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Sample
Topics/Questions
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Class Size
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How can learning be improved in
online and hybrid/blended courses without reducing student/faculty ratio
or increasing the workload for teachers or students? In
which courses and in which ways can information technology be used more
effectively to increase the size of classes and reduce the
number/duration of face-to-face meetings without reducing the quality of
teaching and learning? Without further overburdening faculty
and academic support staff? I.e., how, if at all, can
technology be used to reduce operating costs without sacrificing
educational quality or the life expectancy of faculty?
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Face-to-Face vs. ?
Hybrid, Blended, Online, or Traditional?
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Which kinds of courses and which kinds of faculty members and which
kinds of students can benefit most and be harmed least from changing
courses from traditional face-to-face meetings to “hybrid” or purely
online? For which purposes, people, and conditions is the unique
potential of face-to-face interaction essential? For which purposes,
people, conditions, is there a technology application that can support
teaching and learning that is “better” than face-to-face interaction?
For which purposes, people, conditions, are there combinations [e.g.,
“hybrid” or “blended” courses] of technology applications and
face-to-face interactions that can support teaching and learning that is
“better” than either medium alone?
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Individualization
and Individual Differences – Including Race, Gender, ..?
To what extent should the needs, preferences, capabilities, and
gifts of each individual student influence the characteristics of
educational experiences provided for that student? Who is responsible
for identifying and meeting those needs, etc. ?
To what extent should the needs, preferences, capabilities, and gifts of
each individual faculty member influence the characteristics of
educational resources and support services provided for that teacher?
Who is responsible for identifying and meeting those needs, etc. ?
To what extent can or should differences of physical or other
disabilities, native language, race, gender, ethnicity, culture, .. be
considered? Other factors? Who, if anyone, is responsible for doing so?
And for determining needs that must be met by the institution and for
taking responsibility for monitoring and meeting those needs?
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Collaboration
How can/should VERY BUSY faculty members, support professionals,
academic administrators, etc. work together more effectively,
comfortably, and frequently to achieve a shared vision for improving
teaching and learning with technology?
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Options Overload
How can/should VERY BUSY faculty members, support professionals,
academic administrators, etc. help each other deal more effectively with
the “options overload” that is likely to continue increasing for the
foreseeable future? [“Options overload” - Attractive instructional
resources accumulating at an accelerating pace, faster than anyone can
comfortably master.]
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Information
Literacy/Fluency/... & Librarianship
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here for more...
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Shared Vision
How can/should VERY BUSY faculty members, support professionals,
academic administrators, etc. work together to agree more clearly on
what they mean by “improve teaching and learning” or “better education”?
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Student Course
Evaluations Click here for more...
What kinds of information should be collected as part of student course
evaluation activities? Who should control access to that information
and the purposes for which it is used? [e.g., info collected solely to
enable faculty member to improve a course vs. info collected to be used
in promotion and tenure decisions by academic deans]
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Peer Review of Online
Courses
For courses that are all or mostly online:
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What are some guidelines for
faculty to do peer reviews?
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What are some guidelines for
faculty to do peer coaching?
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What are some guidelines or
anecdotes or case studies about the use relationship between peer review
of online teaching and promotion/tenure processes?
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Accessibility for
Those with Disabilities
What is right level of investment in “adaptive technology” –
applications of information technology and other technologies to help
increase the access of those who have disabilities to information
resources and to enable them to participate fully and effectively in
courses and other educational activities? What are the relevant legal
obligations and the financial risks of non-compliance with relevant
laws? What are the ethical obligations? To what extent will the
availability of new adaptive technologies also benefit those who have
lesser disabilities or none at all?
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Adjuncts - Part-Time
Faculty - Exploitation or Opportunity Click here
for more...
Adjuncts, part-time, and "contract" faculty:
What is being done - and what can be done -- to encourage, train, and
support adjunct faculty members to improve teaching and learning with
technology in ways consistent with the institutional vision and
consistent with efforts to support the work of the full-time faculty?
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Expression of
Religious Beliefs
To what extent and in what ways should a faculty member express his/her
own religious beliefs when those beliefs are in conflict with those
professed by the institution? When the institution seeks to avoid
identification with any single religion?
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Relevance of Outside Experience
To what extent, how, and when should faculty members’ outside-the-classroom,
off-campus experience in “relevant” areas be acknowledged or discussed?
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Learning Outcomes
How can we reach agreement on what we all mean by “learning outcomes”
and under what conditions we will use that phrase? What kinds of
information should be collected about “learning outcomes”? Who should
control access to that information and the purposes for which it is
used? To what extent should it be quantitative or qualitative?
Anecdotal, informal, or impressionistic? To what extent should it be
identified with individual learners or teachers (or administrators or
staff)?
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Independent
Learning
To what extent can or should students be responsible for their own
learning? To what extent should faculty be responsible for their
students’ learning? What portion of the human race can be effective
independent learners? Ever? Under what conditions? What kinds of
external guidance, feedback, incentives, support are necessary under
what conditions and for whom?
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Standards for
Faculty Use of Information Technology
To what extent and in what ways is it possible to develop standards for
faculty use of information technology that actually make sense? I.e.,
standards that avoid these pitfalls:
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so general that
almost any activity could be claimed as fulfilling them
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so many in such
detail that they require an unrealistic level of time and attention
while disrespecting the value of faculty experience and judgment
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tied to specific
technology applications in ways that make them easily obsolete when
technology changes – which it does often!
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require more
effort to monitor than is justifiable
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depends on
research or methods that many faculty don’t really believe apply to
most college courses, teachers, or students [e.g., learning theory,
instructional design models]
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Support Services
and Expectations
What are realistic expectations that faculty can have about requesting
and getting support services from professional staff (tech. support,
librarians, faculty development, …)? How can and should such requests
be made? How can/should professional support staff treat and be treated
by faculty? Same questions for administrators! [What if the
president’s spouse or a board member requests support services for a
computer that differs from institutional standards or guidelines?
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Role of College of
Education
How can the College of Education [department, division, school, …?] help
provide professional development services and resources for faculty
members in other parts of the institution? To what extent will other
faculty pay any attention to advice that comes from the College of
Education? From anywhere outside their own departments?
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Standards for Use
of Same Technology Applications
To what extent and in what ways should all faculty and students
throughout the institution be required to use the same technology
applications? Within a department, college, or division?
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"Net Generation" - How
the "Youth of Today" Are/Aren't Different from "Us"
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Discussion Activity - Identifying Dangerous Discussion Topics, Approaches,
Resources
What “dangerous discussion” TOPICS related to teaching, learning, and
technology is your institution dealing with especially well? How?
Could your institution use some help in dealing with some “dangerous
discussion” TOPICS related to teaching, learning, and technology?
Which topics?
What kind of help?
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