A recent decision by the School of Education which requires students enrolled in certain classes to purchase subscriptions to an online task management program has drawn complaints from some students.
In late September, education students received an email from Interim Assistant to the Dean Tracy Peterson notifying them that they would be required to purchase subscriptions of the online program TaskStream in order to turn in work for certain upper level courses.
“TaskStream is a data management system that we will use for NCATE accreditation,” said Peterson. “It also provides students with tools for creating lesson plans, rubrics, unit plans, and portfolios.”
According to the September 23 email, the program also allows students to “work with a variety of tools, i.e. NYS Standards/SPA Standards, receive evaluator’s comments, (and) archive collections of work in E-portfolios.”
School of Education Professor Michael Rozalski says a “very vocal small group” came to him to voice their concerns with this new requirement.
“There were a couple of major concerns,” he said. “Probably the most visible one was the cost.”
Subscriptions for TaskStream can be purchased by semester or by year. One semester is $25, one year is $42, two years is $69, and three years is $91. Students who have come to Rozalski have voiced their concerns about these costs, especially those who rely on financial assistance to pay for school, he said.
Shawna Cody, an education student with two sons, expressed her concerns about the required fees and the financial strain that it would put on her family.
“The School of Education is not being very thoughtful to their students in making us pay for something that makes our lives harder and theirs easier,” she said.
Rozalski also noted that students were upset that they were not informed of this decision until late September after they had already applied for financial aid.
“Having been able to anticipate this cost would have helped,” he said. “They could have planned.”
Peterson, who has spoken with a few of the concerned students, says that the School of Education is only asking students to buy what they need.
“Some of the schools we looked at required students to purchase a two year subscription,” she said. “We allow them (students) to choose to buy at the level that is most comfortable for them.”
Though there is no official plan to respond to students’ financial concerns, Peterson says that some of the faculty has discussed the possibility of applying for a grant that might make the cost more affordable for certain students.
Financial strain is not the only student concern regarding TaskStream. Students also came to Peterson with complaints about the lack of student input in the decision-making process.
“People, I think, were mad because they weren’t included in the discussion, but we view it in the same way that students don’t have a say in what books they’re required to purchase for classes,” she said.
Despite complaints, Peterson views TaskStream as a valuable and worthwhile program that students can take advantage of before and after graduation.
“The nice thing about this is that it does allow you to create a professional portfolio that you can send out to prospective employers,” she said. “When students come to me with complaints about the costs, I say to them, ‘how much is having an accredited program worth to you?’ It’s not just a fee they have to pay, it’s a tool.”