Feng Hou is looking towards the future to meet student needs.
BY: FAWWAZ ASHRAF
Staff Writer
Technology is constantly moving forward so having a leader that can keep St. Louis Community College (STLCC) moving alongside it is imperative to our college’s success. That’s where Feng Hou comes in.
In June 2022, Hou became the new Chief Information Officer (CIO) for STLCC and has been working diligently to not only keep STLCC’s technology modern but also accessible. The Montage recently spoke with Hou to learn more about his background, new role, views on new technologies, current projects, and goals.
Although Hou didn’t initially plan on going into the IT field during his undergraduate career; instead he shifted more into the field when he pursued his master’s degree in instructional design at Virginia Tech.
Hou said he “specifically picked a program that is across the discipline between education and computer science.” During this time, he worked on a teachers’ summer development workshop. As a result, he got the attention of a superintendent who hired him to be the computer services director which got him started in IT management.
Since then, he’s accrued more than 20 years of experience in the field, most of which was spent as CIO for other, mostly community, colleges around the US. His role before joining STLCC was as Chief Digital Transformation Evangelist for Maryville University, a special position created specifically for him. In this role, he helped organize a roadmap and introduce new technologies to the school, such as digital student IDs, digital employees, and digitally verifiable transcripts and diplomas via blockchain technology. This technology helped Maryville move towards a contactless standard, therefore playing a critical role in keeping Maryville safe during the pandemic. He also taught a few classes in this role.
As the CIO of STLCC, Hou manages the entire IT operation. That includes infrastructure, security, technology solutions, support services, and media services. In this role, he is working on many projects to improve both the quality and accessibility of technology for STLCC students.
One of the projects he’s working on is the HyFlex program. This program allows students to attend class physically or virtually and still get the benefits of live lectures. Hou said that HyFlex will make it “easy for students to participate in their learning activities wherever or whenever they need.”
For many students, arranging and paying for transport to an STLCC campus can be a significant roadblock to getting an education, but many students also find that fully online classes lack the engagement needed for effective learning. This program also helps students who need to quarantine, take care of children, or can’t attend for other reasons. HyFlex is a happy medium for students who can’t participate physically while acting as a standard class for commuter students.
Hou is also continuing to further the accessibility of education through the loaner technology program. This loaner program gives students laptops to borrow while at STLCC. He said, “we purchased, immediately, several hundred if not a thousand of those computers.” The loaner program also offers other technology such as calculators and recording devices which can be borrowed from the library.
Another, more subtle change has been the expansion of Wi-Fi coverage on STLCC’s various campuses. Now, Wi-Fi will cover more outdoor areas like parking lots and sitting areas.
To help ease the transition between high school and college, Hou is also working on the Grade 13+ initiative. This will help students with the transition to STLCC by digitizing much of the admissions process.
He said, “In this process, every high school student, if they choose to come to STLCC, [we’ll] already have their information.”
Hou said that he wants people to continue their education as if they’re just entering a new grade, hence the idea of grade 13. The plus represents students who take some time off of school and want to resume later.
Hou ascends to the CIO role in the midst of a huge change for the college. Although he didn’t initiate STLCC’s transition to Canvas, he’s experienced with the platform.
“If they [the students] have any questions [or] concerns about how to use canvas technology,” he said, “please let us know.”
Outside of STLCC, Hou is an active member of the technology community, and he’s a strong advocate for blockchain technology, especially for its adoption in education. He plays essential roles in multiple large organizations relating to blockchains and education. He’s also taught courses on blockchain technology and even contributed to questions for a blockchain certification exam.
Hou is currently learning more about how blockchain technology can be leveraged to improve the experience for the students. One example is the digitally verifiable document program he implemented at Maryville. Another is using smart contract technology to automate business processes. This can help get more done faster and easier and allow operation outside of normal business hours. Using blockchain technology for these problems also helps with security and immutability.
Hou has big plans to help bring STLCC into a new era of technology, but also make sure that technology is available to everyone. He shared a lesson from John Chambers, a co-founder of Cisco, that sums his views up perfectly: “Technology is a societal equalizer, just like education.”
