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Faculty Try The Next Thing

It’s very easy in today’s busy world to stick with what’s worked in the past while leaving new or innovative opportunities for tomorrow or the next semester (when you’ll surely have more time). The Office of eLearning offered a new faculty development program called “The Next Thing” during the spring semester aimed at helping with this problem.

The goal of the program was simple: Create a fun and open environment for faculty to try something new in their use of educational technology. Faculty were given the space, time, feedback, and resources to implement a new technology that they could be excited about in a class they were currently teaching or were preparing for in a future semester. Each faculty member chose their “thing” based upon their needs and comfort level.  

Twelve faculty from different disciplines participated in The Next Thing. They were asked to:

1. Attend an initial meeting for eLearning staff to demonstrate new features, show examples, and answer questions.

  • 2. Try something new in one of their Isidore sites over a six-week period. Participants could request assistance, if needed.
  • 3. Attend a second meeting to share their successes and lessons learned with the group.

 

Some of the participants’ achievements included:

  • Administering an online exam
  • Taking attendance online
  • Adopting the Isidore gradebook to record student grades
  • Recording lecture videos
  • Improving the layout and appearance of course materials

The low-stress and collegial environment created a great opportunity for faculty to share ideas, learn from each other, and try something new; it also didn’t hurt that beer, wine, and snacks were available during the sessions. Faculty learned not only from their experience but also from seeing the innovations that others pursued. Many participants commented how insightful and motivating it was to see what their colleagues were doing in their classes.

The Next Thing program will be offered again during the fall  semester. Stay tuned for an email invitation or reach out to the Office of eLearning (elearning@udayton.edu) if you’d like more information.

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