1 Centers for Teaching, Learning and Technology...What Fits Your Institution? Kathy Christoph, University of Wisconsin Carrie Regenstein, University of Rochester Ruth Sabean, University of California, Los Angeles

2 Overview of Presentation Panel on Key Decision Points Panel on Key Decision Points Choices and Guidelines Choices and Guidelines General Rules of Thumb General Rules of Thumb Show Stoppers Show Stoppers Conclusions and Q & A Conclusions and Q & A

3 What is the purpose? Raise all ships or support lead innovators? Raise all ships or support lead innovators? Support faculty or support supporters? Support faculty or support supporters? Focus resources or place close to faculty? Focus resources or place close to faculty? Effective use of technology or get high YAHOO ratings? Effective use of technology or get high YAHOO ratings? Raise all ships or support lead innovators? Raise all ships or support lead innovators? Support faculty or support supporters? Support faculty or support supporters? Focus resources or place close to faculty? Focus resources or place close to faculty? Effective use of technology or get high YAHOO ratings? Effective use of technology or get high YAHOO ratings?

4 What is the purpose? Safety net or support for all? Safety net or support for all? Improve instruction or use technology? Improve instruction or use technology? Raise faculty awareness of teaching or get them to use IT? Raise faculty awareness of teaching or get them to use IT? Meet a need or stay competitive with peer institutions Meet a need or stay competitive with peer institutions Safety net or support for all? Safety net or support for all? Improve instruction or use technology? Improve instruction or use technology? Raise faculty awareness of teaching or get them to use IT? Raise faculty awareness of teaching or get them to use IT? Meet a need or stay competitive with peer institutions Meet a need or stay competitive with peer institutions

5 And who supports it (and has funding)? President Provost/Chief Academic Officer Deans CIO/CTO Director(s) of Computing Librarian President Provost/Chief Academic Officer Deans CIO/CTO Director(s) of Computing Librarian

6 Institutional teaching practices? Private faculty purview or teaching as public practice? Private faculty purview or teaching as public practice? Teaching as scholarship or drudgery? Teaching as scholarship or drudgery? Faculty or institution owns courses? Faculty or institution owns courses? Academic rewards for creation but not reuse? Academic rewards for creation but not reuse? Private faculty purview or teaching as public practice? Private faculty purview or teaching as public practice? Teaching as scholarship or drudgery? Teaching as scholarship or drudgery? Faculty or institution owns courses? Faculty or institution owns courses? Academic rewards for creation but not reuse? Academic rewards for creation but not reuse?

7 And culture? Cottage industry or team-based development? Cottage industry or team-based development? Enhance traditional or experiment with new formats? Enhance traditional or experiment with new formats? Academic towers or inter-disciplinary tapestries? Academic towers or inter-disciplinary tapestries? Control or collaboration? Control or collaboration? Cottage industry or team-based development? Cottage industry or team-based development? Enhance traditional or experiment with new formats? Enhance traditional or experiment with new formats? Academic towers or inter-disciplinary tapestries? Academic towers or inter-disciplinary tapestries? Control or collaboration? Control or collaboration?

8 Institutional technology goals? Trailing edge or leading/bleeding edge? Trailing edge or leading/bleeding edge? Standards in key areas or local/personal choice? Standards in key areas or local/personal choice? Support mission or keep up with national trends? Support mission or keep up with national trends? Needed tools for all or catch as catch can? Needed tools for all or catch as catch can? Trailing edge or leading/bleeding edge? Trailing edge or leading/bleeding edge? Standards in key areas or local/personal choice? Standards in key areas or local/personal choice? Support mission or keep up with national trends? Support mission or keep up with national trends? Needed tools for all or catch as catch can? Needed tools for all or catch as catch can?

9 And culture? Centralized or distributed or decentralized? Centralized or distributed or decentralized? Wild west or consensus around key components? Wild west or consensus around key components? Reinvent or reuse? Reinvent or reuse? Centralized or distributed or decentralized? Centralized or distributed or decentralized? Wild west or consensus around key components? Wild west or consensus around key components? Reinvent or reuse? Reinvent or reuse?

