Bruce Bird
Center for the Advancement of Learning and Teaching
Anne Arundel Community College
101 College Parkway
Arnold, MD 21012
blbird@mail.aacc.cc.md.us

Introduction

In the resources section at the end of this paper you will find URLs to previous papers I presented at the 1998 and 1999 ASCUE Conferences dealing with faculty support provided at Anne Arundel Community College. Anne Arundel is a comprehensive community college with 210 full-time and 500 part-time faculty members. Courses offered on the web have increased from one in 1996 to sixty-three in Fall 2000. Recently Anne Arundel became one of only five community colleges in the country selected to participate in the Army's virtual university.

The Institutional and Professional Development Office (IPD), Online Academy, HELP desk, and the Center for the Advancement of Learning and Teaching (CALT) provide faculty support at Anne Arundel. In addition AACC has an internal grants program, Designs for Learning, that supports innovative teaching projects. Since I am most directly involved with CALT, the following will be limited to the description and evaluation of several different experiments initiated by CALT to support faculty as they attempt to integrate rapidly changing technology into their teaching.

CALT Experiments in Faculty Support

In April, 1997 budget dust provided the initial funding for the establishment of The Center for the Advancement of Learning and Teaching (CALT) at AACC. A computer resource center for faculty was established equipped with a few computers, optical scanner, digital camera, and several software packages.

CALT Web Site

The CALT web site was placed online in January 1998. Its purpose is to increase faculty awareness of resources on the web related to teaching and learning. An additional purpose is to provide a gateway to web sites demonstrating how the techniques of electronic publishing provide a new mechanism for the creation and distribution of both standard and new forms of teaching materials.

Numerous working examples created for the CALT web site illustrate possible applications
of technology to teaching. These can be found at
http://www.aacc.cc.md.us/calt/examples.htm and include the following:

o Presentation on the Web - demonstrates how Power Point presentations can be imported into FrontPage 98 and placed on the web
o Presentation on the Web - illustrates how presentations can be created directly in FrontPage 98 and placed on the web
A. Teaching Applications of FrontPage 98 - illustrates the use of image maps and forms
Picture Quality of Sony Digital Camera - provides examples of image quality possible on the web with a digital camera
A. Video image captured with Snappy 3.0 - demonstrates how a single frame of video can be captured and placed on the web
B. Inline Video Clips - provides examples of video files (.avi)) demonstrating the problem of using large file sizes on the web
C. Screen Capture Video with Lotus ScreenCam 97 - shows how a sequence of steps in a software program can be captured and then displayed on the web
D. Animations - provides three examples of the use of animated GIFS created with Macromedia Flash 3 to create teaching materials
E. Flash 3 movies - provides five examples of teaching materials created with Macromedia Flash 3
F. Streaming Media - eleven examples illustrate the application of RealNetworks technology to streaming text, images, audio, video and Flash animations over the web
G. Spinning Objects - shows an example of how the view of an object can be rotated by 360 degrees
H. JavaScript Examples - pop-up window using JavaScript
I. Acrobat 4.0 PDF - three examples illustrate the conversion of a word document to PDF format, conversion of a scanned document to PDF, and conversion of a web page into PDF format
J. Toolbook II Assistant 7.0 Examples - an example of types of quiz questions
K. Director 7.0 Examples - three examples demonstrate different types of interactive teaching materials
L. Panoramas - panoramas of two sites on campus are demonstrated using PictureWorks Spin Panorama 2.0 software
M. Flash 4 Movies - five different examples demonstrate the increased capability of Macromedia Flash 4 to create interactive teaching materials
N. Databases - three examples demonstrates the use of FrontPage 2000 and Microsoft Access 97 to provide on the web a database of question and answers selected by keyword, including active URLs in a database, and a database to which data can be added from the web
O. Dynamic HTML - simple examples created with Microsoft FrontPage 2000
P. 3-D Animations - two examples created with MetaCreation Poser 4 software and viewed with the MetaStream Viewer player
Q. Flash 5 movies - eight examples demonstrate the increased capability of Macromedia Flash 5 to create interactive teaching materials
R. QuickTime VR - three examples illustrate the application of Apple QuickTime VR technology to create 360 degree views of a real object and of 3-D objects developed using Play Amorphium 1.0 software

S. Flash 5 and XML - examples of client/server data exchange using Flash 5 and XML files
T. Flash 5 and Active Server Pages - examples of client/server data exchange using Flash 5, ASP, and Access 2000

Several faculty and staff members have indicated that the CALT site has been helpful to them in learning about applications of technology to teaching. Most frequently visited pages are Tutorials, Learning, Teaching, Examples, and Electronic Publishing.

