CCUMC: The Consortium of College and University Media Centers

College & University Media Review:
A Look at Practices, Trends & Research
Fall 1998 Volume 5, Number 1

• Through the editor's lens,
  Beverly Teach, Indiana University
• Reconsidering media services: Responding to changing faculty and instructional needs,
  Deborah J. Leather and David L. McDonald, Towson University

  The factors that influence the evolution of a university media service are varied, but a key measure of success is how the service responds to the needs of its faculty. At Towson University, lean fiscal years, strategic plans, emerging technology, and changes in leadership influenced the growth, direction, and organization of media services over the past eight years. After a 1996 faculty survey, Towson made addressing faculty needs the primary theme in reorganizing and refocusing media services. This approach resulted in a center where faculty can learn new techniques, access current technology, and call on professional staff to support their efforts to enhance teaching and learning.

• Measuring service quality in the information services environment,
  Ruth Maddox-Swan, Oakwood College

  The purpose of this research was to identify the service factors that influence judgements of customer satisfaction in the setting of the academic library/media center. It sought to determine the relative importance of these determinants of service quality and to compare these results to earlier studies conducted with customers of non-profit and for-profit populations. It is based on the work of the marketing team Zeithaml, Parasuraman and Berry, developers of the SERVQUAL measure of service quality. The study was conducted as part of the author’s doctoral research at Florida State University. The target population consisted of full-time enrolled students during the fall of 1997. Several findings resulted from the study that contribute to a better understanding of service quality and of the determinants of service quality in the academic library/media center setting.

• Center Focus: Learning Resources at Adirondack Community College,
  Connie Bakker, Adirondack Community College
• Education Technology Services at Indiana University: A case study,
  B.A. Bichelmeyer, Indiana University

  The purpose of this article is to a) describe the technology resources available in the Indiana University School of Education, b) explain the range of services provided by Education Technology Services (ETS), c) document the organizational structure of ETS, and d) describe the key processes and culture of ETS. It is intended to be helpful to administrators and staff of similar services who are faced with integrating technology into their own educational environments as a result of renovation, design of a new structure or program reorganization. This paper is based on a qualitative research study using a case study method, which included interviews and document review as the primary means of data collection. Data was analyzed using the affinity process, and multiple triangulation procedures were completed in order to address issues of validity and reliability related to this study.

• Designing and supporting technology classrooms at the University of Maryland,
  Sue Clabaugh, University of Maryland at College Park

  In the last few years, the University of Maryland has undertaken several major initiatives that have resulted in a dramatic improvement in the quantity and quality of its technology-rich learning environments. From a handful of rooms in varying states of repair and capability, the University is nearing completion of the last of over 40 Technology Classrooms. Although doing so many projects simultaneously proved difficult, it allowed the unique opportunity to consider broader design concepts and their implications for both users and those who support the rooms.

• Visual learning and technology: A mutual support system,
  Vicki S. Williams, Penn State Capital College

  Is "visual technology" an oxymoron? Are visual learning and technology mutually exclusive or mutually supportive? In the past, computers were considered efficient instructors, but not very friendly. Their programmers mastered the stimulus-response method of text-based instruction in the programmed learning mode, but instructional support, such as meaningful feedback, was lacking. Today, computers and other technologies are moving away from their text-heavy displays and are more visually oriented, using icons and graphics. As technology becomes increasingly sophisticated in its capabilities, computers are able to support visual learning to a higher degree than ever before. This article investigates the supportive side of current technology in the visual process of learning and the issues designers of instruction must address to utilize these capabilities and maximize their effects.

• Video Reviews: Managing Educational Technology: Introducing Quality,
  Kay Cooper, University of Minnesota Copyright: The Internet, Multimedia and the Law, Diana Vogelsong, American University