COLUMN: What it takes to be 'wired'

From Jeffrey Snyder's, "Snyde Remarks," Fall '98 From Jeffrey Snyder's, "Snyde Remarks," Fall '98 Though the University traditionally bills itself as one of the nation's most prestigious academic institutions, according to Yahoo Internet Life magazine, Penn is not even in the top 100. The omission of Penn may be an indication of confused methods and distorted numbers intended to boost magazine sales a la U.S. News & World Report. After all, the University seems to do an excellent job of providing Internet access. But at the same time, some criticism of Penn's integration of technology may be valid. What separates Penn from the schools that made the Yahoo list? According to the survey, 36 of the top 100 schools don't yet offer on-line registration. That's definitely not our weakness. In fact, we should applaud the Registrar and the Office of Student Financial Services for the excellent job they have done making vital information easily accessible to students. Another category in the survey concerns whether schools provide their students with e-mail accounts. But almost every Penn student has an account and uses it frequently. What could it be that makes Dartmouth the No. 1 "Wired" college in the U.S.? Why is every school in the Ivy League ranked except for Brown and Penn? Not concerned yet? What if I added that Drexel came in No. 18? What separates these schools from Penn is not that they have a better network than we do -- although in some instances that is true -- but rather that they do a better job of integrating their networks into the curriculum. At Drexel, for example, 72 percent of classes offer or require on-line coursework. That isn't even remotely impressive compared to DePauw University, which is experimenting with a "softboard" system in classrooms that automatically transmits a professor's dry-erase scribbles to students' desktops. This is a far cry from Penn, where e-mailing a paper often constitutes the extent of on-line coursework in non-computer-related courses. Most professors do not bother to establish or update course Web pages as useful resources for students. And even fewer put course notes and syllabi on line. If the University truly wants the Internet to become a part of the classroom, administrators should consider adopting a policy like that at Dartmouth, where all students are required to own a computer. Dartmouth provides volume discounts for incoming students and allocates financial aid to accommodate those who otherwise could not afford one. But even before such a drastic step is necessary, the University could expand and update campus-wide computer systems. Although all Wharton School classrooms and labs contain state-of-the-art computer systems, most classrooms in the College of Arts and Sciences do not. Not all residential labs are nearly as up-to-date as they could be, and even those that are could use more workstations. Of course, classroom computers don't do much good when professors don't know how to use them. Thus, the University should look into instituting a faculty-training requirement. At other schools, such requirements aim to provide faculty members with a basic knowledge of the resources available in the information age. It naturally follows that faculty are more likely to post course Web pages, accept and assign work via the internet and use technology in classes if they are given sufficient opportunity to learn the basics. Many Penn faculty members have taken some initiative, and in doing so have made their lectures far more enjoyable. But those who still rely exclusively on "chalk and talk" and aren't teaching math should perhaps consider updating their teaching methods. The University must also quickly move forward with the GreekNet program, designed to bring Ethernet connections to all Greek houses. Phase one of the program, involving the connection of common areas within University-owned houses to the network, has been completed. But it is the remaining two phases -- expansion of Ethernet to bedrooms within the University-owned houses and subsequently to the rest of the Greek system -- that will have a real impact. There is no reason to put privately-owned Greek houses on the back burner when when alumni are willing the fund the project. Finally, the University in general, and particularly the College, should consider some small yet tangible steps that would immediately make a difference. Examples include the addition of more e-mail-only workstations around campus. A student shouldn't have to search out a lab to simply check e-mail, but should be able to just stop on the way into any building. The other schools should also follow the lead of Wharton and some individual departments in establishing life-long e-mail addresses for their students to take with them beyond graduation. Given that the Internet is only a few years old, the University has taken great strides in its attempts to provide students, faculty and staff with access. Still, in order to keep up with the competition, Penn must ensure that the Internet and other technology serve as learning tools in addition to a means of communication. The University's failure to consistently achieve true integration might explain its exclusion from Yahoo's top 100 "Wired" colleges -- that is, unless some administrator simply forgot to return the survey. Regardless of the validity one associates with rankings such as this, administrators must recognize that rankings sell, and prospective students do take them into account as they enter the highly competitive college market.