected in order to gauge effectiveness of the program. We survey students and faculty on a semester basis to assess how the program is doing.

One of our Findings: It was determined rather early on that a generational gap existed in the learning process. Many faculty were reluctant to be “taught” by a fresh-faced teenager – even if the teenager knew more than the teacher -- and  were not prepared for the idea of a young person assisting them to learn something new. Students (age 18 – 24) were startled to learn that students (over age 25 or so) learn quite differently than they do – especially the over 40 crowd of faculty who have started to be set in their ways. A method was needed to lessen the tensions caused by the generational gap, develop a faster learning curve for faculty, and realize a more enjoyable experience for all.

  What we did as a result of what we learned: To bridge this intergenerational gap and to provide an avenue for two-way professional conversations, SDSU elected to provide a series of instructional design courses geared toward incorporating technology into the curriculum. The first step in this series was a basic course on adult learning taught to the Student Technology Fellows.

Applying the principles of adult learning such as those found in Russell Robinson’s “Helping Adults Learn and Change,” provided the first stepping stones to mutual understanding between technically savvy “teenage” students and the technically challenged adult faculty. The adult learning course focuses on recognizing lifelong learning desires, introducing pragmatic topics and instruction, and employing motivational techniques as a few of the tools to be used in passing knowledge back and forth.

Outcomes and Next Steps: Within the first semester of this instruction we found an immediate improvement in the relationships of teacher and student and between "student" and "teacher."

Continuing assessment of these achievements is made through the same methods as before – a weekly log kept by the Student Technology Fellows, supervisor reports, surveys of students and faculty, anecdotal commentary, and the increase in requests from other faculty to join the program (word of mouth). As an example of one Student Technology Fellow’s observation of this interaction: “I helped a professor learn how to use a computer.  He had no idea how to even turn it on.  I first taught him how to use Microsoft Word so he could type up his syllabus.  Then I taught him how to use the Internet via Internet Explorer.  He really liked that.”

For more information concerning the South Dakota State University’s Student Technology Fellows program, go to http://techfellows.sdstate.edu. Of course, I would be delighted to share our assessment surveys and any other information about the program.

Allan R. Jones, Ed.D.
Director, Information Technology Services
Manager, Student Technology Fellows Program
South Dakota State University
PO Box 506A, Wecota 217
Brookings, SD 57007

Phone:  605-688-6192
Fax:      605-688-5942
E-mail: Allan_Jones@sdstate.edu