Faculty Support #4
4 Faculty are provided ongoing professional development related to online teaching and learning.
Deficient Developing Accomplished Exemplary
iSchool faculty members are provided on-going professional development related to online teaching and learning through the iSchool T3 (Teaching Tips & Techniques) Teaching Workshops. This series was introduced during the Fall 2012 semester as a tool to help faculty learn about the latest technologies, learn from colleagues, and effectively teach and engage students in learning. The online sessions are led by iSchool colleagues and librarians who have found interesting ways to use existing services and technologies. Bethany Winslow, our School’s Director of Online Learning, and Dr. Sue Alman, iSchool Lecturer, coordinate the T3 Teaching Workshops. The sessions are recorded so that those who cannot attend synchronously can listen later.
The School and the University provide several resources to help faculty members incorporate new ideas into their teaching. SJSU’s eCampus offers online technology workshops for faculty members and staff. The University’s Online Learning Consortium membership provides access to current written materials as well as reduced pricing on conference and workshop attendance.
San José State University is a member of Quality Matters (QM), an organization that features a faculty driven, peer review process that is designed to certify the quality of online courses. The QM rubric of standards is widely recognized as a guide to quality online course design. Membership in QM also includes access to training and professional development materials regarding online teaching. The iSchool is using QM as a “train the trainer” opportunity. Several iSchool faculty members have completed QM training courses, some courses have been certified, and faculty members have shared important principles in T3 workshops.
Development opportunities are also provided in other formats such as highlights pointing to written materials. Each month, the Director of Online Learning distributes a new issue of the Tech Tips newsletter/blog to all faculty members who are currently teaching. This newsletter features articles on effectively incorporating technology into online teaching and learning. The iSchool’s library liaisons send information to the faculty about new materials and databases that are particularly applicable to online learning. Notifications of upcoming online webinars and workshops are periodically shared with the faculty.
