Encouraging faculty adoption and innovation in teaching and learning with technology

After months of spirited discussion and debate, the EDUCAUSE teaching and learning community has named the, “Top Teaching and Learning Challenges, 2009.” Now it’s time to roll up your sleeves and contribute ideas from your vantage point on campus to build a network of solutions around each challenge. Share the ways that your campus is combating the Challenges in the wiki below or simply peruse suggestions from your peers to find ideas that might inspire change at your institution.

Before posting to this wiki, be sure to read the Community Wiki Guidelines developed by lead project contributors. Using the guidelines helps to ensure consistent format and usability of this collection. If you have difficulty posting or have any questions, please contact the workspace manager assigned to this wiki. They can post content for you or answer any questions you may have about contributing.

To explore the other Challenges, return to the main wiki and connect with colleagues in the Challenges Ning network.

Workspace Managers

Laura Little, laura.little@marshall.edu

Terri Gustafson, terrigus@msu.edu

Challenge Overview

New technologies rise and fall on an almost daily basis in the marketplace, making it increasingly difficult to keep faculty on the “cutting edge” of the tools that might make a difference in the classroom. Even more difficult can be maintaining the critical balance between early adopters on campus and those that may need the extra nudge to consider new tools.

How do we encourage faculty to try new technologies in the classroom? How do we shift the conversation from merely discussing emerging tools to identifying and assessing those tools that will have the greatest impact on learning? How do we balance support for early adopters with time to reach out to late adopters?  

Campus Snapshots

Explorations in Information Technology, Michigan State University

Dr. Byron Brown of Michigan State University hosts a brown bag lunch every Friday during the spring and fall semesters in which faculty members and academic technologists from around campus share how they are infusing technology into their educational initiatives.  He calls this seminar series "Explorations in Instructional Technology" and it is attended by a broad and varied audience.  There is no website, but to learn more contact Jessica Knott, Michigan State University, jlknott@msu.edu.

(This solution was featured in a recent article in the EDUCAUSE Review, Charting the Course and Tapping the Community: The EDUCAUSE Top Teaching and Learning Challenges, 2009.)

Faculty Seminar Series, Michigan State University

Michigan State University offers a two day faculty seminar series twice a year, taught by experts campus-wide and covering a broad range of topics from blended teaching and learning to applications such as Adobe Photoshop.  These seminars are free of charge to faculty members, and range from 1/2 to full days. Lunch is provided each day, at which time a speaker addresses a topic pertinent to the instructional technology realm.  These seminars are coordinated by Dr. Byron Brown and the department of Libraries, Computing and Technology on campus.  For more information contact Jessica Knott, Michigan State University, jlknott@msu.edu .

Winter/Summer Camps, University of Indianapolis

The University of Indianapolis hosts week-long Winter/Summer Camps. Faculty serve as Camp Counselors and demonstrate how they have integrated various Web 2.0 technologies into their curriculum. Participants are given ample hands-on opportunities. Camp Survival Kits are distributed. Upon the conclusion, attendees participate in a Camp Revue. Members of the campus community are invited to attend the Revue. Additional documentation and resources are housed on a Wiki. For more information, contact Beth Kiggins, kiggins@uindy.edu.

(This solution was featured in a recent article in the EDUCAUSE Review, Charting the Course and Tapping the Community: The | EDUCAUSE Top Teaching and Learning Challenges, 2009.)

What Every MBA Student Should Know, Pepperdine University

Using a wiki, students in a "Technology and Operations" course at Pepperdine University help explain some current trends in Information Technology and Systems.  Borrowing from the collective intelligence spirit of Wikipedia and the "7 Things You Should Know About.." format used by the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative, the wiki outlines trends in technology and education for MBAs students, alumni, and business professionals across the globe. The text and multimedia components give quick "down and dirty" understanding, while the social bookmark-based annotated bibliography provides current resources for deeper explorations. Visit the wiki. For more information contact Susan Gautsch, susan.gautsch@pepperdine.edu .

