Raising the Bar - Cell Phones the GGC Way

摘要

Georgia Gwinnett College is the newest 4-year campus in the University System of Georgia. It opened its doors in August 2006 with a mission to maximize the use of technology toward enhancing instruction, collaboration, and student engagement. To that end, a cell phone program was initiated that provided a data capable smart phone to every faculty member and qualifying staff. Faculty were not responsible for holding office hours but instead were instructed to develop a "Technology Covenant" with their students. This Covenant indicated methods and times of proper communication that included text messaging, phone calling, and appointment scheduling. Since that time, the GGC Cell Phone Program has equipped over 600 cell phones or phone stipends to faculty and staff for enhancing student engagement and communications across campus. This paper will present outcomes, pros, and cons of supporting this initiative.