university of hartford

The University of Hartford was chartered in 1957 by the community for the community and is known as “a private University with a public purpose”. Students, faculty and staff annually lend their time to improve lives and communities locally and across the world. We are the only private university in the nation that has two public magnet schools, an elementary school and a high school concentrating in science and engineering, on its campus.– Students: 7,366 total, with 4842 full-time UG, 853

part-time UG, 1,671 Grads– Students represent 45 states and 49 countries, 70%

residential, 33% from Connecticut

University of Hartford

Core Services:• Blackboard Administration, Learning System

Enterprise v. 7 (upgrading to 8 in August)• Instructional Technology Center for campus• Instructional Design/Development Services• Faculty Training Program for

instructional/educational technologies• Faculty Help Desk – email, phone

Faculty Center for Learning Development “Encourage Innovative Teaching”

Let’s do the numbers

Blackboard Statistics for Fall 2008• 1,127 active Blackboard courses out of a possible 2,829*• Approximately 50% have a dozen files or more files in

them, so we know they are doing more than just email and hanging a syllabus

• 546 out of approximately 800 faculty using Blackboard• Top tools used by instructors Fall 2007:

Gradebook, Announcements, Discussion Board, Send Email, Digital Dropbox

* This 2,820 figure is inflated due to inclusion of ‘one-enrollment’ courses, e.g., independent study courses, dissertations, music performance sections.

Let’s do the numbers

Workshops Statistics 2008-9• 596 workshop attendees• 355 unique faculty• 79 Workshops Offered

What accounts for this level of active participation?

What are we doing that could help others?

What are we doing?

• Strategic planning has change management model at core• Strategic planning is tied to IT plans and also to

institutional plans• Faculty development program is faculty-focused and

collaborative• We conduct ongoing assessment to find out faculty needs,

then implement programs based on data

Faculty Development Strategic Planning

2000 Interviewed all FT faculty

Based on interviews/data:• Faculty-only training• Faculty-only help desk• Faculty Development Center• Teaching lab• Micro-grants• Better classroom technology• Collaboration

…tied to larger IT strategic plan

Strategic Planning for Change

Diffusion is the process in which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over time among

the members of a social system.

Everett Rogers

Diffusion of Innovations


• Training Program• Centralized Support• Faculty Development Center• Computer Lab• Reliable infrastructure• Classroom technology• Micro-grants

All program elements should be strongly

rooted in faculty culture and include faculty input from a broad

cross section of faculty

Literally put yourself in their shoes…


• Intersect with their interests• Focus on teaching• Offer a little something for all in training and offer high

quality, carefully-designed workshops, etc.• Put it in words that makes sense to them, be a universal

translator• Schedule around faculty schedules• Collaborate with faculty• Foster community

Intersect with their interests…

“When we started by teaching specific software programs (e.g. Word and Excel), faculty soon protested that they already knew these programs or that they didn't want to invest effort in learning them until they knew they would be useful in their teaching. When we started with educational philosophy and theory, faculty outside the discipline of education often protested that what they needed most was practical advice, not the conceptual framework of another discipline. Consequently, our most successful workshops start with teaching strategies.”

Faculty Development that Works: An Interview with David G. Brown

Technology Sources Archives, 2000

Emphasize teaching in training programs

“When we started by teaching specific software programs (e.g. Word and Excel), faculty soon protested that they already knew these programs or that they didn't want to invest effort in learning them until they knew they would be useful in their teaching. When we started with educational philosophy and theory, faculty outside the discipline of education often protested that what they needed most was practical advice, not the conceptual framework of another discipline. Consequently, our most successful workshops start with teaching strategies.”

Faculty Development that Works: An Interview with David G. Brown

Technology Sources Archives, 2000

Emphasize teaching in training programs

Offer a little something for all…

• First Wave, Second Wave focus• User groups focused on specific interests• Longer faculty institutes or spring break specials• Tutorials• “House visits”• Boutiques/Drop ins• Content package to meet different interests• Learner focused training design, materials

…and don’t forget to make it fun and social!

Guiding principles for training & workshops

• Aim for seminars, rather than workshops• Design for an “Aha!” moment within first 5 minutes• Get them in and out of there, don’t cover all app features• Faculty-only is best if you can afford it…• Package different ways for different folks• Use good marketing, e.g., ‘grabber’ titles• Videotape one-time events• Vary offerings and be creative• Take risks…

…and don’t forget to make it fun and social!

When teaching and technology meet…

Thank YOU Lorelle for the great presentation yesterday. I found it very

informative and plan on heavily incorporating this technology into my

courses this Fall.l

If space is still available, I'd also like to attend the

PowerPoint seminar on 8/10. Please also register me for the seminars on

8/12 and 8/14.

“

”-- University of Hartford Faculty Member

Your reputation is your best publicity

“When faculty want to know something, they go out the door and walk the shortest number of steps they have to and ask a colleague…the word on the street is how your program reputation is built.”

