KRYSTYNA PORTUGUES-KLOS
Staff Writer
As the world progresses and technology becomes more and more futuristic, colleges and students have to prepare for what they will encounter in the digital world.
The Information Technology Service Center (ITS) at Fredonia has a strategic plan for the advancement of technology, and how to incorporate it into the lives of students and faculty, making it accessible for everyone.
A committee was made to create a strategic plan concerning the evolving technology available for colleges and how to make it available for students to use. Chief Information Officer (CIO) Michel Kouadio and the student representative for the IT Strategic Planning Committee, EJ Jacobs, explained the plan, detailing what may come next for Fredonia.
The main point of the plan is to inspire innovation with new technology, create collaborative spaces for students and faculty, have the best resources available for students and create more effective management of the resources on campus.
Jacobs, a senior English major, explained, “This plan has been in discussion for a while, starting last semester. This semester was mainly finalizing details.”
The plan is scheduled to be finished or mostly complete by 2027.
With the committee taking nearly two semesters to come up with this plan, there have been many ideas set in place, and some have already been approved and set in motion.
One example of this is the switch to Microsoft Authenticator from DUO. Kouadio states that the move resulted from “the need for a more user-centric approach to technology and education.”
With the change, students will not need to sign in every single week for their Google account, but only every two weeks, relieving a weekly burden off their shoulders.
One of the many differences students will experience with this plan is the unveiling of innovation labs around campus, one of them being in Fenton Hall. In these technology centers, students will be able to rent laptops from laptop lockers without having to go to a person, making it a communication-free way to get the resources for assignments and other student needs. Students can simply scan their FREDcard and take a laptop.
There will be new technologies and systems in these labs as well, helping students connect to newer platforms that can help them with their learning and integrate technology into their education.
AI is one of the biggest innovations in technology the University has incorporated, and it will be utilized on this campus and on the school’s websites more often with this plan.
On the Fredonia website, there will be a 24/7 AI chatbot capable of answering questions and relaying users to web pages where they can find what they need. This will not get rid of customer service, as calls will still be taken at the ITS Service Center and other offices on campus for student needs.
More AI research and resources will be available as well, and safe ways to use AI will be discussed. Classroom usage of AI is a hot topic, but there are several ways that AI can help facilitate learning instead of asking ChatGPT to write your essay.
Cybersecurity will also be increased, and the protection of University platforms like FredLearn and YourConnection will be improved.
This plan, set in motion and with more details to be approved, will allow students to learn in an environment with some of the newest technologies and the opportunity to explore what the tech world has to offer.
In order to view the plan: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YjRdKhUeJPEfFfeJB8muBfejfRPGjKySnM3VTszB0Ac/edit?usp=sharing
Krystyna Portugues-Klos, the author of this article, is a student worker at the ITS center on campus.
EJ Jacobs, who was interviewed for this article, is the Life & Arts Editor of The Leader.