Empowering staff: creation of a staff technology development center

ABSTRACT

Drew University has been involved in Faculty Technology Development for years, providing extra technology services to the faculty to assist them in using technology more effectively in teaching. However, the staff contingent of the University had been shut out of these resources. They had been provided only with the same basic resources offered to the general public. There had been little effort expended to meet or even understand the developing technology needs of staff at the University.

In January of 2002, Academic Technology created the Staff Technology Lab with the intent to provide analogous services to the staff population that the Faculty Technology Lab provided. The real challenges to the creation of the Staff Technology Lab were questions no one had bothered to ever ask before.

This paper will explore the processes that the Staff Lab Coordinator undertook to create the resources and services necessary to provided appropriate support and training to the Staff, so they could make the most efficient use of the technology available. It will also cover the services currently provided by the Staff Technology Lab and plans for future expansion of the services provided to encourage the staff to be as self-sufficient as possible.

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  K. Computing Milieux
  K.3 COMPUTERS AND EDUCATION
      K.3.m Miscellaneous

General Terms:
Human Factors, Management, Performance, Standardization

Keywords:
staff development, staff technology lab, training