Mid-South Instructional Technology Conference
Teaching, Learning, & Technology
Transforming the Learning Environment
April 4-6, 2004
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Karen Wentz Steven James, Ed.D. Track 2 - Promoting Transformation in the Learning Environment |
Abstract
Maryville College was awarded a Title III of the Higher Education Act grant in 1999 to incorporate technology into teaching and learning with a project called the Maryville College Instructional Technology Initiative (ITI). Maryville College is a small, private liberal arts institution located in Maryville, Tennessee. In 1999, Maryville College faculty had very few
computing resources, and virtually no integration of technology into the teaching and learning process. The Maryville College ITI provided the means and support for faculty to reconsider teaching and learning effectiveness and explore the role of technology in their courses. As the five-year Maryville College ITI completes its final year, data collected throughout the project reveal strategies that have proven effective in encouraging the use of technology as a pedagogical tool. Successful strategies are identified and discussed along with challenges that have been presented throughout the project.
Description
Prior to 1999, Maryville College had very few computers and related technologies for teaching and learning. The technology that did exist on campus was limited to a small number of personal computers that varied in age and effectiveness, and were rarely utilized in the classroom. In 1999, the US Department of Education awarded Maryville College a five-year grant totaling $1,749,982 to fund the Maryville College Instructional Technology Initiative (ITI). Title III of the Higher Education Act assists eligible institutions of higher education to become self-sufficient by providing funds to improve and strengthen their academic quality, institutional, management, and fiscal stability. This highly competitive program awards about 55 five-year development grants each year. An eligible institution may apply for up to $350,000 per year for five years.
The sole focus of the Maryville College ITI project is to improve academic quality by integrating instructional technology into the teaching and learning process. The ITI project established objectives to be obtained by the completion of the project, and provided for measurement and analysis of project effectiveness year-by-year for the duration of the grant. Goals of the Title III project were to strengthen the faculty, the curriculum and the way teaching and learning are conducted at the college. The objectives of the project included involving all 68 of the full-time faculty members in a faculty development program to develop their technological literacy, and application of the skills and knowledge of instructional technology in the classroom. By fall 2005 when the grant ends, there should be a significant improvement in faculty skills, knowledge and use of instructional technology as measured by an annual survey and other evaluative instruments and observation. In addition, student retention will improve.
The Maryville College ITI annual survey and other evaluative instruments have produced data that identify a number of key components necessary to the success of the project. Among the key components were faculty training and preparation, the Faculty Instructional Technology (FIT) Fellowship program, hardware and software procurement, and technical support. Results from the first four years of the Maryville College Instructional Technology Initiative show that planning and support for teaching and learning with technology can result in substantive changes in institutional effectiveness.