The CALT web site has outgrown its initial structure and will soon be converted to a hybrid site with ASP and Flash 5 serving as the front end to a database.

Workshops

Starting in the fall of 1997 CALT offered faculty workshops for creating individual faculty web pages and course web sites with Microsoft FrontPage. About 90 faculty and staff took these workshops before it became part of the training offered through AACC's Online Academy for faculty developing online courses. Now faculty and staff have the option of taking different versions of the FrontPage 2000 workshops offered by either Institutional Professional Development (IPD), CALT, or Online Academy.

From December 1997 through April 2000 CALT offered additional faculty workshops in Macromedia Flash , RealNetworks RealAudio and RealPresenter. In April 2000 a new initiative, developed by Maryland Online, provided training funds to community college faculty in Maryland. In order to support this initiative and to explore faculty interest CALT began offering the following workshops:

Microsoft FrontPage 2000
Microsoft NetMeeting 3.0
Macromedia Dreamweaver 3.0
Macromedia Fireworks 3.0
Macromedia Flash 4.0
Macromedia Director 7.0
Adobe Acrobat 4.0
RealNetworks RealSlideshow Plus 2.0
RealNetworks RealPresenter G2
RealNetworks RealProducer G2
CD-ROM Recording
Dynamic Web Pages

These workshops were given at the AACC campus based on a rolling enrollment of faculty from both on or off campus. Details of these workshops can be found at

http://www.aacc.cc.md.us/calt/facultyworkshops.htm . This project met with limited success. During the year these workshops were offered twenty-four faculty enrolled. They were distributed between the following workshops: FrontPage 2000, NetMeeting, Acrobat 4, Flash 4, RealSlideshow, and CD-ROM recording. Out of these twenty-four faculty members, five were from other nearby community and four-year colleges.

Because of the low enrollment I have reduced the number of workshops offered to the following seven:

Microsoft FrontPage 2000
Microsoft NetMeeting 3.0
Macromedia Flash 5.0
Adobe Acrobat 4.0
RealNetworks RealSlideshow Plus 2.0 RealNetworks RealPresenter G2
CD-ROM Recording

For a limited time I will still offer the remaining workshops in a "QuickStart" format which includes a one hour overview of the program, a resource text, and limited support as time permits.

The low enrollments do not justify the time needed to prepare the workshop manuals and the workshop web site. Of course another problem is the constant (almost yearly) upgrades, some quite major, of many of these software packages. I believe there is probably a compromise strategy between providing funds for faculty to take commercial training classes in these programs and offering a limited set of workshops on campus. The advantage of offering workshops on campus is that the workshop instructor can focus on teaching applications of the software whereas commercial workshops target a business audience. Also an on-campus instructor can continue to provide long-term support to faculty after the completion of the workshop.

Wandering Web Watchers

In order to provide a forum for college faculty to meet and discuss the applications of technology to teaching, CALT started monthly, afternoon meetings of the Wandering Web Watchers group. At each meeting the moderator provides a web tour of web sites of interest to college faculty. Faculty members are encouraged to contribute web sites they find of interest or discuss applications of technology to teaching. Sites visited during the 1999-2000 academic year can be found at http://www.aacc.cc.md.us/calt/trip_reports.htm

In the first year (1999-2000) about 8 to12 faculty members attended these meetings during the fall semester but the attendance gradually decreased to 2 to 4 in the spring semester. This academic year (2000-2001) attendance has hovered around 1-3 persons. When these meetings are announced I usually receive 3-5 e-mails from faculty expressing regrets that they can not attend because of scheduling conflicts.

