Fall 2002 IT Staff Workshop

Teaching, Course Management, and Viruses, October 20-22

The Fall 2002 IT Staff Workshop focused on two main areas: providing support for faculty and dealing with viruses. The two groups met separately at the ACS Tech Center October 20-22, but there was also time for interaction between the two groups.

Topics included:

• Teaching Techniques for IT Staff
• Faculty Expectations
• Course management systems in the liberal arts environment
• Virus and security issues education

Group 1: Viruses, Hoaxes, and Spam

IT Staff constantly have to deal with the latest virus that appears in cyber space to infect users' computers. Perhaps even worse are the hoax virus warnings that clog e-mail or even direct unsuspecting users to solve their fictitious virus problems by deleting essential operating files. Often users need education rather than the latest virus protection software. In answer to this problem Kathy Monday, Vice President for Information Services at the University of Richmond, led this group's effort to develop a communication plan for virus, hoax, and spam information for campus distribution. Systems administrators also held a best practices discussion to share ideas about dealing with viruses. Participants arrived Sunday morning, October 20, met both Sunday afternoon and Monday, and departed Tuesday morning.

Group 2: Teaching Techniques for IT Staff and Course Management Systems

This group focused on two issues facing IT Staff as they strive to support faculty: how to teach faculty and what to do with Course Management Systems. Participants arrived Sunday morning, October 20, met Sunday afternoon, Monday, and Tuesday morning, and departed Tuesday evening.

Teaching Methods for Technology Instructors

• Sherry Adrian, Chair of Education, Assistant Professor, Southwestern University
• Sharon McEuen, Director of Technology Support Services, Southwestern University

One of the many responsibilities of IT staff is to develop and deliver technology training for the campus community. Tech. training is one of the most important functions of the IT department, and yet, most of us have never received formal training (ourselves) on how to be an effective instructor. Just because you know how to DO something doesn't mean you know how to TEACH it! Effective teaching takes a tremendous amount of time, experience, and knowledge of instructional methods and philosophies. This workshop focused on building this knowledge base for you to become a success in the training room. We mined our collective teaching experiences and learned from each other, as well as explored theories of teaching and learning. Participants left with a 'bag of tricks' to implement immediately.

We covered:

• the different types of learners and styles of learning;
• how to meet the needs of diverse types of learners;
• various teaching strategies and models;
• techniques for workshop preparation, planning, and delivery;
• class customization strategies for different audiences;
• and, faculty expectations for training and support.

Course Management Systems

Many course management systems have appeared over the past few years, and many have been swallowed up by their competitors. Some ACS schools use systems such as Blackboard or WebCT. Still others use no commercial course management systems at all. As schools try to weigh price against benefit in choosing to use a system, the Open Knowledge Initiative (OKI), led by MIT and Stanford, is developing a set of standards for all Course Management Systems, as well as free tools. This section of the workshop, led by John Blackburn, head of the Instructional Technology Group and Julie Knudson, Blackboard Administrator, at Washington and Lee University, focused on the practical requirements to make the most of Course Management Systems. Participants learned what systems are available at what price and with what capabilities. They worked together to develop training and promotional strategies for the use of Course Management Systems. Finally they discussed how such courseware fits into a comprehensive information technology strategy.

Agenda

Suggested Readings

The following readings were suggested in preparation for sessions on Course Management Systems:

Growing Up Digital: How the Web Changes Work, Education, and the Ways people Learn by John Seeley Brown
http://www.johnseelybrown.com/

In Pursuit of the Learning Paradigm by Donald P. Buckley
http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/erm0202.pdf

IMPLEMENTING THE SEVEN PRINCIPLES: Technology as Lever, by Arthur W. Chickering and Stephen C. Ehrmann (a classic, worth looking at again...)
http://www.tltgroup.org/programs/seven.html

Introducing and Supporting a Course Management System at Wake Forest University
http://www.educause.edu/ep/ep_item_detail.asp?ITEM_ID=41

The Conditions of Learning in the World of the 21st Century by Jan Visser
http://www.learndev.org/dl/Versailles2001-Paper.pdf