Technology Literacy

Students at Centre College are frequently exposed to and engaged with technology, gaining proficiency in and out of the classroom. Centre students are computer literate. First-year students are immersed in the Finding Your Centre (FYC) program in their first semester at Centre College, during which they are provided with instruction and support on using Moodle, the web portal, document storage, and printing services. During FYC, first-year students are introduced to library staff, services and resources. Students receive instruction on the research process, using the library catalog, searching electronic databases, source evaluation, and citing sources. Students will utilize these skills throughout their four years in most of their classes. Students have access to desktop computers in the library. Laptops, external hard drives, and chargers are available for checkout. Students also complete a variety of technology-based assignments in their required first-year seminars, in all general education courses, and in courses throughout the curriculum. They learn to use spreadsheets, computer simulations, statistical programs, and graphical software. In their upper-level courses, they also learn to use discipline-specific software and technologies. Many courses across the curriculum and at all levels of study require the use of presentation software to complement the delivery of oral presentations. Oral and written communication are explicit student learning goals for the first-year studies courses and for our general education curriculum. One hundred percent of first-year students who took the National Survey of Student Engagement(NSSE) said that they gave a course presentation during their first year at Centre College (NSSE Survey 2013).

Equipment and assistance for these technology-based projects are available through the Center for Teaching and Learning. In recent classes, students have created videos, made digital presentations, composed and illustrated digital stories, published blogs, developed apps, and built websites. In addition, students have access to a media lab, where they can learn how to use more advanced software programs such as Adobe Creative Cloud, iLife, Comic Life, and Anime Studio, as well as a production studio and green screen where they can record audio and video.

Outside of the classroom, the ITS Technology Support Center provides a central location for computer, mobile device and software support and configuration assistance. Throughout campus, students have access to public computers with a host of general and specialized software. Students with their own computers and/or mobile devices can access campus systems as well as the Internet most everywhere on campus using Centre’s pervasive wireless and wired campus network. From the campus portal system, CentreNet, students can access their email accounts, Microsoft Office 365 (web-based version), Moodle, Zoom and select cloud-based document repositories as well as online student registration, class schedules, and degree program planning tools. Students can also install the full Microsoft Office suite on their personal systems under the College’s licensing agreement. Our students are also provided with access to many online departmental services from career and graduate school planning resources to discipline-based research services. Centre students have access to and use a variety of sophisticated electronic tools in their pursuit of academic success and excellence.