Wandering Web Watchers - Online

Since several faculty had indicated interest in the monthly meetings of Wandering Web Watchers, but were unable to attend because of scheduling conflicts, an online newsletter, Wandering Web Watchers - Online, was started in February, 2001. Three editions per semester plus one summer edition are planned. A description of the newsletter was sent to faculty, staff, and administrators at AACC inviting interested persons to subscribe. Currently there are 95 subscribers of which about 50 are faculty, 30 are staff, and 15 are administrators. The April, 2001 edition of this newsletter can be found at
http://www.aacc.cc.md.us/calt/wwwonline/wwwonlinev1n3.htm

The newsletter not only includes links to sites but also occasional references to sections of the CALT web site that are related to the URLs sited. In this way the newsletter serves as a reminder and guide to the resources of the CALT site. I plan in future editions to expand the newsletter to not only include URLs but to also illustrate dynamic web pages (ASP, Flash, XML), interactive teaching materials (forms, surveys, chat, animations, data analysis, tracked responses, etc), and streaming media (text, images, audio, video, animations). The intent is to increase awareness of teaching applications of technology with the hope that some faculty will be motivated to explore similar uses of technology in their courses.

One-On-One

Faculty training provided by IPD workshops, CALT workshops, and Online Academy is supplemented by one-on-one help by three instructional designers, media center personnel, and myself. The type of one-on-one help offered is strongly dependent on the attitude and computer competency of each faculty member. Some do not want to learn any technology. They just want their content placed on a web site, or converted into a Power Point slide show. Others are willing to learn some of the basic steps needed so that they can proceed on their own with occasional help. A few are willing to spend the time and effort required in order to learn the details of a software package so that they can create teaching materials on their own. We try, as much as possible, to accommodate these different attitudes and computer competencies and encourage faculty to reach the highest level of technical competency they can manage.

The Designs for Learning grants often include a technology component that requires either team or one-on-one support. Again during this process we try to raise the computer competency level of faculty involved in the grant. Presentations of successful grant projects are usually made to other faculty groups at the college thus helping to diffuse technology throughout the college.

Teaching Templates

Technology can be used to help faculty use technology in their teaching. CALT Teaching Templates are pre-programmed software modules that I have written to reduce the number of steps required by faculty to produce teaching materials for distribution on floppy disk, CD-ROM, or the Web. Thus far I have created two CALT Teaching Templates that convert Word documents into Flash 5 interactive quizzes. One has a simple question and answer format; the other has a drag and drop format. These templates as well as the steps required of faculty can be found at CALT Teaching Templates
http://www.aacc.cc.md.us/calt/calt_teaching_templates.htm

So far there has not been much interest in using these templates but I plan on creating a few more related to the dynamic updating of web pages which will only require faculty to produce Word documents.

Traveling Road Show

CALT also offers a traveling road show that will visit college departments to demonstrate software and hardware useful for the creation and presentation of teaching materials on floppy disk, CD-ROM, or the Web. A laptop computer, microphone, video camera, digital camera, and CD-ROM recorder along with several software programs are used to demonstrate in real time the creation and delivery of web pages containing text, images, audio, video, animation, quizzes, etc. The spiel is similar to the ones presented at county fairs by the hawkers of "amazing and fantastic" kitchen aids. It is hoped that these demonstrations may help persuade faculty that the creation of teaching materials is straightforward and that some of it can be done very quickly.

Suggestions

The CALT "experiments" explore different approaches to faculty support as they attempt to find appropriate, effective, and efficient applications of technology for teaching specific topics in a particular discipline for a diversity of student learning styles. Our experience suggests that there is no one right way to provide faculty support in this "time of inconvenience". A variety of support options are needed to address faculty diversity in computer competency, attitudes, interests, and teaching styles.

Many faculty members recognize that there are some applications of technology to the teaching of their discipline that would improve student learning. The heavy teaching load, at least for community college faculty, means there is very limited time available to learn and practice the latest technology in order to create and deliver technology enhanced teaching materials. This fact along with computer anxiety and uncertainty about the effectiveness of technology enhanced courses compared to traditional courses means that many faculty are reluctant to commit to a long-term effort to attain the required skills.

From one point of view faculty can be considered as independent contractors that are paid a salary. This presents an organizational problem because an administratively imposed requirement that faculty be required to attain a certain level of computer competency generates opposition from some faculty concerned with "academic freedom" issues.

In light of all this, what can be done? I suggest the following:

1. Try to make faculty comfortable with a team approach. Support faculty by forming instructional teams consisting of a faculty member (or better yet a group of faculty), an instructional designer, graphic artist, media specialist (audio, video), and instructional programmer. The instructional designer and faculty member need to be co-leaders of the team to insure that the goals of the instructional team project are achieved on schedule using appropriate resources. Depending on their experience some members of the team could play multiple roles in the project.

