Meeting Notes

Bob Henshaw
Vicki Kowlowitz
Wallace McClendon
Tim McMillan
Melissa Meeks

Call to Order
Welcome and Introductions

Announcements

• Jim Noblitt will sit in on IT Directors meeting this week, will share results with FITAC.
• The December 15 FITAC meeting is canceled. FITAC members will be polled soon about a day and time for next semester's meetings that best accommodate schedules.
• Jim asked about the status of Internet II. Joel Dunn has presented to FITAC on this topic before, and would be happy to do so again.

Professional Development / Curricular Innovation Options (Bob Henshaw, CIT)

In the wake of the discontinuation of the UNC/IBM Curricular Innovation Grants, representatives from CIT, CTL, the Libraries, OASIS and others have been discussing alternative strategies to build on the CCI and other institutional technology infrastructure investments. A preliminary summary of options for professional development and curricular innovation initiatives was presented.

Discussion:

• Workshop participation offers faculty something tangible they can point to during tenure/promotion consideration, assuming it is valued within the department.
• Harvard is supporting a program that offers faculty a "SWAT Team" approach to implementing technology-enabled solutions. The key is offering technology as a solution to a problem the faculty member needs solved. Others welcomed this idea, saying they spend too much time trying to get technical solutions implemented. Could build on the concept of the In-kind Grants Program listed in the summary.
• Faculty are interested in technical solutions that facilitate their course administration tasks, but that's usually not the foundation for significant curricular innovation.
• Recent article by Carol Twigg in Educause Review highlights results of the Pew Course Redesign Program. The program funded a number of hybrid course design models, most often building on successful courses with technology-enabled techniques for more active learning, immediate feedback and accommodation of different learning styles.
• UNC TLT Collaborative may also be funding some course redesign projects with a focus on large classes.
• Any initiative that requires a significant portion of faculty time must be funded to compensate them for that time.
• At a research institution, faculty members are rewarded by getting time away from teaching.
• Before we try to "automate" core courses, keep in mind that the introductory courses are among those that faculty most enjoy teaching.
• Focusing professional development efforts on graduate students may be appropriate. Graduate instructors are often effective change agents within a department, but this approach alone falls short because they ultimately leave.
• We need to continue to strike a proper balance between departmental and central solutions.
• There is no single solution. May also want to do a more formal assessment of what faculty members want via surveys or focus groups.
• Any new initiatives undertaken should include a strategic marketing plan.

Future Agenda Items

Jim asks that FITAC members consider three campus technology issues most important to them and share them with him in the coming weeks. This will serve as the basis for next semester's agenda, the proposed white paper, etc.

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Agenda: TBA