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Faculty Confessions: Why faculty are reluctant to engage in technology/A process for meaningful discussions and approaches about pedagogy and technology
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- Sharon Kopyc, Bard College
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| Academic computing staff and faculty need to build trusting partnerships to talk about the obstacles that prevent faculty from embracing technology in their teaching and learning. Fear, lack-of-time, and questioning of the relevance to using technology in a traditional setting are common "confessions" made by faculty as reasons for not making the commitment to embrace technology in teaching. Bard College is a small liberal arts college where the small student/faculty ratio and face-to-face contact is viewed is a value inherent in the culture. Appreciating faculty's need to hold on to these values was considered by the academic computing center as they considered ways to approach and engage faculty in using technology. An historical perspective will be presented to demonstrate the evolution of a basically non-technologically literate faculty as recently as 2 1/2 years ago to a faculty that is currently embracing technology with web-enhanced courses that effect upwards of 50% of the student population. The presentation will include how technology tools are used via a course management system, how a technology-enhanced freshman orientation demonstrated positive learning aspects from the both the faculty and student point-of-view, and how Technology Fellows in Writing and Social Sciences helped to advance the process, while at the same time revealed the need to have tenured faculty as part of the mentoring process. The creation of a dedicated faculty lab for faculty training, and as a space for faculty to discuss pedagogical issues, have been key in moving along the process. Finally, the creation of The Center for Pedagogy and Learning, a campus-wide initiative involving the Dean of the College, the Academic Computing Center, Faculty and the Library have established a mission to improve teaching and learning where the technological considerations are now a natural part of pedagogical considerations. |
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