Introducing New Tools on Technology Day, Bucks County Community College

Technology Day is an annual event sponsored by the Teaching and Learning with Technology Roundtable (TLTR) at Bucks County Community College.  The Tech Day Action Team of the TLTR offers a full day of technology-related learning opportunities during the Intersession each January.   The Tech Day goals are 1) to expose faculty and staff to new ways to use technology for teaching and learning, and 2)  to promote ways of working smarter with technology tools.  Attendance this year topped 100 participants. Past sessions have included: Check Out the "Free" Google Tools; Take One: Students Make Videos to Create Content; Get to Know Your Colleague (aka Datatel); Get a Second Life; Building Your Online Course; and "Click" This! For more information, contact Marilyn Puchalski, puchalsk@bucks.edu.

(This solution was featured in the June 22 Solutions in Action webcast. Download the slides.)

Master Online Teaching Certification, Weber State University

This program brings together faculty from across campus to learn about new technologies to use in both the online environment and the traditional classroom. This year we had two cohorts of 16 faculty each meet together for 3 hours each month to look at new technologies and discuss pedagogical applications of those technologies. From there, each faculty participant decided which, if any, of those technologies they wanted to explore in-depth, with small group hands-on training. Participants were also provided with an online course that provided information about technologies and the opportunity for synchronous discussion with each other and with the instructional designers. Program culminates with a "Technology Symposium" showcase where participants are asked to share their experiences and findings with the broader campus. For additional information, contact Gail Niklason, gniklason@weber.edu.

(This solution was featured in the June 22 Solutions in Action webcast. Download the slides.)

Engaging Faculty in the Process, Gervitz Graduate School of Education, University of California, Santa Barbara

In the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education (GGSE) at the University of California, Santa Barbara, there are multiple opportunities for faculty learning, adoption, and innovation in the use of technology in the teaching/learning process. Jane Conoley, Dean of the GGSE, convenes a technology leadership committee that focuses on the nuts and bolts of technology for the school. She also convenes a Technology Vision Task Force that looks at next steps, aspirations, and dreams in technology enhanced /supported/ influenced teaching and learning. Faculty are also asked to participate in regular focus groups where technology issues are considered. (Patrick Faverty, Dir. of Educ. Leadership - pfaverty@education.ucsb.edu)

SU Connects, Seattle University Faculty Support Center Quarterly presentations

At Seattle U the Faculty Technology Support (FTS) center host SUConnects, a quarterly gathering showcasing upcoming trends in technology. We found scheduling to be a challenge so all of our events this year have been webcast and recorded,and discussion groups created in Angel CMS to keep the discussion going. The list is moderated by grad students with interests in technology in teaching and learning. Our best event this year was using tablet PC's in the Chemistry lab. Internal faculty presenters seem to attract the best crowds. The tech department pays for light refreshments.For more info contact Michael DeBlasi, Dir of Learing Technology at Seattle University - Sungard HE at deblasm@seattleu.edu.

Outreach through IT Faculty Liaison Program, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

At WPI, librarians and instructional technologists partner to keep faculty aware of innovative technologies and resources.  Staff teams meet with all new faculty to build relationships with and awareness of services and resources available to them for their teaching and research.   Liaisons also attend academic department meetings annually to keep faculty abreast of emerging trends, technologies, and potential applications. 

For more information, contact Kate Beverage, Manager, Technology for Teaching & Learning at WPI kwrigley@wpi.edu.

Virtual Water Cooler at Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC)

At NSCC a group of enthusiastic faculty, instructional designers, curriculum consultants and other academic staff launched a lunch'n'learn Virtual Water Cooler using Elluminate (http://www.elluminate.com) as a virtual learning environment to discuss teaching, learning, and technologies that support them. Held every three weeks, the one-hour conversation engages faculty and educational technologists in exploration of one pedagogical area per session, sharing ideas and approaches to the use of technologies to solve issues in the teaching and learning environment. Informality of delivery, community-driven conversation, and a focus on teaching support are the factors that have meant success of the Virtual Water Cooler. For more info please contact Project Coordinator Stephen Parsons (stephen.parsons@nscc.ca) or Instructional Designer Carolyn Campbell (carolyn.campbell@nscc.ca).

(This solution was featured in the June 22 Solutions in Action webcast. Download the slides.)

