Unified Communications Technology: The Considerations for Adoption for Administration and Pedagogy

Abstract


 
 
 We are in a different place, where today’s learners require educators to broaden their methods of pedagogy in order to interact more effectively with digital-native learners (Dietz, 2010). Educators need a less structured and more informal learning setting that leverages already established teaching tools supporting a constructivist learning environment (Dietz, 2010). In addition, institutions need to leverage these technologies with their business processes in order to provide for greater efficiencies and collaboration (Herrell, 2011). In support of these findings, The College of Staten Island (CSI) has researched unified communications (UC) technology that uses a unified learning environment. This comprehensive solution will be used to replace a life-cycled phone system, as well as enhance administrative processes and pedagogical applications. This paper will discuss the technology status at CSI, options in support of a UC environment, and alternative technologies that provide similar functionality. Challenges and opportunities associated with a UC environment will be addressed, as well as how this environment can respond to individual learning styles when teaching to a diverse student population. As part of this decision of implementing a UC system, one must consider whether it is worth the resources to implement this technology or whether disparate systems with the same functionality will suffice. This paper will address that question by describing the strategy CSI is following in order to move towards the successful adoption of a UC environment in both administrative and pedagogical applications.