Faculty training initiative at the indiana university school of education: a participative effort

ABSTRACT

Studies show that for university faculty members, the effort to keep pace with new technology has created a significant rise in stress, and this technology-induced strain can contribute to increased exhaustion and reduced workplace satisfaction. Studies also show that professors are more satisfied with technology if they have received training. In addition, professors are more likely to accept technology training if provided with an incentive.During the fall semester of 2001, the Dean of the Indiana University (IU) School of Education proposed a laptop-for-training project for School of Education faculty. Participants-who must be full-time faculty-would take possession of a new laptop computer after completion of a prescribed course of technology training. In conjunction with an advisory group, the IU School of Education Technology Services and Instructional Consulting decided on 16 hours as a requirement and began offering a multitude of technology training sessions. Of 197 professors in the IU Bloomington School of Education, 60 applied in the first round. (Enrollment will be offered once per semester.In addition to the workshops offered by the two technology services, the training committee has identified faculty participants who would be able and willing to teach workshops. The targeted instructors are offered two hours of laptop credit for every hour spent in the classroom. Faculty response has been positive; thus far, of the 33 internally-produced workshops, faculty members have taught 18. All Laptop Initiative participants have been given a choice of enrolling in offerings in-house or elsewhere in the University.The Faculty Laptop Training Initiative continues to be in full operation as of this writing. With the assistance of the committee members, faculty participants are continuing to enroll in technology workshops. Given the enthusiasm for training, and considering the rapidly developing technology environment, committee members hope to make the training effort an ongoing program that outlasts the immediate laptop initiative project.

REFERENCES

• 1: Beam, Randal A. and Eunsong Kim. Technology-Induced Stressors, Job Satisfaction and Work Place Exhaustion Among Journalism and Mass Communication Faculty. Professional Paper; Communication Technology and Policy Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication annual convention, Miami, August, 2002. http://www.aejmc.org/convention/2002convabs/ctp02.html
• 2: Cooperman, Kay, UCLA News. Keeping up with Technology is a Major Source of Stress for the Nation's College Faculty. 1999. http://www.today.ucla.edu/html/990831faculty.html; http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/heri/heri.html
• 3: Gilmore, Elizabeth. Impact of Training on the Information Technology Attitudes of University Faculty. Doctoral Dissertation, University of North Texas, Denton, 1998. http://www.tcet.unt.edu/research/dissert/gilmore/abstract.htm
• 4: Fox, Lawrence. Importance of Technology Training for Teachers. http://www.softcom.net/users/fox/paper/paper.html
• 5: Other faculty laptop programs can be found at: http://www.oir.ufl.edu/laptop/ http://www.fcii.arizona.edu/laptop/ http://albert.sacred.sf.ca.us/user/sena/00laptop_handouts/laptop_agree.html http://www.unh.edu/signals/fitsi.html http://www.itc.virginia.edu/virginia.edu/fall01/programs/home.html http://www.uakron.edu/news/articles/uamain_311.php
• 6: Promoting Instructional Innovation through a Faculty Incentive Program at the University of Arizona. A publication of the Coalition for Networked Information, 2001; http://www.cni.org/tfms/2001a.spring/handout/Promoting-SGlogoff2001Stf.pdf
• 7: WebCT Institute Center for Distance Learning publication, Faculty Incentive Program for Teaching Online in Higher Education, 2001; http://cdl.panam.edu/2001/Faculty/facincentiv.htm
• 8: Rutgers University Faculty Incentive, CCCC Promotion and Tenure Guidelines for Work with Technology http://newark.rutgers.edu/~derc/faculty_incentive.htm
• 9: Old Dominion University, University Policies and Procedures, 5401 - Faculty Incentive Options Policy. Old Dominion University, 2000; http://www.odu.edu/webroot/orgs/ao/po/polnproc.nsf/files/5401.pdf/$FILE/5401.pdf
• 10: OSU Incentive Programs, Faculty Release Time (FRT), Fall Term 2002; Oregon State University; http://oregonstate.edu/research/FRT/FRT.html
• 11: Brown, David G. Encouraging Faculty to Use Computers to Enhance their Teaching Effectiveness. Wake Forest University, EDUCAUSE Effective Practices article, 2001. http://www.educause.edu/ep/ep_item_detail.asp?ITEM_ID=12
• 12: Dean, Katie. Laptops a Key to Education?. WIRED magazine, 2000, http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,37263,00.html
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• 14: Fink, Mark L. Rethinking Faculty Support Services. University of Toledo, Syllabus, Feb. 2002, Vol. 15, No. 7. http://www.syllabus.com
• 15: Trotter, Andrew. Preparing Teachers for the Digital Age. Education Week article, 1999, http://www.edweek.org/sreports/tc99/articles/teach.htm
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• 17: Zehr, Mary Ann. Teaching the Teachers. Education Week on the Web, 1997, 8.5 http://www.edweek.org/sreports/tc/teach/te-n.htm

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  K. Computing Milieux
  K.6 MANAGEMENT OF COMPUTING AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS
      K.6.1 Project and People Management
          Subjects: Training

General Terms:
Human Factors

Keywords:
faculty, faculty development, laptop, technology training, training