Showcases on Teaching Practices, University of Wisconsin-Stout

At the University of Wisconsin-Stout we have been a laptop campus since 2002.  The digital learning environment has impacted the learning environment for both instructors and students.  This past semester instructors were interviewed and they shared strategies of their teaching practice.  The interviews are available from our website and we are working to include video vignettes of interviewed instructors discussing a specific strategy.  This is one way we are choosing to celebrate and highlight the work of our instructors related to teaching, learning and technology. Readers are invited to visit the showcase at: http://www3.uwstout.edu/ntlc/showcase/index.cfm

"Innovations in Education" TV Show, Stonybrook University

Stonybrook University is producing a series of 15-minute television shows that feature faculty and staff using innovative approaches and best practices in teaching, and applications of educational technology that have had a positive effect on student learning.  Interviews ocus primarily on faculty members but the last section of each interview is usually with a professional staff member who can provide support to faculty interested in adopting the pedagogy or technology discussed during each show.  Video and pictures of the application of the innovation or best practice are included in each show where possible. For more information, visit: https://tlt.stonybrook.edu/FacultyServices/FacDev/TVShow/Pages/Default.aspx or contact Graham Glynn at: Graham.Glynn@StonyBrook.edu.

(This solution was featured in the June 22 Solutions in Action webcast. Download the slides.)

Innovation in Teaching Program, Cornell University

Through the Innovation in Teaching Program at Cornell, faculty receive the resources and staff expertise to plan and implement innovative instructional technology projects. Faculty are selected for the program by an annual Call for Proposals where faculty outline their ideas and goals for their specific project and how an instructional technology enhancement will benefit the process. An advisory board works with the colleges to select projects for the program. (Twenty projects are selected during each cycle.) Once a project is selected, the faculty memebr receives development support from staff specifically funded by the university to support innovation projects. Funds are also made available for the purchase of hardware, software, and other technical services and assistance that might be required. Support is also available for faculty release time. At the conclusion of their award cycle, faculty are encouraged to share results of their project with the larger Cornell community. For more information, visit: http://www.innovation.cornell.edu/about.html.

(This solution was featured in the June 22 Solutions in Action webcast. Download the slides.)

Extreme Course Makeover, Iowa State University

At Iowa State University, faculty and administrators are planning to take advantage of the growing financial crisis to launch, "Extreme Course Makeover," as a way to provide support and training to faculty and courses "stressed" by greater class size and increased course loads. They hope that faculty feeling the burden may be more open to tools to increase efficiency (like the CMS) or tools that provide opportunities to engage larger classes (like clickers). The university plans to work with departmental deans to identify courses that may be stressed and to then pair those faculty with faculty on campus who have recently undergone a successful course redesign. Once the faculty are identified, they will work together to devise outcomes for the course, brainstorm new ideas for tools and strategies, and implement changes. They also plan to use a two-semester support system for successful integration. For more information, contact Allan Schmidt at: aschmidt@iastate.edu.

(This solution was featured in the June 22 Solutions in Action webcast. Download the slides.)

Community Solutions

The Breakfast Series: Conversations in Online Pedagogy, Michigan State University, Jessica Knott, jlknott@msu.edu

Institute on Innovation, Drexel University, Kristen Betts, kbetts@drexel.edu

Multimedia

• Solutions in Action Webcast: Encouraging Faculty Adoption and Innovation In this one-hour webcast, hear a lightning round of solutions from campus leaders on "Encouraging Faculty Adoption and Innovation in Teaching and Learning with IT." Speakers include: Marilyn Puchalski and James Sell, Bucks Community College; Gail Niklason, Weber University; Graham Glynn, SUNY Stony Brook; Stephen Parsons, Nova Scotia Community College; Clare Van Den Blink, Cornell University; and Allan Schmidt, Iowa State University.
• Integrating Technology and Teacher Reflections, Nellie Deutsch

Brainstorming Sessions

• Images of brainstorming in action
• Discussion Session at the Southeast Regional Conference
• Discussion Session at the Western Regional Conference
• Discussion Session at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference
• Learning Circle at the 2009 ELI Annual Meeting
• Brainstorming at the 2008 EDUCAUSE Annual Meeting

Tools in the Field

<<Title of Tool, Reviewer, Institution, Short Description, Contact Information>>

Experts List

<<Name, Institution or Association, Email, Topic>>

Key Readings

• Wergin, J. F. (2003). Departments that work: Building and sustaining cultures of excellence in academic programs. Bolton, MA: Anker.