Technology is advancing faster everyday, and classroom technology is no exception. Even over the past couple years, there have been some pretty major changes in how technology is used in the college classroom.

One of the most convenient technologies used in the classroom today is course management software. Professors can use these programs to post syllabi, distribute and collect assignments, and do just about anything else that they need to do to run the class. You’ll find that your grades are often posted online (password-protected, of course) using these programs. Over the past several years, some free course management software programs (such as Moodle, a popular one) have started popping up. This can save your college a great deal of money, so expect to start seeing some of the more popular ones. Some of the common ones that you may see include D2L (Desire 2 Learn) and Blackboard.

In addition to getting information on your class online, you can now also take entire classes without setting foot on campus. Online classes are becoming more popular, and may schools are beginning to offer many of their classes in an online format. Some large schools are also starting to offer lectures—and sometimes even entire classes—online for free via sites like Academic Earth. These are very valuable resources, so take advantage of them!

You might be surprised to find that some colleges are even starting to use online virtual world systems, such as Second Life to organize classes and facilitate interaction between students. This is much less common than the above technologies, but it’s rising in popularity. You may find that you’re using sites like this sooner than you think.

So what do professors do with all of this technology? That depends very much on the professor. Some just keep track of grades online. Others distribute handouts so that students can print them and read them before coming to class. Some are starting to use software for quizzes and tests, which are graded automatically. Many classes have discussion boards on which students are required to interact on a regular basis. There are fewer who are going far beyond this—there really is no limit to how a professor may use these technologies.

Whether your high school used these technologies or is still using paper and pen to keep track of grades, you’ll be able to pick it up quickly. Most of the technologies being used in college classrooms are extensions of things you’re already using, like Facebook or . So if you sign up for a class and find out that much of it will be taking place online, or that you’ll have to take some tests on the computer, don’t worry about it. It’s very likely that it’ll be really simple . . . and if it’s not, you’ll pick it up quick!

As always, if you have any questions, comments or funny stories you'd like me to share about college or the blog, email me at stu@stuvu.com