Empowering teachers and learners to effectively use technology

Responding to the needs of UNC campuses

The challenge: how to help UNC faculty keep pace with the teaching methods and learning environments that incorporate computer-based technologies, both in traditional classrooms as well as in fully online courses.

The solution: establish a collaborative organization of the 16 campuses to provide leadership in identifying and promoting effective practices, common services and shared resources that lead to effective, learning-centered uses of technology.

Thus was born the Teaching and Learning with Technology Collaborative, an entity within the Division of Information Resources that rapidly evolved in 2001-2002 to ensure faculty have access to new knowledge about new technologies.

Beginning 2001-2002 with a concept and vision, the TLTC Board of Directors hired an executive director and two program coordinators, adopted bylaws, and approved a strategic plan – all critical first steps that are helping the organization assume a pivotal role in emerging UNC educational initiatives.

With a solid infrastructure now in place, the TLTC is preparing to offer campuses new opportunities for learning events, support and information, thus helping to ensure that faculty take advantage of emerging technologies and practices associated with e-Learning and computer-based methods of enhancing instruction. TLTC efforts in course managements systems, learning in cyberspace, assessment, web accessibility and intellectual property issues will serve as a resource for deployment of e-Learning programs and support services.

Strengthening the TLTC Professional Development Portal

In 2001-2002 the TLTC's signature project, the UNC Professional Development Portal (PDP), continued to expand and grew to more than 1,400 entries. At the request of the University Libraries Advisory Committee (ULAC), the PDP added a new content focus area that provides professional development information for librarians.

Several new features, most of which were designed to increase usability, also were added to the PDP. Improvements included streamlining the resource submission process, significantly strengthening search capabilities, and enhancing existing management features such as the review of entry statistics. Additional activities included documenting the database design and related code and developing backup procedures.

In May, the PDP and TLTC websites moved from a commercial hosting service to servers at UNC-CH to provide a more stable and robust environment. The change also will save more than $3,000 annually.

Identifying campus TLT practices

In Spring 2002, the TLTC began development of an online compendium of campus TLT practices and special projects, a project that will highlight effective and innovative uses of technology on the 16 campuses. The project was initiated at the request of the TLTC Board of Directors. Nearly 100 interviews have been conducted with campus representatives to identify current practices, and TLTC staff are selecting about 60 abstracts for inclusion in the compendium, scheduled to be published online in early 2003. Plans call for the compendium to be updated annually.

Assessing the ways that work

The TLTC Assessment Initiative, launched in Spring 2002, has two components: a set of assessment resources providing information about assessment concepts and methods, and a database of assessment items designed to examine the role of technology in teaching and learning. This ongoing assessment initiative will help UNC to:

• Create a database of assessment items and instruments.

• Facilitate peer coaching and support of participants' assessment projects.

• Identify assessment tools for use in TLTC projects.

Providing opportunities for professional development

Participation in the 2002 TLT Conference, held April 11-13, rose to 235, an increase of 30 percent. Most of the growth was attributed to stronger faculty participation. The TLTC and UNC Faculty Assembly sponsored the annual event. More than 90 percent of the participants rated the event as "excellent" or "very good."

Involvement with MERLOT increased. UNC affiliates led two presentations and a poster session at the MERLOT International Conference in August 2001. In January 2002, 60 UNC faculty development staff participated in a full-day workshop led by MERLOT's Program Manager (Gerard Hanley, California State University) and several of UNC's sponsored faculty.

On the horizon

• Development of online communities for the PDP, including collaborative tools. TLTC staff are investigating MERLOT's Online Community Starter Kit, which provides such tools, as a possible replacement for the PDP's resource management software.

• UNC will take a leadership role (along with SUNY and CSU) in MERLOT's new Faculty Development Editorial Board, which will update and manage the MERLOT-TWO (Teaching Well Online) resource collection. In addition, TLTC will explore a possible relationship between MERLOT-TWO and the Teaching and Learning portion of the PDP. These activities will be considered an in-kind contribution that will allow UNC to reduce the number of supported editorial board faculty from six to three.
  
  

• Implementation of the five strategic directions of the organization's 2002-2005 Strategic Plan, which will help establish the TLTC as the University's leading source of TLT information.