Nicholls State University's Teaching, Learning, and Technology Roundtable
David E. Boudreaux

Roundtable Background

In the fall semester of 1994, Nicholls State University conducted its first faculty institute,one component of the University's new faculty development plan. One of the goals of the institute was to bring speakers to the campus to present faculty with important issues faced by higher education.

One of the two main speakers that fall was Steve Gilbert, Director of the American Association of Higher Education Technology Projects. Steve was genuinely impressed with Nicholls' efforts and activities in faculty development. He and a faculty member from the Department of Mass Communication discussed Steve's vision of a way to promote the improved use of information technology on university campuses, a vision that was rapidly progressing toward fruition. This vision was already focused on having Teaching, Learning, and Technology Roundtables (TLTRs) active on campuses throughout the nation. Steve invited Nicholls to be a charter participant, and thus was born the Nicholls State University involvement in the Teaching, Learning, and Technology Roundtable.

In November 1994, Nicholls State University sent a representative to the first organizational meeting of the national TLTR in Washington, D. C. For this meeting Steve had developed a program that would take the participants through the steps involved in organizing campus roundtables. He had invited a host of presenters who would help him to provide the direction that the National TLTR would eventually take. At this session, the participants responded favorably to AAHE's call for the first "conference within a conference on teaching, learning, and technology," which was then held in Washington, D. C. in March 1995 during AAHE's national conference.

Nicholls sent four individuals to this conference to gather more information about the TLTR concept. All four were subsequently appointed to the Nicholls TLTR when it was approved. At the conference, Steve Gilbert made it clear that one of the major purposes of the Roundtable is "to improve the quality and accessibility of higher education through the selective use of information technology and information resources in teaching and learning–while controlling costs." He also stressed that teaching and learning came before technology and that the focus should always be on how the technology enhanced the teaching and learning. The Nicholls team attending the conference returned to Nicholls recommending the formation of the Nicholls TLTR. Our relations with AAHE and Steve Gilbert were further enhanced, as we would discover later that fall.

Fall Semester 1995

In the fall semester of 1995, the Vice President for Academic Affairs named a Nicholls Teaching, Learning, and Technology Roundtable. Members appointed included faculty from every college and from the Freshman Division, members of the Division of Academic Computing, the director of institutional research, the librarian, and the assistant vice president for Academic Affairs. The Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Dean of College of Arts and Sciences were appointed co-chairs, and the first campus roundtable discussion was held on the twenty-fifth of August. The Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs summarized the purpose of the local roundtable, the Director of Academic Computing outlined the mission of the newly-created Academic Computing unit, and members of the Roundtable engaged in a lively discussion of the importance of the use of technology in higher education.

The second meeting of the Nicholls TLTR was held on September 29. Dr. Jan Worthington, Director of Continuing Education, presented an overview of distance learning. She stressed the need for Nicholls faculty to be open to the concept of distance learning and to become involved in teaching by this method. Dr. Worthington listed some of the Louisiana institutions that were already heavily involved in distance learning.

At the third meeting, held in November, Mr. David Horton, Assistant Professor of Art, presented the Roundtable with an impressive sample of the work that his graphic design students have done using computer technology. Mr. Horton discussed the unique qualities of the program at Nicholls and pointed out that graduates of the program have been very successful in finding employment in their field. One of Nicholls' advantages is that the students are able to access the technology at an early point in their program.

At the same meeting, having attended a TLTR Facilitator Training Workshop at Georgetown University, Mr. Craig Wells-Roger reported to the Roundtable on the success of his trip and on the vision he is developing to assist faculty adopt the technology for their teaching.

Regional Roundtable Workshop

Early in the fall semester, 1995, Steve Gilbert invited Nicholls to host a regional TLTR. As soon as President Ayo approved the proposal that Nicholls could serve as the host institution, Steve Gilbert and his staff began planning for the first scheduled regional TLTR. Steve also invited Xavier University in New Orleans to participate. As a result, the regional TLTR was scheduled for Nicholls State on Friday, December 1 and Xavier on Saturday, December 2. Institutions that attended included Cameron University (Lawton, OK), Florida State University, the University of Southern Mississippi, Southern University, Louisiana State University, and Louisiana College. Members of the Nicholls Roundtable were selected to serve as both facilitators and participants.