Believe it or not I am only 1/2 way through the list of challenges that the workshopers listed. If you would prefer that I not send anymore to the list and just have them posted on the Epiphany web page, I can do that. At any rate, I will soon post MTU's list of ideas for how we have tried to address some of these problems. We call it trying to create a culture of support for teaching with technology.

* 1,200-1,500 students, liberal arts

- relief time a support to learn technology/software
- standardizing/institutionalizing software to be used by fac/students across majors. Less motivated to learn and support discipline specific software.
- access to technology by students
- more use of software over Internet which is the most accessible to students/fac./staff readily available.
- technical support: teachers & students can't be worrying about the hardware aspects. They need readily available tech. support so they can just focus on learning/use/application of the technology.

 

* Research Institute in East:

1. TIME to sit down w/knowledgeable technology users & get instruction & answers to questions: not just for me but to find time in the tech. staff's time. They are helping long-time users and are occasionally made into "secretarial staff" (scanning tons of cartoons to use in PowerPoint presentations, for instance)
2. Being rewarded for being fairly proficient with technology and using it in class. Unless you apply for grants or design a tech-based program, you aren't considered to be "doing anything" with technology. Do I have to teach "on-line" to be valued/rewarded for my expertise?

 

* Large University, 20,000 undergrads., very diverse population

Lack of faculty interest in TWT in the area of writing. In the Engineering Dept. there is tremendous support and collaboration among faculty for teaching analysis and design. However, this doesn't seem to carry over in the area of writing which is often acknowledged as important but seldom acted on. Teachers simply "don't have the time."

 

* Private liberal arts U. predominately white, affluent student body. U. has a substantial investment in network and desktop technology for all faculty; on-going commitment to improve and expand these services.

Challenges:
to work with faculty resistant to technology n the classroom, administrators, and staff. The most pressing need we have is for increased communication between these three groups. Forming a TLTR (teaching, learning, technology roundtable) outside cumbersome committee system and without a limiting "charge" from our provost, will be a start. Then our school can identify rewards and other incentives for faculty who would try teaching with technology.

 

* Research University, 20,000 students, very diverse, 80% commuter in a large urban area

1. safety net: protection from poor student evals when something doesn't work (technically or pedagogically) (my question: should we expect this kind of protection? Do others doing risky pedagogy get it?)
2. remuneration/reward/recognition: for time spent in learning/implementing aspects of computer technologies
3. regular meetings to discuss problems w/ technology.

 

* Institution and department are PRO technology: upgrading LANS and networking dorms. Programs is a non-degree (ESL) program so access to university labs and MM classrooms is prohibited for "class usage".

- time to be able to do what I'd like to do with technology. 15 contact hours/wk = no time to explore
- lack of adequate on-line resources that work consistently when I am teaching
- lack of understanding of colleagues about the limits and potential of technology as a teaching tool.

 

* Large east coast university:

A WPA who "doesn't get it." Pushes hard for uses of technology but is interested primarily in asserting "control" over students. She has a different set of goals than the technology expert. The faculty are very resistant because of the WPA's insistence on technology even though they generally approve of the tech. expert's efforts.

 

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