|
|
A new program is being rolled out to help faculty use the new teaching resources in the building as well as conduct valuable educational research.
The program, called the UNMC Instructional Technology Scholars Program, will accommodate selected faculty members in exploring the new and enhanced technological aspects of the Sorrell Center to see how they may best be used to teach students.
“With the opening of the Sorrell Center, faculty will have at their disposal new and enhanced teaching modalities,” said Thomas Birk, Ph.D., senior educational designer with UNMC’s Information Technology Services and the program’s director. “One of the aims of the program is to identify faculty who would be willing to explore these technologies and see how they can best be applied in teaching.”
The program will be officially introduced Thursday at the Teaching, Learning and Technology Roundtable (TLTR) seminar, which is at noon in the Eppley Science Hall Amphitheater. Application materials will be available at the meeting or by contacting Dr. Birk at the faculty development office at 559-2105.
The Sorrell Center opening provides an ideal opportunity for scholars to research methods of using new teaching technology and reporting what works, what doesn’t and why, said Karen Honeycutt, an assistant professor in the School of Allied Health Professions who is co-chair of the TLTR and on the 14-member advisory board that will oversee the instructional scholars program.
Scholars will be encouraged to publish their findings in related journals, she said.
“Just as in basic science research, we will test methods and theories in ways that stand to improve teaching at UNMC and elsewhere,” Honeycutt said. “It’s only natural that we should publicize what we find so as to help others become more efficient in applying new technology to teaching.”
Interested faculty must apply for participation in the program. As many as eight faculty members will be chosen — as early as this summer — to participate as scholars in the program, which will run for about two years.
Scholars will receive up to $5,000 to conduct their work with half of the funding coming from the program and the other half coming from the college the scholar works in.
Scholars will be required to attend all TLTRs and will be encouraged to attend other similar programs at UNMC and other campuses in the region. They will research and test ways to use the new teaching resources and then report their findings using quantitative data.
“The goal is to develop a network of scholars who are well-versed in education theory and also able to effectively include this new technology into teaching methods,” Honeycutt said. “These scholars will then assist other faculty members in effectively applying the new technology to their teaching.”