10 Place the Center in the central IT Org if the Org... is well respected by faculty is well respected by faculty already has support of instruction as a primary component of its mission already has support of instruction as a primary component of its mission has an established and successful model for working with local IT support providers (if that’s necessary) has an established and successful model for working with local IT support providers (if that’s necessary) is well respected by faculty is well respected by faculty already has support of instruction as a primary component of its mission already has support of instruction as a primary component of its mission has an established and successful model for working with local IT support providers (if that’s necessary) has an established and successful model for working with local IT support providers (if that’s necessary)

11 …and if the champion is an IT person with a strong academic background, e.g., a (former) faculty member the champion is an IT person with a strong academic background, e.g., a (former) faculty member

12 But your challenges will be to maintain... credibility without overstepping programmatic authority and responsibility credibility without overstepping programmatic authority and responsibility relationships with other campus support providers relationships with other campus support providers internal organizational relationships between IT Center staff and other support staff internal organizational relationships between IT Center staff and other support staff credibility without overstepping programmatic authority and responsibility credibility without overstepping programmatic authority and responsibility relationships with other campus support providers relationships with other campus support providers internal organizational relationships between IT Center staff and other support staff internal organizational relationships between IT Center staff and other support staff

13 …and to maintain... balance between being a “utility” to support courses and/or test-bed for innovation balance between being a “utility” to support courses and/or test-bed for innovation sanity, with growing demand- especially if “linkage with research” is added sanity, with growing demand- especially if “linkage with research” is added qualitative vs quantitative measure of value by customers qualitative vs quantitative measure of value by customers balance between being a “utility” to support courses and/or test-bed for innovation balance between being a “utility” to support courses and/or test-bed for innovation sanity, with growing demand- especially if “linkage with research” is added sanity, with growing demand- especially if “linkage with research” is added qualitative vs quantitative measure of value by customers qualitative vs quantitative measure of value by customers

14 Place the Center in the Teaching Support Org if... technology support is more distributed than centralized technology support is more distributed than centralized there is strong central support for teaching there is strong central support for teaching faculty are actively engaged in academic policy and practice faculty are actively engaged in academic policy and practice technology support is more distributed than centralized technology support is more distributed than centralized there is strong central support for teaching there is strong central support for teaching faculty are actively engaged in academic policy and practice faculty are actively engaged in academic policy and practice

15 …and if… an existing teaching center has resources as well as faculty governance and respect an existing teaching center has resources as well as faculty governance and respect the champion and funding are on the academic side the champion and funding are on the academic side an existing teaching center has resources as well as faculty governance and respect an existing teaching center has resources as well as faculty governance and respect the champion and funding are on the academic side the champion and funding are on the academic side

16 But your challenges will be to... build a vision for a consistent technology support infrastructure for faculty and students build a vision for a consistent technology support infrastructure for faculty and students integrate IT experts and teaching experts integrate IT experts and teaching experts advocate appropriate use of simple tools rather than newest tools advocate appropriate use of simple tools rather than newest tools build a vision for a consistent technology support infrastructure for faculty and students build a vision for a consistent technology support infrastructure for faculty and students integrate IT experts and teaching experts integrate IT experts and teaching experts advocate appropriate use of simple tools rather than newest tools advocate appropriate use of simple tools rather than newest tools

17 …and to... keep technology budgets from usurping all teaching support budgets keep technology budgets from usurping all teaching support budgets help local IT support staff build expertise in pedagogy help local IT support staff build expertise in pedagogy keep technology budgets from usurping all teaching support budgets keep technology budgets from usurping all teaching support budgets help local IT support staff build expertise in pedagogy help local IT support staff build expertise in pedagogy

18 Choose a “virtual center” if... you have roughly equal strength in the IT and teaching organizations you have roughly equal strength in the IT and teaching organizations the IT and teaching organizations are modest in size (staff and budget) the IT and teaching organizations are modest in size (staff and budget) you have roughly equal strength in the IT and teaching organizations you have roughly equal strength in the IT and teaching organizations the IT and teaching organizations are modest in size (staff and budget) the IT and teaching organizations are modest in size (staff and budget)

