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ALSO
IN THIS ISSUE Hat Trick Choreographing a Romance Evolution of a Biology Professor Sweet Rewards Academic Stepping Stone Chancellor's Column Development News Factoids Newsmakers Accomplishments by faculty and staff… |
Sweet Rewards They
are two of the most beautiful words in the English language: It’s
free. And while free training in office applications and the details of
distance learning may not conjure images of the dream vacation or a new
car, this is a pretty sweet deal anyway. The
district offers faculty and staff free hands-on computer training at six
locations—City, Mesa and Miramar colleges, North City Center and
the Educational Technology Training Center (ETTC) in Mission Valley. Staff
is encouraged to “work smarter” by getting the most out of the
Microsoft Office suite of applications that is the district administrative
standard; Blackboard and WebCT online course management and web authoring
programs are aimed at helping faculty utilize internet technology for
instruction. “This
is a great program,” said Jessica Fender, district instructional
design coordinator. “Once faculty and staff begin learning, they
keep going. I’m constantly getting e-mail asking me questions about
particular programs.” Each
training center has its own preferred topics, but any district employee
is free to sign up for any class at any location. “Each
campus has a tech coordinator, and we all meet on a monthly basis,”
Fender said. “We bring all the classes together on the ETTC website,
which offers information about the different classes we have and a calendar.” Fender
and her colleagues see instructional technology not as a replacement for
traditional teaching methods, but as an improvement. Access,
says science professor Ric Matthews, who runs the Professional Development
Center at Miramar College, is what such programs are all about. “If
a work or home situation prevents a student from attending class, the
programs taught using these technologies help overcome such obstacles,”
Matthews said. “We stress the necessity to faculty, reminding them
it is especially integral at this education level.” “We’ve
tried to do some innovative things,” said David Kater, a math professor
at City College and coordinator of CitySITE, the training center at City. Kater
remains cautiously optimistic about the future of the training, and its
subsequent use in classes. “I’ve seen many people become interested
who were not interested before,” he said. “We’re looking
at more outreach training, at personal training in faculty offices. The
fact is that technology is changing at an ever-increasing rate. The power
has shifted from the four walls of an institution to individuals who want
to access their education off the Internet. It’s a matter of survival.
We have to use this technology and make education available to this emerging
demographic.” NetG
tutorials provide another means for faculty and staff to learn dozens
of software applications—or to expand on workshop instruction. NetG’s
interactive content engages the learner and the assessment tests chart
a personalized learning path. The self-paced CDs can be checked out from
ETTC for learning on the user’s time frame, at home or at work. Tutorials
can also be accessed online. “One
of the best aspects of the free training is that the faculty or staff
member can come to one of our traditional classes, then use NetG to brush
up at home,” Fender said. “Online learning brings with it tremendous
educational resources. Those employees who utilize the free training will
be ahead. “This
technology is extremely important,” Fender added. “The district
is working to become a leader in instructional technology, because the
use of these tools will influence students to enroll when perhaps otherwise
they would not be able to do so.” Now,
that’s a rewarding outcome. |