January 2005 — Features
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Improving Faculty Use of Technology in a Small Campus Community
Conclusions
Assessing results from my work with faculty is more difficult than simply using a survey. To get a better sense of how technology is being used, faculty members should be interviewed, videotaped, observed, and/or have their syllabi analyzed to see how they are using technology in class. In addition, students should be surveyed and interviewed about their experiences with technology. As our infrastructure expands, and as faculty receive more training in student-centered technology use, we can expect to see more students working on technology projects for their classes. Increasing numbers of faculty asking for individual assistance also would be a positive sign, as would continued increases in attendance at technology workshops.
I believe this program now offers all the elements of a successful faculty development in technology program: small workshops based on faculty interest, one-on-one assistance, incentives for faculty to participate in workshops and technology projects, and an expanding infrastructure to support faculty in advancing their use of technology. The Title V grant has already had success in getting faculty to start using technology in the classroom. And students are benefiting by being exposed to technology such as Blackboard and PowerPoint. Time will only tell whether the new focus on advanced tools and curriculum will encourage faculty to innovate and help Title V reach its goals of faculty use of technology in student-centered ways and technology-literate SDSU-IVC graduates.
References
San Diego State University (SDSU) Foundation. 2001. “Improving the Education of Hispanics in Imperial County, California.” Title V: Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program Grant submitted on behalf of SDSU-IVC. 12 March. Online: http://www.ivcampus.sdsu.edu/title_v/pdf/TitleV.pdf
Warburton, E., X. Chen, and E. Bradburn. 2002. “Teaching With Technology: Use of Telecommunications Technology by Postsecondary Instructional Faculty and Staff in Fall 1998. National Center for Education Statistics.” Washington, D.C.: National Center for Education Statistics. Online: http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2002161
Wepner, S., S. Scott, and J. Haysbert. 2003. “What Are Colleges and Universities Doing to Promote Technology Initiatives?” Journal of Computing in Teacher Education 20 (1): 17-27.
Wepner, S. and N. Seminoff. 1997. “What Should We Know About Technology-Based Projects for Tenure and Promotion?” Journal of Research on Computing in Education 30 (1): 67-79.
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