Use these projects to increase the computer competency of the faculty member. I believe it is a mistake to think of faculty as just "content experts". There is more to teaching then content. There will always be limited resources to support faculty so by helping faculty to become more comfortable with technology lessens the demands on support personnel.

2. De-emphasize workshops. Emphasize projects. There is a tendency for faculty to attend workshops dealing with the use of computer software and then because of time constraints not use the software until much later at which point they have forgotten most of what they learned in the workshop. Perhaps a new term, "teachlet" could be used to designate a combination workshop/project that after initial training sessions requires the workshop instructor and faculty member to meet periodically in order to create appropriate teaching materials.

3. Keep a historical perspective. The rapid change of technology is unique to our times and it will take a while to sort out how to deal with the impact this has on faculty roles, organizational structure, and student learning.

4. Be patient. I have seen some remarkable changes in attitudes occur with people I would least expect. They did not occur overnight. Although the time scale for changes in technology is of the order of months, for people and organizations the time scale for change is of the order of years.

5. Be persistent. Despite repeated announcements, talks, and demonstrations it still is not uncommon to hear faculty say, "Oh, I didn't know that resource was available." Again, because of the hectic teaching schedule of most faculty, it is difficult to get their attention. Repeating the message seems to be the only way to break through and make a connection.

6. Offer incentives. Possible incentives for faculty include bonuses, released time, overtime pay, paid professional development workshops, additional hardware and software, awards, professional recognition, and specific recognition of technology enhanced course development in promotion and tenure considerations.

7. Feel free to ignore the previous suggestions. Every college is unique in terms of mission, resources, organizational structure, and personnel.

I hope the above outline of faculty support "experiments" we are trying at AACC and my suggestions may stimulate new approaches for faculty support at your college in this "time of inconvenience".

Good luck. Build (and protect) the future.

Resources

Center for the Advancement of Learning and Teaching http://www.aacc.cc.md.us/calt/

Helping Faculty Respond To Changing Technology, Bruce Bird, ASCUE Conference 1999
http://www.gettysburg.edu/ir/ascue/Proceedings/1999/bird99.html

Application of FrontPage 98 to the Development of Web Sites for the Science Division and the
Center for the Advancement of Learning and Teaching (CALT)at Anne Arundel Community College, Bruce Bird, ASCUE Conference 1998
http://www.gettysburg.edu/ir/ascue/Proceedings/1998/bird.html

eArmyU http://www.earmyu.com

Faculty and Staff Training for the New Millennium Kuber Maharajan, Dewey A. Swanson , ASCUE
Conference 2000
http://www.gettysburg.edu/ir/ascue/Proceedings/2000/maharajan.htm

Arthur Levine: Creating an Education System for an Information Age by Dan Page, Converge,
October, 2000
http://www.convergemag.com/Publications/CNVGOct00/aurthur.shtm

Campus-Computing Survey Finds That Adding Technology to Teaching Is a Top Issue (The
Chronicle 10/12/00) http://chronicle.com/free/2000/10/2000101201t.htm

Fairleigh Dickinson U. Will Require Distance Courses of All Students (The Chronicle 10/4/00)
http://chronicle.com/free/2000/10/2000100401u.htm

Kindling the Fire: How to Attract Faculty to Distance Education by Nancy Levenburg and Howard Major (Technology Source September/October 2000)
http://horizon.unc.edu/TS/default.asp?show=article&id=803

Faculty and Staff Development (Archives, Technology Source)
http://horizon.unc.edu/TS/

Rethinking Faculty Support by Mark Donovan (Technology Source, September/October 1999)
http://horizon.unc.edu/TS/default.asp?show=article&id=612

One Size Doesn't Fit All: Designing Scaleable, Client-Centered Support for Technology in Teaching
http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/html/cnc9846/cnc9846.html

Technology and Educational Revolution: Ending the Cycle of Failure
http://www.tltgroup.org/resources/V_Cycle_of_Failure.html

Books

Interactive Learning - Vignettes from America's Most Wired Campuses, David G. Brown, editor, Anker Publishing Co. (2000)
Teaching with Technology - Seventy-five Professors from Eight Universities Tell Their Stories, David G. Brown, editor, Anker Publishing Co. (2000)

Records

"Time of Inconvenience" on the Flyer CD by Nanci Griffith, Eureka Entertainment, 1994