The learning environment at Wellesley College has been transformed by the integration of technology and the availability of digitized information. Faculty members are experimenting with the potential of these fast-developing technologies and adapting them to learning in new and more effective ways. Course-centered web pages, electronic conferences, interactive assignments delivered via Internet, multimedia instructional tools, and videoconferencing have extended and enriched the classroom experience. Library resources have expanded to incorporate electronic databases, e-journals and e-books, digital images and large data sets. This effective use of technology has provided an expanded variety of ways for students to be engaged with the material, and to improve their learning.

Wellesley's investment in technology is directed by this primary objective: to improve the quality of the educational experience for our students through the wise application of the appropriate technological and information resources. Wellesley has a special role to play as an institution for women. Women continue to be underrepresented in the technological arenas of computing, software development, and web design. To make a difference in today's world, our graduates need a fluency with technology and a discerning view of information resources-a new kind of literacy that will be fully as important as the ability to read, write, and reason quantitatively.

Section introductions courtesy of the EDUCAUSE online Guide to Evaluating Information Technology on Campus. This guide was developed by EDUCAUSE in cooperation with the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) and the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO).