Institute/Session Summary:

Students, administrators, technological change and the marketplace are challenging faculty approaches to teaching and learning.  Colleges and universities are quickly moving into Distance Education to accommodate the marketplace and remain competitive.  Therefore, instructors are being challenged to adapt to new technology such as interactive television [ITV] in delivering their content. This presentation is designed to familiarize CRLA members who have not had experience with distance learning but may be asked to provide a course via ITV in the future.  The assumption underlying this presentation is that experienced instructors who may be reluctant to try technology may be encouraged by a fellow professional’s beginning experience and so be more willing to move beyond the comfortable confines of the traditional, face-to-face mode of instruction. 

The major differences between face-to-face teaching and teaching via ITV relate to planning, delivery, and logistics; therefore, the objectives of this presentation will focus on these three areas in the context of a first-year experience.  A video of a classroom experience as well as student and instructor testimonials will provide some insight into the classroom environment and student-instructor interaction. The use of technology and the challenges involved in this mode of instruction will be included.  Online resources will be available for review through an Internet connection to the instructor’s web page.  The content of this presentation will cover the preparation of instructors to teach an ITV course, development of a syllabus, instructional design, knowledge of ITV technology necessary to teach, classroom dynamics, modularizing content, using online resources, and assessing learners.  A narrative of the presenter’s experience in preparing for and implementing an ITV reading class for the first time with a video to engage the participants in the actual experience along with a tour through an online  faculty page for student resources, quizzes, and handouts will fill the hour. Question and answer opportunities will also be available at intervals.  A packet containing a list of resources, the syllabus, a teacher guide and student guide will be given to those attending so that participants will have a Beginner’s Pack to jump-start their own experience into distance learning.

The speaker has 20 years experience in teaching developmental reading at a community college. She will be moving into the distance learning environment for the first time this fall using online WebCT and the ITV classroom.  The presenter is a member of a summer institute under Title V at South Plains College with the mission of building connections for student access and success, providing faculty with knowledge and skills to create and test specific instructional interventions and environments in order to increase student access and academic success.  The Title V institute will provide resources and time necessary to develop the ITV course outlined in this presentation.  While teaching during the summer term, the instructor will begin using WebCT for student resources and testing, before making the final transition to an ITV class this fall.

Presenter1 Name: Glenda Shamburger
Presenter1 Institution: South Plains College
Presenter1 Bio: Glenda Shamburger has a been teaching developmental reading at South Plains College for 20 years. She has been attending CRLA conferences for almost as long and looks forward to each year in a new place where she enjoys the exchange of information among the most dedicated professionals and the challenges to keep trying to implement new strategies. This year she has taken on a challenging and formidable assignment in going into the electronic classroom