Faculty Graduate from the Teaching with Technology Program

By Sara Baron

A semester-long series of workshops designed to assist faculty in becoming knowledgeable and proficient in the use of instructional technology has regularly been offered by the Instructional Technology Center (ITC). However, for the first time a new and significant component has been made possible through funds provided by Chancellor Gora. The Teaching with Technology (TWT) Program is part of a major initiative to foster the use of instructional technology in teaching and research.

The target audience for the TWT program is faculty who are familiar with basic computer applications yet who currently do not use technology in the classroom. To provide participants not only with an understanding of the relevant software but also the requisite hardware to fully incorporate instructional technology in their work, each faculty participant received a Dell C810 laptop computer.

The TWT program requires participation in 20 hours of weekly workshops at ITC. Technologies discussed include: PowerPoint and the enrichment of traditional classroom procedures with presentation software; the university-wide learning management system software, Pro-metheus; and the web site design software Dreamweaver. We also discussed the hardware and software necessary for the conversion of analog media resources such as photographs, sound recordings, and video to digital format for the classroom in PowerPoint presentations and on web sites. Faculty in the spring 2002 TWT program are completing their technology training with a presentation of final projects on May 29. The final session is devoted to their projects and a discussion of the range of possible applications to various disciplines, research concerns, and work environments.

Faculty who wish to further pursue the use of technology in their academic work are invited to apply to the Senior Fellows in Technology program, which is intended for faculty with some experience in instructional technology. Participants are selected on the basis of a project of theirs that represents a significant investigation of the application of instructional technology to their teaching and/or research.

Senior fellows meet monthly over two semesters to discuss the progress of their work, share ideas and experience, and make a formal presentation upon the completion of their project. In addition, senior fellows receive a stipend to support their project through the purchase of hardware or software, or to compensate student assistants. Recruitment for both programs has begun for the fall 2002 semester. Information regarding application to either program is available at www.itc.umb.edu.

-Raymond Melcher and Robert Risse contributed to this article.

Image: Robert Risse, co-director of the TWT program, assists “student” Maurice Cunningham, chair of the Political Science Department. (Photo by Harry Brett)

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