The Transformation of
Undergraduate Education through
Faculty Development and
Course Design – Part 2
www.udel.edu/pbl/tufts/
George Watson
ghw@udel.edu
(with acknowledgement to
Janet de Vry)
University of Delaware
Jack A. Austin Lecture Series
Academic Technology at Tufts University
November 6, 2003
Case Study, Part 1
Midday at a mid-sized university, midway through the
semester, we listen in on a conversation between
President Fixitnow and Provost Nolira…
Fixitnow: “We’ve invested millions in technology. So
why aren't more professors using it?”
Nolira:
(stating
proudly)
“They are! Almost 1/3 of our professors
are already using Blackboard this
semester.”
Case Study, Part 1 (contd.)
Fixitnow:
“But we’re a tech savvy university.
Let’s move it from 1/3 to 2/3.”
Nolira:
“Sure, we can work on that.”
(with a slightly
furrowed brow)
Fixitnow:
“And I don’t just want more of the
same. Make sure that the instruction
improves.”
Case Study, Part 1 (contd.)
Nolira:
“OK, we’ll work on that too…
(turning so look of
panic is not seen)
Fixitnow:
“Good, don’t let me down. I’m
working on a report to the Ed Affairs
Committee for the Board next
month. And I need a plan by then.”
Nolira:
“I’ll get right on it.
(walking away)
(additional remarks unintelligble)
Case Study, Part 1 (contd.)
Activity 1: Discuss the questions below in small
groups.
1. If this scenario were to happen at Tufts University,
how might the parameters of the conversation
differ?
2. How might your Provost encourage faculty to
transform the learning process?
3. At your institution, to whom would the Provost likely
turn for assistance?
Case Study, Part 2
Activity 2: Match the statements in the handout with the following stakeholders.
Nolira:
Whinesabit:
Upper administration
President of the Faculty Senate
Knowsmuch:
Instructional technology director, responsible for
distance learning
Wizard:
Grants:
Winner of last year’s excellence in teaching award
Typical faculty member
Gladsome:
Learning center director
Are there any stakeholders missing from this list?
Case Study, Part 3
Activity: Please keep the identified stakeholders in mind as you
prepare answers to the following questions:
1. What are the important elements of a faculty
development program in the use of instructional
technology and active learning?
2. How can we create a support program that will
encourage enthusiastic faculty participation?
3. How will we know if the training program was
successful?
The Way It Was...
1973
graphing calculators,
laptops,
gigabytes and gigahertz,
ubiquitous computing
Computation
2003
The Way It Was...
1973
e-mail,
voice-mail,
chatrooms,
FAX,
pagers,
cell phones,
text messaging,
instant messaging,
wireless connectivity
Communication
2003
The Way It Was...
1973
Online Information:
web catalogs,
networked databases,
Britannica Online,
online newspapers,
course websites,
CMS
Collections
2003
Education Reform and
the Cs of Technology
Computation and Calculation
Communication and Collaboration
Collections and Connections
An important question:
Given the amazing advances in
technology
and the dramatic change in the firstyear experience,
Can we afford to continue teaching
the way we were taught?
Institute for Transforming
Undergraduate Education
www.udel.edu/itue
Institute for Transforming
Undergraduate Education
Created in 1997 to promote reform of
undergraduate education through faculty
development and course redesign.
Initially funded by NSF Institution-Wide
Reform of Undergraduate Education.
ITUE Fellows receive hands-on experience in
employing active learning strategies (PBL)
and effective use of technology in their
classrooms.
Features of ITUE
Faculty-led training and interactions:
Week-long experiential workshop
Special follow-up sessions
Review and sharing sessions
Brown-bag lunches
Faculty mentoring faculty:
Leaders mentoring new Fellows
Experienced Fellows mentoring new Fellows
Experienced Leaders mentoring new Leaders
New Fellows working in groups
A safe and collegial environment for learning
ITUE Sessions
Education Reform and
Active/Group Learning
Use of Technology
Problems and Cases:
Writing Material for
Your Course
Experience It Yourself:
Problem-Based Learning
Internet Resources for
Your Course
Getting Started:
The Syllabus
The Internet as a Learning
Resource
Getting Started with Groups
Assessment in a
Student-Centered
Classroom
Models of PBL for Large
Classes
ITUE – Faculty
PBL training from practitioners
Collegial environment
Ongoing peer support
Funding and recognitions through
grants
Provide faculty who ask, “How can I
make learning more active?”
Partnering Faculty Members
and
Staff in Information Technology
Elements Encourage both Pedagogy
and Technology Adoption
Administrative Vision
Robust Technological Infrastructure
Partnerships
Faculty Development/Encouragement
Institutional Support
Support Staff
ITUE Fellow describes use of
WebCT Communication Tools
Faculty member
skilled in both PBL
and WebCT
Led class through a
problem on justice
for the terrorists
Used online groups
in class to address
the problem
Audio clip
“Faculty friendly”
www.udel.edu/present/
Collaborative workspace
Similarities between PRESENT and PBL
classrooms
Flexible furniture
Flexible equipment
IT Support
Half of IT support staff have masters
degrees in education.
Wide range of skills—programming, digital
media specialist, graphics, Course
Management Systems expertise.
Instructional designer.
Form support teams for faculty projects with
Librarians and Center for Teaching
Effectiveness staff.
PRESENT programs
Collaborative winter and summer
teaching, learning and technology
institutes.
Year-long training program.
One-on-one consultations and
collaborations.
Projects to implement faculty
teaching/learning goals.
Showcase and publicize faculty projects.
Showcase Faculty Work
Institutional Support:
Elements of grant proposal
ITUE Technology Assistance Grants
Grants staff and student time to apply
active learning to a specific course.
Awarded to ITUE fellows.
IT Support Lessons Learned
To change the curriculum, we need to
change how faculty perceive teaching
and learning.
We infuse the campus culture with a
variety of ways for faculty to learn about
pedagogy and to reinforce that learning.
Partnerships with faculty can help with
faculty readiness.
Faculty Perspective on Partnership
Complementary strengths.
Ongoing technical support.
Ideas into reality.
Partnership Success
Early in the use of WebCT at UD,
the adoption rate of WebCT by ITUE
faculty was double that of full faculty.
Other IT/Faculty Collaborations
WebCT discussion group training cotaught by faculty and IT in PBL format.
Pilot of wireless carts for PBL classroom.
Joint WebCT/ITUE weeklong institute.
Why partner to transform learning?
What do ITUE faculty members bring to
transforming education?
What do IT professionals bring?
What elements of the UD experience
are adaptable to other campuses?
ITUE Calendar
January 21-23, 2004
Problem-Based Learning: From Ideas
to Solutions through Communication.
University of Delaware
June 13-19, 2004
PBL2004, an international conference.
Cancun, Mexico
UD PBL online
PBL at UD
www.udel.edu/pbl
ITUE at UD
www.udel.edu/itue
Watson homepage
www.physics.udel.edu/~watson
This presentation
www.udel.edu/pbl/tufts