Although the University is integrating new technology in manyclassrooms, many faculty members are struggling with using it.
The Centers for Excellence in Learning and Teaching sponsorsworkshops teaching faculty how to use technology in classrooms, butmany teachers are unaware of them.
Christopher Kenny, a political science professor, said he didnot know of any technological workshops for faculty.
Kenny said he likes having the new technology in classrooms, butthe University does not make it easy for faculty to learn how touse it.
Joe Hutchinson, executive director of CELT, said the centerholds workshops at the beginning of the semester to be mostbeneficial for faculty.
Hutchinson said the problem is not that instruction isunavailable, but that faculty are unaware of it.
Kenny, who teaches in the technologically – renovatedDodson Auditorium, said the University can do better than what theycurrently are doing. He said maybe a technician could sit in withfaculty for the first week of the semester to help faculty membersuse the technology.
Will Hennegan, a computer science senior and co-director forinformation technology for Student Government, agreed with Kenny.He said a technician sitting in on classes may help teachers withtheir technological problems. He said he does not think it shouldtake long for teachers to learn how to use and implement the newtechnology because the technology is not very complicated.
Hutchinson said CELT employees will respond to all facultymembers needing technological support. He said there is contactinformation in each classroom, and faculty are encouraged to callCELT if they need assistance, and technicians are available forone-on-one instruction.
Kenny said there is a hotline faculty members can call fromDodson if they are having technical problems, which he has usedbefore.
Contrary to Kenny, Kaye Trammell, a mass communication assistantprofessor, has had better experiences with technology in theclassrooms. Trammell said the Manship School of Mass Communicationheld a training session for faculty teaching in the newly renovatedJournalism Building, which has new technology in it.
Trammell said she knows CELT provides faculty with basicinstructions on how to use multimedia in the classroom, but she didnot know CELT held workshops teaching the use of the hardwareitself.
Although she only has had experience in the Manship School ofMass Communication, Trammell said the mass communicationtechnological staff is extremely supportive and always there tohelp her.
Since the University has many faculty members, some who havefinished school a long time ago and others who have only recentlyfinished, Trammel said there are naturally going to be variouslevels of comfort and knowledge of use with technology.
Trammell said she thinks technology can be used better byfaculty if they ask their peers how they use technology in theirclassroom, and then ask technicians to help them integrate the newideas.
Once the Mobile Computing Initiative, a program to make thecampus more technologically innovative, is fully implemented,Hennegan said he thinks more faculty will be eager to learn how touse the new technology, which may prompt the University to holdmore technology workshops.
But according to some students, faculty members’unfamiliarity with the technology may be affecting instruction.
Katie Slider, a communication disorders junior, said herprofessors’ lack of skill using technology has inhibited herlearning. She said sometimes her professor cannot properly use thetechnology she needs for the class, which affects the notes shestudies from.
Greta Gremillion, a sociology sophomore, said professors who usetechnology in class make learning more visually stimulating, whichhelps her learn. She said in one of her classes, every day herprofessor has to call in a technician to help her, which hurts thelesson plan because it takes up class time.
Gremillion suggested maybe all faculty should take a class tolearn how to properly use technology.