19 …or if... either the IT or the teaching organization is new and needs time to develop either the IT or the teaching organization is new and needs time to develop you have a cooperative working relationship or promise of one you have a cooperative working relationship or promise of one either the IT or the teaching organization is new and needs time to develop either the IT or the teaching organization is new and needs time to develop you have a cooperative working relationship or promise of one you have a cooperative working relationship or promise of one

20 But your challenges will be... Coordination Coordination Cooperation Cooperation Collaboration Collaboration Coordination Coordination Cooperation Cooperation Collaboration Collaboration

21 Thumb Rule 1: A hybrid may be your best choice Multiple champions, strengths, centers may exist Multiple champions, strengths, centers may exist Flexible, rapid change will be easier Flexible, rapid change will be easier Even if you choose a Center, the “virtual” happens anyway Even if you choose a Center, the “virtual” happens anyway Centers are “in” and everyone wants a piece Centers are “in” and everyone wants a piece Multiple champions, strengths, centers may exist Multiple champions, strengths, centers may exist Flexible, rapid change will be easier Flexible, rapid change will be easier Even if you choose a Center, the “virtual” happens anyway Even if you choose a Center, the “virtual” happens anyway Centers are “in” and everyone wants a piece Centers are “in” and everyone wants a piece

22 Thumb Rule 2: Whichever model you choose... It will require continual review and tweaking It will require continual review and tweaking It will be imperfect, so build links to all key components It will be imperfect, so build links to all key components It will create new problems, so keep watching and learning It will create new problems, so keep watching and learning A parallel service will emerge, so be ready to partner A parallel service will emerge, so be ready to partner It will require continual review and tweaking It will require continual review and tweaking It will be imperfect, so build links to all key components It will be imperfect, so build links to all key components It will create new problems, so keep watching and learning It will create new problems, so keep watching and learning A parallel service will emerge, so be ready to partner A parallel service will emerge, so be ready to partner

23 Show stoppers Authority-responsibility-credibility of sponsor(s) out of sync Authority-responsibility-credibility of sponsor(s) out of sync Power struggles among key higher- level administrators Power struggles among key higher- level administrators No clear champion No clear champion No clear funding model No clear funding model Authority-responsibility-credibility of sponsor(s) out of sync Authority-responsibility-credibility of sponsor(s) out of sync Power struggles among key higher- level administrators Power struggles among key higher- level administrators No clear champion No clear champion No clear funding model No clear funding model

24 As well as… Fiscal crises and no indication of priorities Fiscal crises and no indication of priorities Faculty strongly against…technology, change, administration, each other Faculty strongly against…technology, change, administration, each other Strong mixed signals about teaching, technology and tenure Strong mixed signals about teaching, technology and tenure Fiscal crises and no indication of priorities Fiscal crises and no indication of priorities Faculty strongly against…technology, change, administration, each other Faculty strongly against…technology, change, administration, each other Strong mixed signals about teaching, technology and tenure Strong mixed signals about teaching, technology and tenure

25 Conclusions Keep purpose aligned with primary teaching goals and active supporters of those goals Keep purpose aligned with primary teaching goals and active supporters of those goals Play to your strengths; build from existing successes Play to your strengths; build from existing successes Create expertise in Teaching with Technology everywhere Create expertise in Teaching with Technology everywhere Think BIG, but start small Think BIG, but start small Keep purpose aligned with primary teaching goals and active supporters of those goals Keep purpose aligned with primary teaching goals and active supporters of those goals Play to your strengths; build from existing successes Play to your strengths; build from existing successes Create expertise in Teaching with Technology everywhere Create expertise in Teaching with Technology everywhere Think BIG, but start small Think BIG, but start small

26 Contact Information Kathy Christoph Kathy Christoph Carrie Regenstein Carrie Regenstein Ruth Sabean Ruth Sabean Kathy Christoph Kathy Christoph Carrie Regenstein Carrie Regenstein Ruth Sabean Ruth Sabean