Janice M. Hinson

Learning to Teach Online: Promoting Success through Professional Development

ABSTRACT The study reported in this paper examined the types of professional-development activities, support systems, and organizational structures necessary for community college faculty to make transitions from traditional teaching to Web-based teaching. Results indicate that (a) instructional change can by initiated through sustained professional development; (b) change is more meaningful and effective when it occurs in context over a sustained period of time; (c) faculty can embrace innovations when supported by knowledgeable professionals and their peers; and (d) students welcome the use of Web-based components in course work. The implications for practice may be useful to those wishing to increase facultys online instructional competence.

Evaluating Instructor Technology Integration in Community and Technical Colleges: A Performance Evaluation Matrix.

The press for implementing technology based instructional delivery systems in community and technical colleges is well documented. Yet faculty face numerous challenges in integrating technology into instruction (AL-Bataineh & Brooks, 2003; Groves & Zemel, 2000; Khoury, 1997). Stimulating faculty ownership in technology, diffusion of technology use throughout institutions, and linking technology use to the faculty reward system are key concerns addressed in this proposed tool for evaluating faculty technology integration performance. The tool is based on research on faculty development (Howery, 1997) and the technology adoption process (Hall, Loucks, Rutherford, & Newlove, 1975). Stimulating development of faculty expertise linked to technology goals is the goal of applying the tool.

When Disaster Strikes, Move Your School Online:

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita displaced thousands of K-12 students and demonstrated that when K-12 schools close unexpectedly and indefinitely, educational chaos results. Events such as deadly flu outbreaks or bioterrorist attacks will have the same impact on education. These possibilities demonstrate the need for state and local officials to begin taking action to ensure that schooling can continue when it is not feasible for students to attend school in person. The development of online learning communities, first to supplement face-to-face instruction and then as a total online replacement, is an uncomplicated and cost effective way to continue schooling without disrupting the learning process. Basically, schools would move online until it was safe to return to school campuses. This article presents a set of guidelines for establishing the infrastructure needed to develop online learning communities and the types of training and support needed to sustain them.

When Push Comes to Shove: A Teacher Gets Sued

In this case, a teacher is sued by a student who claims the teacher injured her while he was breaking up a schoolyard fight. The case provides an opportunity for explaining the legal obligations of schoolteachers to supervise students. It also provides a setting for discussing state indemnification laws that may benefit teachers as well as insurance concerns. The case can be taught in conjunction with standard education law texts.