The Transformation of Undergraduate Education through Faculty Development and Course Design – Part 2 George Watson (with acknowledgement to Janet de Vry) University of Delaware Jack A. Austin Lecture Series Academic Technology at Tufts University November 6,

Case Study, Part 1 Midday at a mid-sized university, midway through the semester, we listen in on a conversation between President Fixitnow and Provost Nolira… Fixitnow:“We’ve invested millions in technology. So why aren't more professors using it?” Nolira: (stating proudly) “They are! Almost 1/3 of our professors are already using Blackboard this semester.”

Fixitnow:“But we’re a tech savvy university. Let’s move it from 1/3 to 2/3.” Nolira: (with a slightly furrowed brow) “Sure, we can work on that.” Case Study, Part 1 (contd.) Fixitnow:“And I don’t just want more of the same. Make sure that the instruction improves.”

Nolira: (turning so look of panic is not seen) “OK, we’ll work on that too… Fixitnow:“Good, don’t let me down. I’m working on a report to the Ed Affairs Committee for the Board next month. And I need a plan by then.” Nolira: (walking away) “I’ll get right on it. (additional remarks unintelligble) Case Study, Part 1 (contd.)

Activity 1: Discuss the questions below in small groups. 1.If this scenario were to happen at Tufts University, how might the parameters of the conversation differ? 2.How might your Provost encourage faculty to transform the learning process? 3.At your institution, to whom would the Provost likely turn for assistance?

Case Study, Part 2 Nolira:Upper administration Whinesabit:President of the Faculty Senate Knowsmuch:Instructional technology director, responsible for distance learning Wizard:Winner of last year’s excellence in teaching award Grants:Typical faculty member Gladsome:Learning center director Activity 2: Match the statements in the handout with the following stakeholders. Are there any stakeholders missing from this list?

Activity: Please keep the identified stakeholders in mind as you prepare answers to the following questions: 1.What are the important elements of a faculty development program in the use of instructional technology and active learning? 2.How can we create a support program that will encourage enthusiastic faculty participation? 3.How will we know if the training program was successful? Case Study, Part 3

The Way It Was Computation graphing calculators, laptops, gigabytes and gigahertz, ubiquitous computing

The Way It Was Communication , voic , chatrooms, FAX, pagers, cell phones, text messaging, instant messaging, wireless connectivity

The Way It Was Collections Online Information: web catalogs, networked databases, Britannica Online, online newspapers, course websites, CMS

Education Reform and the Cs of Technology Computation and Calculation Communication and Collaboration Collections and Connections

Given the amazing advances in technology and the dramatic change in the first- year experience, Can we afford to continue teaching the way we were taught? An important question:

Institute for Transforming Undergraduate Education

Institute for Transforming Undergraduate Education Created in 1997 to promote reform of undergraduate education through faculty development and course redesign. Initially funded by NSF Institution-Wide Reform of Undergraduate Education. ITUE Fellows receive hands-on experience in employing active learning strategies (PBL) and effective use of technology in their classrooms.

Features of ITUE Faculty-led training and interactions: Week-long experiential workshop Special follow-up sessions Review and sharing sessions Brown-bag lunches Faculty mentoring faculty: Leaders mentoring new Fellows Experienced Fellows mentoring new Fellows Experienced Leaders mentoring new Leaders New Fellows working in groups A safe and collegial environment for learning

ITUE Sessions Education Reform and Active/Group Learning Use of Technology Experience It Yourself: Problem-Based Learning Getting Started: The Syllabus The Internet as a Learning Resource Getting Started with Groups Problems and Cases: Writing Material for Your Course Internet Resources for Your Course Assessment in a Student-Centered Classroom Models of PBL for Large Classes

ITUE – Faculty PBL training from practitioners Collegial environment Ongoing peer support Funding and recognitions through grants Provide faculty who ask, “How can I make learning more active?”

Partnering Faculty Members and Staff in Information Technology

Elements Encourage both Pedagogy and Technology Adoption Administrative Vision Robust Technological Infrastructure Partnerships Faculty Development/Encouragement Institutional Support Support Staff

ITUE Fellow describes use of WebCT Communication Tools Faculty member skilled in both PBL and WebCT Led class through a problem on justice for the terrorists Used online groups in class to address the problem Audio clip

“Faculty friendly”

Collaborative workspace Similarities between PRESENT and PBL classrooms Flexible furniture Flexible equipment

IT Support Half of IT support staff have masters degrees in education. Wide range of skills—programming, digital media specialist, graphics, Course Management Systems expertise. Instructional designer. Form support teams for faculty projects with Librarians and Center for Teaching Effectiveness staff.

PRESENT programs Collaborative winter and summer teaching, learning and technology institutes. Year-long training program. One-on-one consultations and collaborations. Projects to implement faculty teaching/learning goals. Showcase and publicize faculty projects.

Showcase Faculty Work

Institutional Support: Elements of grant proposal

ITUE Technology Assistance Grants Grants staff and student time to apply active learning to a specific course. Awarded to ITUE fellows.

IT Support Lessons Learned To change the curriculum, we need to change how faculty perceive teaching and learning. We infuse the campus culture with a variety of ways for faculty to learn about pedagogy and to reinforce that learning. Partnerships with faculty can help with faculty readiness.

Faculty Perspective on Partnership Complementary strengths. Ongoing technical support. Ideas into reality.

Partnership Success Early in the use of WebCT at UD, the adoption rate of WebCT by ITUE faculty was double that of full faculty.

Other IT/Faculty Collaborations WebCT discussion group training co- taught by faculty and IT in PBL format. Pilot of wireless carts for PBL classroom. Joint WebCT/ITUE weeklong institute.

Why partner to transform learning? What do ITUE faculty members bring to transforming education? What do IT professionals bring? What elements of the UD experience are adaptable to other campuses?

ITUE Calendar January 21-23, 2004 Problem-Based Learning: From Ideas to Solutions through Communication. University of Delaware June 13-19, 2004 PBL2004, an international conference. Cancun, Mexico

UD PBL online PBL at UD ITUE at UD Watson homepage This presentation