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Application Faculty Fellow John Sullivan December 3, 2000
A commitment to teaching excellence, and a commitment to mentoring faculty. Educators must learn not only what technologies are available and how they may influence our society, but also learn how to use them effectively in their instructional designs for the fundamental areas of planning, teaching, and evaluation. There are many barriers to learning technology. Notwithstanding, many faculty do want to learn and become involved in the Web-based revolution. There is a need for training to encourage faculty's proactive participation in this technological revolution. Some faculty members suggest that there is one type of delivery or mode of instruction that is good for all faculty. After teaching twenty-six different courses (see Courses Taught Appendix) I have learned that there is no one mode of delivery, presentation, or testing. Delivery, presentation, and testing differ depending on the course. There is no one type of instructional methodology that works well in all types of instructional settings. In my dissertation it was found that the five greatest Web-based instruction needs for New Jersey community college faculty were the use of editing software to create, edit, or convert existing course material (syllabi, notes, text documents) to Web pages, knowledge of testing software that can be used for creating tests for Web-based delivery, knowledge of ethical and legal issues, use of Web-based course development software to teach online, and use of multimedia video and graphics. My dissertation also found that the most desirable method of instruction was hands-on, one-on-one, and mentoring. I have a very good idea on what faculty need. That is not the question. The current question, for me, is how can technology make instruction better and life simpler for faculty. Often one can hear "I'd rather use the chalk and talk approach," it is just as effective, nothing breaks down, and is less of a bother. I find myself often agreeing with this sentiment. Therefore, my plan would include some hands-on instruction followed by mentoring, but always emphasizing usability. My dissertation also found that many faculty do not know what they need to know, so any hands-on or mentoring sessions would be proceeded by an introduction to innovations and new ways that can be used in the traditional and virtual classroom. By teaching faculty technology that can be used in their traditional classes they can try it and later implement this technology into the virtual classroom. With my experience with Human Computer Interaction (HCI) I would study the usability aspects of technology faculty are being asked to implement. Usability simple put, is the practice of simplicity. Sometimes not enough thought is given to how faculty will react to the dissemination of technology and its method of implementation. A commitment to monitoring
and examining emerging technologies for I have been monitoring, and examining emerging technologies for over twenty years. Currently I am working on a number of emerging technologies that I want to research and pursue further: E-mail as a class participation tool in traditional classes. I have been using email for class participation for four years. I can share my experiences with this method and how it increases pedagogy with little effort. This work needs to be finished and published. Streaming video and video email for conveying messages and instruction. Will video email work as a mode of delivery? Video capture of the computer screen so that I can show students and faculty how to use software in a video format with narrative overlays. Putting all my course content on the Web so that students have access to my knowledge or course content in a logical and easy manner. I have often tell my students that if a genie ever appears and asks me my first wish I know what it is, total retention. Today, I can create total retention through web-centered knowledge. By posting all my material on the web and tying it together in an intricate web of trails I am on the verge of creating a method of total recall. I would research the easiest method of doing this and share it with faculty. Video conferencing software for collaborative work. Study usability in the implementation of new instructional technology. Many faculty get frustrated with new technology and do not realize that it is the technology that is the problem, not them. Develop online forms (questionnaires) to monitor faculty's Web-based instruction needs. Proposed methods of disseminating research within and beyond RVCC There are a number of methods that can be used here: My intent would to run two or three workshops on not only software, and pedagogy, but on usability. One needs to show the pedagogy and productivity of the technology. A lot of this technology is adding hours to the workday. Is the better pedagogy (if there is any) worth the effort faculty are putting into these new modes of instruction. This is a concern that needs to be addressed. In addition, with my experience across the curriculum I can show many faculty how the technology is used in their discipline. Most of this would be based on my dissertation research mentioned above. Some examples of possible seminars would be: A seminar or workshop on how technology is being used in the traditional and virtual classroom, how easy is it to use, does it enhance pedagogy, does it enhance classroom management, and is the technology worth the effort? A hands-on session showing faculty how to use some of the software faculty find important. A hands-on workshop where faculty bringing existing course material (e.g., syllabi, presentation) and convert them for publishing to the Web. A topic or two that faculty find important (e.g., video, graphics, testing). These sessions would then be followed up by one-on-one sessions and mentoring. The one-on-one and mentoring sessions would help faculty with the development of online course materials and activities, and reviewing strategies for effectively integrating Web based instruction into traditional and virtual classes. These one-on-one and mentoring sessions would be on Tuesdays and/or Thursdays, or by appointment, if my current schedule does not change. If I have not already over committed myself, any instruction developed may be put on the Web for lessons into perpetuity. This could be posted to the current CAITL site or a WebCT course could be developed on these issues. Last, I would be willing to disseminate this information to local k-12 schools. In all my commitment is for six credits or release time that means 32 hours of contact and 79 (2.5 hours preparation and research for every hour of contact) for a total of 111 hours. A statement describing an online course(s) you plan on developing or redesigning I would like to enhance my Economics I online course. One way would be to use video for delivering graphical concepts that are too hard to get across by any other means. Second, would be to develop interactive simulations so that students can grasp the more difficult mathematical and graphical concepts. Third, I would also research how to bring graphs into tests for my online course. Fourth, more research has to be done to find better and easier software to create tests. Currently, the last two concerns are a major problem in my course. Conferences: National Conferences: I would attend the Online Training 2001 Conference & Expo, March 5-7 2001 at the Georgia World Congress Center - Atlanta Georgia, or the National Educational Computing Association's (NECC) Chicago conference on June 25-27, 2001. State Conference: I will be giving a talk on distance education at the New Jersey Community College Computer Consortium meeting at Atlantic Cape Community College in February of 2001. JOHN WILLIAM SULLIVAN Telephone (908) 526-1200
ext. 8237
Raritan Valley Community College |
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