Consortial models allow for consistent messaging, such as this collaboratively-produced guide to teaching at the University of Missouri.
One of the most important issues facing technology service providers in a decentralized environment is the challenge of providing consistently impactful services over time. One negative customer service experience can have a longstanding deleterious effect on faculty buy-in. Three ways to improve the faculty experience over time might include: a consortial support model, split-FTE educational technology staff, and/or faculty-driven learning communities.
Consortial Support
The various teaching and learning support units at the University of Missouri have come together to provide TLC @ Mizzou; a collaborative network of service providers that collaborate to serve faculty needs. The nine units involve coordinate services through a shared committee, the Teaching and Learning Council; their consortial web site collects essential information for the University of Missouri’s instructional staff in a single location. The site also highlights faculty innovation and teaching awards.
The faculty classroom experience is at the core of this U. of South Carolina faculty group.
Split-FTE Ed Tech Staff
A number of decentralized institutions hire their educational technology staff through a central unit, then divide that FTE between local support and central services. This structure allows for personalized, specialized support at the school or college or even departmental level, while ensuring that educational technology staff have access to professional development and a comprehensive understanding of the university’s available resources. The result is not only improved staff morale, but more consistent service university-wide. One longstanding example of this model include Stanford’s Academic Technology Specialist Program, which places technologists within individual colleges or academic departments as those units see a need, but whose work remains overseen by the university’s Academic Computing Services division.
Faculty-Driven Learning Communities
Several institutions provide funds and meeting space for faculty groups interested in teaching and technology. The most successful iterations of this idea are entirely peer-driven, as faculty needs and interests should dominate the conversation in order to promote continued participation. Two excellent examples include the FLIP: Focus on Learning, Innovation and Pedagogy Group at the University of South Carolina, and the Commission on College Teaching at the Oregon Institute of Technology. Both of these examples are led by local faculty; the OIT initiative provides grant funding in addition to peer learning.
