5 Digital Community College Trends from 2010

Across the country, community colleges keep adding to their arsenal of digital technology. And in five areas, they've really stepped up their game.

These five major trends have emerged on the 2010 Digital Community Colleges Survey when compared with the 2009 results. The Center for Digital Education conducted the survey, which Hyland Software and TechSmith underwrote.

Keep reading to find out what digital technology the community colleges in the survey use to improve their services to students, faculty and staff.
 

Trend 1: Mobile access

In four main areas, community colleges provide students with information through their mobile devices.

• Grades
  Twenty percent of colleges give students access to their grades through mobile devices. That's a 12 percent increase from 2009.
   
• Admissions
  This year, 16 percent of the colleges allow students to enroll through their mobile devices — a 9 percent increase from last year.
   
• Classes
  Nineteen percent of colleges allow students to register for classes through their mobile device. That's a 9 percent increase from 2009.
   
• Transcripts
  This year, 16 percent of colleges give students access to transcripts through mobile devices — an 8 percent increase from last year.

Trend 2: Technical support

For faculty who own computers, 73.5 percent of community colleges provide technical support. That's a 20 percent increase since last year.

And for students who own laptops, 51 percent of colleges provide technical support — a 13 percent increase from last year.
 

Trend 3: Video, social networking and webcasts

Video

Fifty-two percent of colleges use grass roots video, an 18 percent increase from last year. For example, Northern Virginia Community College has an iTunes U page, a YouTube channel and other distribution channels for people to post videos. Each year, the college does a knock-off of American Idol that ends up on YouTube.

As far as using video in instruction, colleges need more than just a book and a lecture, said Steven Sachs, vice president of instructional and information technology at the community college. They need podcasts or audio instruction with visual content such as videos.

“What you want to be able to do is create a variety of media that’s appropriate for the material, for the student, for where they’re going to watch it,” he said.

Social networking

Northern Virginia Community College also has Facebook and MySpace pages, blogs, a LinkedIn group and a Twitter stream. In the survey, 79 percent of colleges said they use social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace, a 19 percent increase since last year. The community college earned an A+ on the survey.

“Facebook has become one of the best ways to reach students and to communicate with students,” Sachs said.

With students scattered all over northern Virginia, the community college has tapped into social media to give them a sense of identity and belonging.

Students are happy to have the university on Facebook. That's where they are, and they really don't use e-mail that much, he said. But at the same time, they don't want their space gummed up with spam or official communications.

Webcasts

At 48 percent of the colleges, students can access webcasts — a 16 percent increase from last year.
 

Trend 4: Career guidance

At 69 percent of community colleges, students can access career guidance services and counselors online. That's a 13 percent increase from last year. 
 

Trend 5: Distance and blended courses

Nearly half of the community colleges have between 35 and 65 percent of students registered in distance or blended courses — a 12 percent increase from last year.
 

What technology does your college have?

Five major trends from last year to this year include mobile access, technical support; video, social networking and webcasts; career guidance; and distance and  blended courses. If you would like to share what technology your college is using on the next survey, check our website in May 2011 for the application.

Resources: 

Top U.S. Community Colleges Awarded for Digital Technology