Last week, CDW-Government, Inc. announced the results of its recent study titled, "The 21st-Century Campus: Are We There Yet?". The study examined both the current and future role of technology in higher education and produced many interesting findings. One interesting portion of the news release reveals that regardless of major, students feel that campus technology is a key factor when selecting schools and believe it is critical for their chosen professions. Additionally, according to independent research conducted in a 2006 study, "Are they Really Ready to Work?”, employers agree that technology skills are increasingly more important and colleges should strive to develop those skills in their students. However, the study found that only 33% of faculty say that technology is fully integrated on their campuses, and that most students lack exposure to common workplace collaborative technologies such as video and web conferencing.
How do your schools compare? Are students exposed to workplace collaborative technologies on campus before entering the workforce? What might the college store’s role be in helping students and campuses with this technology/training challenge? Is there a potential product or service opportunity?
