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Tuesday, 13 July 2004: 9:30 AM-10:30 AM | |||
Asia 5 (Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel) | |||
A-1: A Comparison of Approaches to Professional Development for using WebCT | |||
| Detailed Description: | Australia’s Deakin and Monash Universities are both multi-campus institutions with a long history in DE, and which have central units providing APD for teaching online. Both units have used workshops and printed documentation, and some online resources. Management directives at the two institutions have differed, leading to differences in training programs, despite common objectives of the training staff. This paper will discuss the programs at each institution and address some of the challenges and issues. | ||
| Presentation Format: | Paper | ||
| Topic: | Empowering educators: Professional development models and methods | ||
| Target Audience: | Course Designers, Faculty and Other Instructors, Senior Administrators, E-learning Managers | ||
| Appropriate Audience Level: | Beginning or new users of WebCT, Experienced WebCT users | ||
| Abstract Text: | Australia’s Deakin and Monash Universities are both large multi-campus institutions with a strong history in distance education, and which have central units providing staff development for teaching online. Both the Teaching and Learning Support Unit (TLSU) at Deakin and the Higher Education Development Unit (HEDU) at Monash are responsible for providing professional development programs for faculty, including training in the use of WebCT. The TLSU staff at Deakin provides educational design advice, professional development, educational evaluation services and supports Faculty and students in the use of online technologies, including WebCT Vista. The group consists of academic educational designers (Lecturers and Senior Lecturers) and education developers who are general staff (non-academic appointments). The education developers have primary responsibility for WebCT Vista training and support. At HEDU, primary responsibility for WebCT training lies with academic staff (Lecturers and Senior Lecturers). These staff conduct face-to-face training as well as provide ongoing support for faculty, and liaise with Educational Designers and Multimedia Developers from other units to present a united support for promoting quality online teaching. Both units have relied on a combination of face-to-face workshops with supplementary printed documentation, and are currently planning associated online resources. Directives from senior management at the two institutions have differed widely, leading to vast differences in the implementation of training programs, despite common objectives of the training staff themselves. This paper will discuss the WebCT staff development programs at each institution and address the implications of the two approaches and some of the challenges and issues that have arisen. | ||
| Session Leader: | Debbi Weaver Higher Education Development Unit (HEDU) | ||
| Co-Presenter: | Alice King Teaching and Learning Support Unit | ||
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