1. NLII05 Annual Meeting Professional Development of Faculty and Instructional Technology Staff through Communities of Practice University of Memphis: Technology Fellows Teaching and Learning Collaboration Monday, January 24, 2005 James Penrod Professor of Leadership, AT&T Fellow Advanced Learning Center, FedEx Institute of Technology Senior Fellow, EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research (With Joanne Gikas, Janna Robertson & Sandy Schaeffer) Copyright [James Penrod 2005] This work is the intellectual property of the author. Permission is granted for this material to be shared for non-commercial, educational purposes, provided that this copyright statement appears on the reproduced materials and notice is given that the copying is by permission of the author. To disseminate otherwise or to republish requires written permission from the author.

2. Program Assumptions, Goals and Objectives ASSUMPTIONS Everyone has different skills Most faculty want to accomplish a task—not learn a skill Some faculty are uncomfortable making mistakes in front of others Assessing technology use is difficult for many faculty GOALS & OBJECTIVES To produce departmental leaders To promote collaboration in T & L To increase faculty & student IT fluency To have each fellow produce a project that increases T & L To tailor each project to fellow’s IT needs and level To collect, analyze & disseminate information To monitor & support development of each project

3. Summer & Fall Activities SUMMER Week long training Introduce fellows to collaboration software Draft project plans “Stars of the week” Modify project plans Projects critiqued by AT&T Fellow and Instructional Design Specialist Fall Further specialized training for fellows Continued use of VCoP to attain feedback Gifts given to randomly selected fellows monthly Fellows work on surveys for classes Online “Wall of Fame” showcase designed

4. Lessons Learned 1.A blended approach is a worthwhile strategy 2.The major barrier fellows have to over come is finding focus 3.Reasonably modest incentives attract good faculty 4.The program appears to be sustainable & scalable 5.A showcase of the projects should attract new faculty converts 6.The project has been a learning experience for fellows & ALC staff

5. Critical Success Factors for Adaptation Elsewhere Seek executive officer sponsorship Do not overreach in sizing the project Secure commitment for needed resources Be sure to attain the right mix of support skills Get endorsements from the academic department as part of the selection process Secure commitments for IT infrastructure support Establish good, flexible communication processes & use them Carefully develop the implementation plan & be flexible in modifying it as needs arise

6. Next Steps ASSESSMENT ALC Director interviews Student perception surveys IT fluency survey Fellow perception survey Before/after student class perception analysis ACTIVITIES Call for applicants Committee selection of next set of fellows 2004-05 project symposium 2005-06 orientation Migration of material to new collaboration system

7. Concluding Observations It is the people, not the technology There are always covert agendas that need addressing All technology is “self taught”. People need support more than instruction Technology fluency is addictive... It will continue to grow as long as it assists in reaching the goals of the university Faculty empowerment leads to faculty leaders. Change comes from within the existing university structures