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ERIC Number: ED371795
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1994-Apr
Pages: 12
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Comprehensive Learning Centers: Using Technology To Supplement the Classroom.
Groomes, M. Rudy
Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College (OCTC) is a public two-year technical college located in rural South Carolina. Some prominent examples of the use of technology at OCTC include the following: (1) the Health Sciences Satellite Media Center houses software and audiovisual equipment which provides instructional support to seven health science curricula; (2) "Introduction to Health Professions" is a self-paced two-credit-hour course housed in the Media Center; (3) computer-based simulations that reconstruct actual clinical situations are available for Pediatric Nursing, X-Ray Circuit, and other programs; (4) test banks provide an opportunity for students to review licensure exams, and also provide instructors to identify areas where students need help; (5) instructional computer programs present textual information or graphics, followed by questions relating to the material presented; (6) Media Center computers provide access to the library's online catalog and CD-ROM periodical indexes through a local area network; (7) OCTC serves as a remote site for the distance education programs of the University of South Carolina and Clemson University; and (8) the state-of-the-art Interactive Multi-Media Classrooms for the Humanities and Computer Science are each equipped with 486 IBM-compatible computers connected to laser disc players with projector panels. Software programs offer instruction in history, economics, psychology, sociology, biology and anatomy. A final example of the OCTC's use of technology is the Student Transitional Education Program (STEP) which monitors 150 first-generation college students in the areas of reading, English and mathematics to provide academic support and improve retention rates. The effective use of technology increases learning; however, small colleges face many challenges in funding, hiring and retaining appropriate staff, and keeping pace with rapidly developing technologies. (KP)
Publication Type: Reports - Descriptive; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A
Note: Paper presented at the Annual Convention of the American Association of Community Colleges (74th, Washington, DC, April 6-9, 1994).