Northwest Missouri State University - Tower Yearbook (Maryville, MO)

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Wireless advancement Blackberries and notebook connputers change the way students connect. A personal laptop notebook for every on-compus resident paved the way for many tecfinological develop- ments. in addition to residents, any off-campus student could rent a notebook for $130 per semester. Vice president for Information Systems Jon Rickmon said developing a rental plan could keep tfie students ' finances in check. We wanted to moke it economical for every student to hove computer available to them, Rickman said. At the University ' s expense of $2.5 million, about 2,500 notebooks were puchased for students as well as other new computers. Faculty and staff members received 375 tablet comput- ers, with 100 percent of faculty and staff expected to have tablets by 2006. The $2.5 million also funded about 500 desktop com- puters in various computer labs in academic halls and on upgrade on all desktops in all other public labs. To create an easier Internet connection between all computer systems, the University installed wireless hotspots throughout the campus. We ' ve had very good feedback about the project and how the access points hove been used a great deal, Rickman said. Making these available helps refine a cus- tomer-to-student desire. In addition to wireless hotspots on campus, Rickman said a new e-mail exchange server was installed, increas- ing message and storage size. The new e-mail exchange is more user-friendly and has more data security, Rickman said. As a way to moke tests and quizzes more user-friendly, the University developed the Student Response System, fashioned like a small remote that enabled students to choose an answer electronically. I like how we get quicker results, student Erica Kelly said. It doesn ' t take as much time as a paper test and cuts down on poper, Kelly believed more foculty should use the SRS because of the convenience when taking a test or quiz. According to assistant director of the Center for Infor- mation Technology in Education, Daria Runyon, this SRS worked better. The SRS now runs off a radio frequency. Runyon added that with the SRS, cheating for students be- came more difficult. To further integrate technology into education, more faculty used eCompanion. According to Runyon, about 45 percent of classes used eCompanion. The goal is not to just use it as a lecture, but to get students more interactive into it, she said. When eCompanion begain in spring 1999, the pro- gram was used to post grades. Since then, the service had increased to include review sessions and discussion online, Runyon said. According to Runyon, all sections of a particular math class could post on a message board with any questions or concerns, where a staff or faculty member may assist them. One other major use of eCompanion was the devel- opment of the geographic information systems master ' s degree. This was the only major that could be obtained solely online. Runyon said students across the nation could earn a master ' s in GIS without having to leave their home. The University also extended funding for Blackberries to staff and students, which give the option of cellular phone and internet service. These devices enabled students to ac- cess e-mail from their cell phone as they combined a Palm Pilot and a computer onto a cellular phone. It ' s like having e-mail and access to the web in the polm of your hand, Rickman said. With the technological developments such as the Black- berry and notebook computers, the University built upon its reputation as the Electronic Compus. The Electronic Campus has been in operation for nearly 15 years and has become an integral part of North- west ' s identity and way of doing business, President Dean Hubbard said. There is clear evidence that students are advantaged academically by the system. Writer I Brent Burklund Designer | Paula Eldred o 018 019

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As the electronic campus, the University always strived to be on the cutting edge of technology. Blackberries were available to students and faculty, and laptop computers were given to every student Irving on campus. The Student Union, The Station and B. D. Owens Library were the first can pus buildings to become v reless hotspots, but Blackberries were able to access the Internet from anywhere, photo illusira- tion by Trevor Hayes

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Rented reading Textbook distribution program keeps costs low for students. Leading prospective students across the University landscape, Stephen Terry was always amozed by the glow in the young people ' s faces when he says the magic four- letter word: Free. Unlike most higher education institutions across the country, The University offered a textbook rental system that alleviated the burden of paying the notional average of $853 per year for books. While a $5 fee per credit hour is assessed to students ' overall tuition account, Terry said it beat the alternative of paying for new books each trimester. I ' ve looked at graduate schools on the West Coast and the East Coast, and textbooks alone cost $1,000 to $2,500, said Terry, who served as a student ambassador on campus. And at the end of the semester, when you go to sell them back, you can ' t even get half the price that you bought the books for. Indeed, the fact that students did not incur such price gouging for books they might or might not use is music to their ears-and their parents ' ears. Whenever I give a tour and tell students books are free, their faces light up, and their parents always ask, ' They don ' t have to pay for them? I ' m going bock to school, ' Terry said. Within the Mabel Cook Admissions Office, Jeremy Waldeier recognized these unique reactions. He was familiar with them because his mom told him about the program when he was searching for a university to attend. As associate director of admissions, Waldeier realized how right she was. I didn ' t see the true benefit of the program at the time, but once my mom sold it to me, it really played a big part on my selection to come here, Waldeier said. During the 2004-05 academic year, students paid nationwide $853, an increase of $200 over the past five years, according to a report by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. Since 1994, wholesale prices charged by textbook publishers increased 62 percent, according to the report, Lucky for Northwest students, they do not hove to sign up for more student loans or ask their parents for more money to get the required textbooks. It ' s awesome, because b eing a college student, and working at places in town for minimum wage, the last thing you want to do is buy books, Terry said. Writer | Pete Gutschenritter Designer | Ashlee Mejia Textbook check-in Step 1 ; Books ore collected and the student provides his her student ID number. Step 2: Barcodes are scanned from the books to enter as returned on the system. Step 3: Books ore sorted and returned to the shelves for storage.