Supporting Innovative Practice: Discovery and Decision-Making from Faculty Surveys

Those who support faculty and instructional technologies often find themselves at the whim of a small set of vocal faculty who are technology-focused, rather than improving online teaching practice and how faculty use technologies in general. In addition, faculty who teach online often find and use technologies that not supported by the institution, yet represent it as such through their teaching practice. Surveying faculty can provide a broader base for decision-making and opportunities for support, assuming good response rate and informative data. This session aims to invite participants to share what they have learned about supporting institutional innovation in teaching and technology use, including surveying faculty regarding teaching practice and use of instructional technologies.

The conversation will focus on the following key areas:

• Common issues in supporting faculty who teach online
• Identifying when actions need to be taken and where additional input is needed
• When a survey is appropriate; what information it can provide
• Taking action – considerations and constraints
• Innovative practices and lessons learned

Questions for Discussion:

1. Brainstorm: Identify and share a common issue related to supporting faculty who teach online.
2. How do you discover what and how online faculty are practicing, beyond anecdotal evidence?
3. How do you encourage faculty to be innovative in practice, yet keep them supported (especially when resources are limited)?
4. What can survey data provide?
   1. Verification/Confirmation of issues
   2. Potential solutions/avenues
   3. Data to support services or technology investment
5. Summary: Describe your “a-ha” moments when surveying faculty and gathering information to provide and improve support for online teaching and technologies.