| | SEPTEMBER 202519CXO INSIGHTSAs a Director of Classroom Technology & Support Solutions, Jarrod McFarlane is responsible for the teams that support the design, installation, repair, support, training, and maintenance of all general assignment classrooms on the West, East, South, and Southampton campuses. His portfolio includes organization, standards implementation, training documentation, customer service, and computer presentation support.What are some of the newer things that you are working on, and how do you see the challenges that institutions are facing right now in terms of technology implementation?Today, every organization is focused on implementing hybrid work culture. The major challenge is how we integrate or enhance hybrid technology into the classroom space to teach remote students. The cost of getting there is another problem. These things don't just appear out of nowhere. We need to look closely at what fits into the university's plan and how it is being prioritized. Universities must be able to provide courses, classes, and other similar opportunities to remote students to grow their student base.How the university collaborates to achieve that goal is important. Everyone has to be on the same page with the hybrid, recorded, asynchronous technology strategy that has been put in place to expand the number of students by delivering courses not just locally but internationally too. And the fact is that no one has found the perfect solution yet presents a difficulty for the sector. First, it's getting buy-in from the faculty. What are the faculty's goals, what are they willing to alter about the way they teach, or how are they willing to adapt? Second, what is the student's expectation, who are the upcoming students, whether they be typical or non-traditional students and how do they anticipate services that the university offers?I'm not sure if the solutions to those questions have been found yet, but every institution is either working on finding the best solution or watching what other institutions are doing. And I believe that is where we currently stand.What would be your piece of advice to fellow peers and colleagues who are trying to embark on a similar technological journey as you? My suggestion is to put your attention on alignment and to get buy-in. In the current context, nothing happens without adherence to the university's strategic plan and support from professors, campus administrators, and campus financial leaders. There is no way to advance if such components are missing.You need that buy-in at the top levels if you want IT governance, which keeps a close check on expenditure and budgeting. Additionally, it must be supported by the president, the provost, the president's council, the chief financial officer, the chief operating officer, and the deans. What are some of the technological trends that will dominate the classroom technology space for the next 18 months?A trend would be anything that strengthens and streamlines the remote experience for professors and students to consume, whether it is synchronous remote, watching records, streaming, or anything else. I believe those are the tools that are in demand and everyone is attempting to acquire. Having the ability to embrace and integrate it into your classroom experience, regardless of whether it is software, hardware, or software as a service, users can embrace it as easily as possible. EMBRACING CLASSROOM TECHNOLOGY TO SUPPORT HYBRID MODEL Jarrod McFarlane, Director, Classroom Technology & Support Solutions, Stony Brook UniversityJarrod McFarlaneWe need to look closely at what fits into the university's plan and how it is being prioritized. Universities must be able to provide courses, classes, and other similar opportunities to remote students to grow their student base
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