Dr. Fred SweitzerDean of Faculty DevelopmentUniversity of Hartford

Training Program: Guiding Principles

• Track workshops: Emerging, Distance, Presentation, Bb• Use images, examples, experiences appropriate to faculty• Embed learning theory• The means justify the ends• Respect their expertise


Let them learn from one another…


Source: Carl Berger, The Next Killer App: http://sitemaker.umich.edu/carat.copy/presentations__listed_by_date_

Collaborate with Faculty

• Have faculty lead or co-lead workshops, panels, seminars

• Create an advisory committee• Foster faculty networks, connections• Find out who the faculty opinion leaders are & get them

involved• Always keep them informed of upgrades and changes• Bring groups together

Remind them that this is service, that it can be published

Speak a language they understand…

An alumnus, Mark Freedenberg, currently on the cs faculty at Bentley University, will be speaking next Friday (October 17) at 2pm in D236 (http://cis.bentley.edu/mfrydenberg/web/) His topic is Web 2.0 and mashups - in particular, a software web service called Popfly…written up in the NY Times last February Mark is an entertaining speaker and on the forefront of educational technology. As usual we'll probably head to a local watering hole after the talk. Ray

Speak a language they understand…

Spend a lot of time Scheduling

• Fun stuff on Fridays• Schedule summers in accordance to the flow at your

institution• Avoid all holidays, including major religious holidays (do

they start on sundown the night before?)• Don’t schedule right before a long weekend• Avoid peak times• Schedule with logic – Getting Started right before term

ends, but also at the end• Try not to schedule on top of other events• Avoid faculty meetings for active schools and colleges

Make sure faculty can hear you

• Word of Mouth #1• Traditional Media• Ask Faculty• Email• Eye-catching Workshop Program/Book• Websites• Workshop announcements• Web 2.0• In person• Working with other departments

Get involved, act as community leader

‘Moving among the people’ tactic (Zvacek, 2001) :

• Walk around campus, check in• Make connections - have parties, introduce them to each

other• Be a refuge• Be an advocate and mediator• Be patient, be empathetic• Act as clearinghouse

What else can the faculty developer do?

• Hire generalists, folks with interest in lots of different areas and disciplines are great conversationalists

• Ask them!

After you get them there…

…change gears

Caught between two worlds…

Faculty World View

We are a community of knowledge

The process is important

We like things unstructured

We are informal – no tie

Assessment is a pain

We plant seeds

We like to keep to ourselves

We create knowledge

Administrative World View

We are a business

The outcomes/product is important

Structure creates cost efficiencies

We are formal - ‘the suits’

Assessment measures results

We need to justify costs

We look at the whole institution

We create budgets, fund Blackboard

Caught between two worlds…

Faculty World View

We are a community of knowledge

The process is important

We like things unstructured

We are informal – no tie

Assessment is a pain

We plant seeds

We like to keep to ourselves

We create knowledge

Administrative World View

We are a business

The outcomes/product is important

Structure creates cost efficiencies

We are formal - ‘the suits’

Assessment measures results

We need to justify costs

We look at the whole institution

We create budgets, fund Blackboard

Communication Communication strategies that work strategies that work

with this groupwith this group

Usually don’t work Usually don’t work with this groupwith this group

Working with the Administration

• Know the ‘big picture’• Networking• Collect data• Present data

– Annual Report– Executive Updates– Non-executive updates

Working with the Administration

TERM Acad Year Acad Year Acad Year Acad Year2004-5 2005-6 2006-7 2007-8 2008-9 2009-10

Fall 626 758 939 958 1127Winter 12 21 24 --- 42

Sat 4 8 10 --- 12

Spring 603 724 878 918 1078Summer 105 144 165 --- ---

TOTAL 1350 1655 2016 --- ---

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

2004-5 2005-6 2006-7

Blackboard Course Growth 2005-2007

Fall

Winter

Sat

Spring

Summer

TOTAL

Executive Update for all Senior Administration


• Intersect with their interests• Focus on teaching• Offer a little something for all in training and offer high

quality, carefully-designed workshops, etc.• Put it in words that makes sense to them, be a universal

translator• Schedule around faculty schedules• Collaborate with faculty• Act as community leader

Summary Thoughts

• If I had to emphasize three key strategies:– Focus on teaching– Offer high quality training featuring faculty

presenters– Become a member of the community

Summary Thoughts

• Apply change theory in your strategic planning: Familiarize yourself with Rogers and/or others.

• Analyze and then find the strategies that are best suited for your campus.

• Remember, you can never publicize and outreach enough.

• Revise and fine tune. Remember that faculty development is a dynamic, ever-changing process.

Over time, we found that not only will faculty come when we invite them,

they will actually ask to come…

References and Sources

Berger, Carl, “The Next Killer App” PowerPoint Presentation. 2001. Accessed March, 2007

http://sitemaker.umich.edu/carat.copy/presentations__listed_by_date_

Bradlee, Dr., Kuhn, Robert M., & Mathews-DeNatale, Gail, “Developing a Shared Vision for Academic Technology: A Briefing Document for Simmons College” NERCOMP Conference 2007. http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/NCP07067A.pdf

Cohen, Bradley A., Linda Jorn & J.D. Walker. “Faculty Development for a New Millenium,” pre-conference half-day workshop for Educause 2007, October 2

Hagner, Paul R., “Faculty Engagement and Support in the New Learning Environment”

September/October 2000 Educause Review

http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ERM0052.pdf

References and Sources

Moore, Anne, Moore, John, and Fowler, Shelli. “Faculty Development for the Net Generation.” In Educationg the Net Gneration;. Editing by Diana G. Oblinger and James L. OBlinger. Educause, 2005. Accessed June 16, 2000

http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/pub7101.pdf

Morrison, James L. and Brown, David G. “Faculty Development That Works: An Interview with David G. Brown”. The Technology Sources Archives. July/August 2002. Accessed June 7, 2009.

Rogers, Everett M., (2003). Diffusion of Innovations. Fifth Edition. Free Press: New York Toronto Sydney.

Zvacek, Susan, “Confessions of a Guerilla Technologist”. Educause Quarterly Magazine, Volume 24, Number 2. Accessed July 8, 2009. http://www.educause.edu/EDUCAUSE+Quarterly/EDUCAUSEQuarterlyMagazineVolum/ConfessionsofaGuerillaTechnolo/157127

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