Mid-South Instructional Technology Conference
Teaching, Learning, & Technology
The Challenge Continues
March 30-April 1, 2003
Undergraduate Interns and Instructional Technology Support
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By: Vicki Sells |
Abstract
The Instructional Technology Workshop at the University of the South utilizes the talents of undergraduate interns to assist faculty members in the development and implementation of projects utilizing instructional technology. Students are paired with faculty members and work as a team on web and multimedia projects for use in the teaching and learning process.
Description
At the University of the South, many faculty members were interested in incorporating and using digital technologies. Providing the hands-on technical support for the development of these projects was often difficult.
A grant from the Mellon Foundation (1998) provided funding to start the Instructional Technology Workshop (ITW). The initial goal of the ITW (http://itw.sewanee.edu) was to provide a support area for faculty to develop instructional technology projects. Technical resources including hardware and software were made available to faculty. The ITW was affiliated with both the Center for Teaching and Information Technology Services. The Center for Teaching supported the pedagogical nature of project development and ITS provided the technical infrastructure.
In addition, student interns were hired to work with faculty on the development of individual projects. Students were paired with faculty members based on interest and level of experience. Students contributed technical skills to assist faculty in building proposed projects. The most intensive work on projects occurred during the summer and in the time between semesters in January. During the semester, students continued to work with faculty to refine and implement projects.
Examples of successful projects include the creation of a hypertext Wasteland with annotations, background information, and a reading of the poem available online (http://152.97.29.104/sewanee/clarkson/TheWasteLand/) and the development of audible scores for a Music course for learning musical notation that combines the aural experience of music with its visual representation on the computer monitor. (http://itw.sewanee.edu/Music111/)Projects were undertaken in almost all discipline areas including the sciences and humanities.
The outcome of this model of providing faculty support has been successful. It has provided much needed personal assistance to faculty and additionally, has provided invaluable experience for students interested in computer programming, web development, and graphic arts. Many students worked at the ITW for several years and over time developed a sophisticated set of skills that proved very useful and marketable while at the same time providing a level of technical support for faculty that would have been difficult or impossible using only regular staff. An added benefit to students was the opportunity to work closely with a faculty member on a project and to learn first-hand about working as a team. Additionally, faculty members learned technical skills from students over the course of time, enabling them to become more adept and less dependent on intensive technical assistance.
Two of the ITW interns worked as full-time ITW staff for a year after graduation. In the role of project coordinator, these students were able to bring a unique perspective to technical support for faculty. They understood the technical needs of faculty and the developmental process of the student interns.
The ITW continues to be an important part of educational technology at the University of the South. In times of dwindling budgetary resources, this model of pairing faculty and students is particularly important. It not only provides necessary resources for faculty, invaluable experience for students, but also optimal utilization of limited resources.
In this presentation, the director of the Instructional Technology Workshop and the Project Coordinator (a former student intern and University of the South graduate) will discuss the development and evolution of student-faculty working relationships in the ITW.