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Implementing an Effective Technology Training Program in Higher Education

Presenter: E. John Shinsky, Ph.D.Associate Professor

Grand Valley State University College of Education

Do’s

Don’ts

The 4th Annual Emerging Technologies for Online Learning

Symposium - Empowering Next Generation

Teaching -

• A Liberal Arts University in Grand Rapids Michigan

• College of Education Information

Students• 24, 500 Total• 3, 405 Students in the COE• 719 Undergraduate Students• 2,686 Graduate Students

Faculty & Staff• 191 Faculty and Staff• 51 (26.7%) Tenured/Tenure Track Faculty• 71 (37.2 %) Non-Tenured/Tenure Track Faculty (Affil

&Visit)

• 69 (36.1 %) Adjuncts

Grand Valley State University

1. Urgency

2. Multi-generations

3. Attitude

4. Time of Training

5. Return on Investment

6. Incentives

7. Community

8. Flexibility

9. Experimentation & Risk-Taking

10. Ongoing Training – Lifelong Learning

Professional Development Considerations

1. Priority

2. Full Support for Faculty and Staff

3. Responsiveness

4. Use of Effective Training Model - Process Oriented Perspective

(Sprague, Kopfman, & Dorsey, 1998).- Awareness of what the technology can offer

- Opportunity to explore technology integration- Time to learn technology- Application of technology to teaching - Reflection on teaching

5. A Rich Learning Community

6. Experimentation and Risk-Taking

7. Ongoing Training – Lifelong Learning

8. Sensitivity and Patience

Professional Development Philosophy

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1Make technology training a priority, whileintentionally designing and developing a

technology infrastructure that is part of the strategic plan,

and complements university goals.Establish a Technology Committee that represents all faculty and staff, and provides ongoing leadership for the infusion of technology with a focus on students, faculty and staff performance.Clearly define expected technology outcomes of training based on assessment data.

Provide technology training with staff who are recognized for their expertise, are credible, respectful, and patient.

Identify and address the barriers to the successful integration of technology that faculty members will likely face.

Do’s

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6Prepare faculty members to integrate

technology toolsinto their instruction, with a focus on solving

authenticSchool problems, while facilitating collaborationbetween students.Provide professional development that allows educators to exert control over the type of training provided, the content shared, practice and follow-up support needed.Provide training opportunities that best fit with faculty preferences.

Provide face-to-face instruction as the predominant training mode so faculty can get immediate feedback, establish personal contacts, obtain peer assistance and ongoing support.Arrange opportunities for faculty members to

model authentic use of technology and discuss the

successesand challenges faced with learning and

applying the technology.

Do’s

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1 Establish a technology training program without working closely with instructional technology.

Provide technology training without an array of supports that can be easily accessed.

Assume that everyone has the appropriate technology

equipment.

Provide technology training without building a

sustainable learning community.

Integrate technology for technology’s sake as opposed to facilitating the use of technology

inmeeting curriculum goals.

Don’ts

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6 Assume that faculty will ask all of their technology

questions when participating in training sessions.

Provide technology training without the opportunity

for faculty members to observe the effective use of

technology in instruction.Provide technology training without establishing a routine equipment upgrade program.

Provide technology training without having a balance

between learning the technology and effectively

integrating it into teaching. Provide technology training without

incentives.

Don’ts

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1. Individual Consultation with a Staff Member from IT

2. Individual Consultation with Peer

3. Hands-on Workshops with Food

4. University-wide Training

5. Technology Mentors

6. Training Newsletters

7. Online Training/Tutorial

8. Conferences

9. Peer Mentoring

10. Focused Training Teams

Professional Development Options

Finley, L. & Hartman, D. (2004). Institutional Change and Resistance: Teacher Preparatory Faculty and Technology Integration. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 12(3), 319-337. Norfolk, VA: AACE.Retrieved from http://www.editlib.org/p/11460.

Howland, J., & Wedman, J., (2004). A Process Model for Faculty Development: Individualizing Technology Learning. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, v12 n2 p239-262 2004.

Joyce, B., & Showers, B. (1995). Student achievement through staff development: Fundamentals of school renewal (2nd ed.). New York: Longman.

Sprague, D., Kopfman, K., & Dorsey, S. (1998). Faculty development in the integration of technology in teacher education courses. Journal of Computing in Teacher Education, 2(14), 24-28.

Vannatta, R.A. (1999). Evaluating NCATE Technology Standards Implementation in a School of Education. In J. Price et al. (Eds.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 1999 (pp. 1483-1488). Chesapeake, VA: AACE.Retrieved from http://www.editlib.org/p/8200.

References

Vannatta, R.A. (2000). Evaluation to Planning: Technology Integration in a School of Education. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, v8 n3 p231-46 2000.

Wilson, S., & Berne, J. (1998). Teacher learning and acquisition of professional knowledge: An examination of research on contemporary professional development. Review of Research in Education, 24, 173-206.

Weaver, D., Robbie, D. & Borland, R. (2008). The Practitioner’s Model: Designing a Professional Development Program for Online Teaching. International Journal on E-Learning, 7(4), 759-774. Chesapeake, VA: AACE.Retrieved from http://www.editlib.org/p/24411.

References