Office of Information Technology

Technology Advisory Board (TAB)
Minutes of Meeting of October 16, 2002

Location: 4th Floor Conference Room, Andy Holt Tower
Time: 2:00 - 3:00PM

Attendance:

Members: Bill Britten, Chris Cimino, Elizabeth Clement, Bill Dockery, Jim Gehlhar, Marcel Grubert, James Hughes, Matt Johnson, Lori Jones, Bryce McKenzie, John Mount, Marla Peterson, Stan Pinkleton, Kelly Price-Rankin, Ben Sanders, Luther Wilhelm, Jenny Wright.

Others: Michael Burke, Jean Derco, Nancy Gnilka, Judy Travis.

Educational Technology - Focus on Teaching with Technology

Mr. Matt Johnson, Student Co-chair, opened the meeting by introducing guest speakers from the Innovative Technology Center (ITC) in the Educational Technology Division: Dr. Michael Burke, Technology Integration Specialist, and Dr. Jean Derco, Director of Educational Technology. They addressed student concerns and comments about the Online@UT facility, presented examples of web-based instructional projects, and invited input for a proposed student-based support group to assist faculty who wish to develop web-based instructional modules.

Online@UT

Jean Derco began with an update on the course and community portal, Online@UT:

• At a recent Presidential Roundtable meeting, students requested more specific contact information on the organization page area of the Online@UT website. This has been completed. Contact information is now easily accessible for anyone interested in setting up a Blackboard site for their organization.
• To help publicize Online@UT, it has been suggested space should be solicited in student publications, student course materials, and student organization materials. Dr. Rhonda Spearman, ITC Manager of Online Course Systems, has contacted the group publishing the OIT technology student support document, Life Preserver. Online@UT information should be available in the next publication. Dr. Spearman would appreciate the names of any additional contacts for other student publications. ( spearman@utk.edu )

Mr. Johnson reported comments on this facility received from the students have been positive.

Teaching with Technology Grant

Dr. Derco reviewed the Teaching with Technology Grant (TwT) program. It provides funding for faculty to develop web-based instructional modules. The program has been in effect for four years and the first two years, individual professors were funded. They received a stipend from Academic Affairs while Tech Fee supported equipment used in the grants. For the last two years, the funding has gone to a department with two to five faculty members proposing to develop five instructional modules. The 2003 Grant has earmarked 80% of the funds for student help. The participants of this grant will attend two training sessions with the ITC for development of their ideas.

Fifty-three percent of the participants in the first cycle of the Teaching with Technology Grant program in 2000 said they created additional modules since their first one. They have also explored other technology uses besides web-based modules such as wireless instructional strategy, streaming video, on-line assessment for student learning, created online simulations, used collaborative teaching with colleagues from other campuses, employed Smartboards in technology enhanced classrooms, while some have totally migrated their courses to Online @UT.

Forty-seven percent of that fifty-three percent used their TwT grant experience to obtain other external grants or other professional opportunities. One received a $75,000 contract from the State of Tennessee. Others have indicated they have been invited to present their modules at different professional meetings, and several received recognition external to the University from entities such as Pacific Bell Knowledge Network. One person reported a publisher was interested in using her module for a CD ROM book supplement.

Dr. Derco presented one example from the 2001 Teaching with Technology grant cycle called Woody Plant Identification, which provides initial exposure to students regarding the identification and naming of woody landscape plants that are indigenous to the southeast. Dr. Gary McDaniel from Ornamental Horticulture and Landscape Design was the contributing faculty member. (URL: http://gardens.ag.utk.edu/ohld220 ).

Faculty First Grant

Dr. Derco explained how the Faculty First Grant program differs from the TwT grant model. In this program, the faculty member provides the expertise on the subject matter and ITC staff produce the web-based module programs. The Technology Fee has supported this grant program through purchases of equipment or software for use in the classroom.

Dr. Derco and Dr. Burke presented examples of the web-based work done by some of the faculty using their Faculty First Grant. The first was a module called "Thinking Visually" which is a beginner's guide for Broadcasting students to learn about the basic elements of television production. Dr. Mark Harmon from Broadcasting was the contributing faculty member. (URL: http://excellent.comm.utk.edu/%7Emdharmon/visual) . The second was an example in building web-based case studies called "Eye Online" which will allow the faculty member, Dr. Diane Hendrix (Veterinary Medicine), to add case studies for students to work through the diagnosis of and treatment plans for eye diseases in cats, dogs and horses via a web-based form. (This project is still under development so the URL is not available)

For more information about the Innovative Technology Center, you may visit their website. ( URL: http://itc.utk.edu ) .

Student-based Support Group

Dr. Burke introduced the concept of ITC organizing and maintaining an on-going undergraduate student-based support group to assist faculty in creating web-based instructional modules. He reviewed two models presently in use at other universities. The first type was the "project focused" model in which specially trained and skilled undergraduate student technology assistants are paired or teamed with faculty members to work on specific instructional technology projects. The second model was the "skill focused" model in which undergraduate student technology assistants receive training in a core set of interpersonal and technological skills plus training in one or more specialty skills, and are then available to work individually or in teams with faculty on instructional technology projects. Dr. Burke addressed the strengths and limitations of both models, and requested input from board members concerning the concept and suggestions on which model might work best at the University of Tennessee. In next month's TAB meeting, ITC will present a formal proposal on this program.

Next Meeting

With no further business, the meeting was adjourned. The next meeting will be on Wednesday, November 20, 2002, at 2:00PM in the 4th Floor Conference Room, Andy Holt Tower.

Minutes prepared by: Judy Travis