Jennifer M. Brill

Perils and promises: University instructors’ integration of technology in classroom-based practices

Modern technologies such as the Internet present new opportunities for teaching and learning at all educational levels. Today, many universities strive to integrate appropriate technologies into campus classrooms. Despite sizeable investments in hardware, software and supporting infrastructures, little is known about implementation. The purpose of this study was to examine college-level instructors’ use of and attitudes towards classroom-based teaching technologies. The methodological design relied on qualitative measures through the use of two data collection methods, survey and interview. The research site was a large, public university in the United States. Findings revealed trends in current and future technology use, the positive influence of technology on teaching and learning, and significant barriers to technology use that resulted in practical recommendations for leveraging available resources towards the support of classroom-based technologies. This study not only advances the knowledge base regarding the use of classroom-based technologies in higher education but also serves as a practical resource for guiding future instructional technology practices on college campuses.

Navigating the Lonely Sea: Peer Mentoring and Collaboration among Aspiring Women Scholars.

A group of pre‐tenured female faculty members is shown to advance from professionally isolated individuals to a collaborative group of writers through the peer mentoring process. The autoethnographically based approach to the analysis of self‐narratives exploring this transformation revealed experiential, emotional and developmental commonalities that guided the womens navigation of the tenure track at a large public research university via understanding of self, others and the environment. In contrast, the womens prior experiences with the traditional dyadic approach to mentoring resulted in feelings of isolation, professional self‐doubt and questioning of purpose. The researchers suggest that peer mentoring among female faculty in a higher education context offers an effective mentoring approach toward supporting women in forging scholarly identity.