Introduction
At the request of Information Technology Leadership Council (ITLC), key administrators and thought leaders across the campuses were asked to identify 3-4 challenges and opportunities facing each campus with respect to teaching and learning. The intent was to not focus so directly on the technologies deployed but, instead, to broaden the conversation and establish lines of communication concerning pedagogical needs.
After an initial analysis done in 2010-11 (see section entitled Initial Year Analysis 2010-11 below), the ETLG is embarking on this effort again for our current academic year.
Through these campus conversations, the ETLG hopes to surface faculty needs, analyze the information gathered across the campuses, and share our results with the ITLC and various stakeholders. Click on the following link for more information on the goals, approach, and timeline of this initiative.
Current Year Analysis
2012 Pedagogical Issues Report
Thought Questions
The following questions may be used to stimulate discussions on your campus (please add others if you wish):
- What are your biggest pedagogical challenges? What are you trying to solve right now?
- Whose problems are we (currently) solving... and are we actually solving them?
- How do we merge technology and pedagogy so that those who know about pedagogy can frame their needs in a way that can be understood by those who know technology?
- What are the processes that have led to the development of classroom design standards and decisions on each of our campuses?
- Has the process included consultation with faculty on how they use classroom spaces, or would like to use them?
- Are there mechanisms in place to gather data on actual classroom usage practices?
- Can that data be incorporated in the planning, specification, and budgeting process for appropriately equipping and maintain classroom spaces?
- How do you distill objectives across multiple section courses? How will we define our learning objectives (with multiple sections / multiple syllabi / different courses taught by different instructors over a number of years ... "syllabus creep")
Responses to date from the UC Campuses
Please list below any ideas you feel should be included in the final report (observed by you, expressed to you by a thought leader on your campus, or emanating from campus discussions referenced above).
- The shift from on-the-ground to online teaching
- The shift from lecture to more active types of instructional design (shift from "instruction" to "learning")
- Aligning course curriculum with instructional design, assessment strategies, and Learning Objectives.
Initial Year Analysis 2010-11
In our inaugural year, the most common grouping of issues reported were:
- Faculty workload
- Insufficient faculty support, and
- Funding to meet faculty instructional technology needs
All of these top-tier concerns stem primarily from a general lack of funding for support for teaching and learning.
After budget/funding issues, the second most pressing issue noted in our pedagogical issues discussion came from senate faculty concerned about the prospects of online courses.
Finally, the following issues are tied in third place and are each listed by five campuses :
- Time to Degree
- Lack of assessment of learning outcomes, and general evaluation
- Lack of rewards to faculty for teaching excellence