SUPPORTING FACULTY USE OF TECHNOLOGY
Kwi Park-Kim, Bronx Community College <kpkbx@cunyvm.cuny.edu>
INTRODUCTION
More faculty can/should use some application of information
technology to improve their teaching and their students' learning,
and ask for help that includes and goes beyond the technical issues.
They need help from people who understand and can guide pedagogical
change and who can help locate and evaluate relevant materials of
technology. My presentation is based on campus-wide implementation of
Faculty Development Initiative Proggram (FDIP)(FDIP) which I have
developed at Bronx Community College/The City University of New York,
sponsored by the Office of Academic Affairs, since 1996.
FACULTY DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING
Phase I: Spring, 1996
For the Spring semester, 1996, a survey questionnaire was designed
and sent to all full-time faculty as part of the Faculty Development
Initiative Program.
Academic departments and faculty were canvassed to identify: the numbers of types of computers installed in the academic departments, online access, access to BCC Student Information management System (SIMS), need for additional computers, software, and online capability. A detailed report was produced. In summary, the report indicates: approximately 30% of responding faculty have computers in their office; over 90% would like to have office computer access, faculty desire access for word processing, Internet, E-mail and SIMS access, approximately 75% respondents have home computers, virtually none had effective SIMS access at the beginning of the project, approximately 25% IBM-compatible PC's in faculty offices have 486 or later microprocessors, therefore 75% of faculty computers are obsolete in terms of full Internet usage.
Phase II: 1996 - 1997
Individual departments were contacted and visited to check if they
had access to SIMS and E-mail, and then department-based faculty
development sessions on these topics began.
A Web page for faculty development and training was designed and developed and made the 35-page Faculty Technology Needs Assessment Questionnaire Report and other related technology related issues available in the World Wide Web.
Phase III: 1997 - 1998
The training session was designed to acquaint faculty with
educational applications of information technology and provided a
basis for the further development of computer expertise and the
integration of current and emerging technologies to improve teaching
and learning.
(1) In Support of BASIS (BCC Administrative Student Information System)
The student transcript provides information which is essential to academic advisement. BASIS has been used at BCC to guide students in their decisions regarding curriculum and course selections.
BASIS manuals, designed for users with "dumb" terminals dedicated solely for BASIS purpose; IBM-compatible PCs using ProComm Plus communication software; and Macintosh computers using TinCan software were developed and distributed to all faculty users.
(2) In Support of Teaching
BCC E-mail Directory 2.1: Created and maintained an up-to-date directory of faculty and staff E-mail addresses.
E-mail Workshop: "E-mail Using Netscape"
Microsoft PowerPoint (presentation software) Workshop: "Using Microsoft PowerPoint to Create Effective Computer-based Presentations"
The workshop featured the use of PowerPoint to create presentaitons to supplement classroom instruction, conferences or any other event where visual impact would enhance presentation.
Microcomputer Basic Skills: Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, and Access)
(3) In Support of the Internet & Web Page Development
Using the Internet for Instruction Workshop
To be most effective, some aspects of this training were department- and discipline-specific. The workshop focused on the use of the Internet to enhance instruction. It explored the use of basic functions and search tools; accessing instructional courseware and appropriate web resources, and understanding browsers.
Web Page Development Workshop I: "Creating Department Web Pages Using HTML"
Topics include an introduction to the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), the structure of HTML documents, using basic formatting tags, and linking to other documents on the Web.
Web Page Development Workshop II: "Intermediate HTML"
Topics include named anchors, background and font formatting, HTML tables and various tag attributes. Basic design concepts and style considerations are included.
Web Page Development Workshop III: "Creating Graphics for the World Wide Web"
Topics include how to scan images for use on the Web, and basic techniques for optimizing image quality.
1998 -
How to design and develop a Web page in the World Wide Web for
instruction
Develop a distance learning course
FINDINGS
As a person who understands both curriculum and technology, I
stressed the concepts of what technology could be used for and some
comfort with how to do that with emphasis on faculty productivity,
teaching enhancement and pedagogy. Faculty development needed to be
both practical and pedagogical. Practical support included the
nuts-and-bolts training that workshops provided. Pedagogical support
helped faculty frame curriculum goals, select appropriate software
and other materials and evaluate what happens in the classroom as
technology-based curricula would be implemented.
When properly introduced to technology in education--when faculty
can see purpose, value, and relevance in what is being
presented--they take it with appreciation, and often with
enthusiasm.
TCC Online Conferences
Kapi`olani Community College
University of Hawai`i
Honolulu, HI