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Connecting 2-Year Faculty Professional Development with Technology and Student Learning Perceptions in Online Environments

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Conference

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

New Orleans, Louisiana

Publication Date

June 26, 2016

Start Date

June 26, 2016

End Date

June 29, 2016

ISBN

978-0-692-68565-5

ISSN

2153-5965

Conference Session

Focus on the Classroom: Innovative Pedagogies

Tagged Division

Two Year College Division

Page Count

16

DOI

10.18260/p.26565

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/26565

Download Count

609

Paper Authors

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Dr. Kris Frady is the Director of Operations for the Clemson University Center for Workforce Development. Additionally, she has earned experience in the corporate sector working with Blackbaud Inc., designing and delivering professional training seminars in online, blended, and live environments. She also has experience in the educational sector in both live and online environments as an adjunct instructor in computer technology for Greenville Technical College and as a Career and Technology Education teacher.

Kris earned a B.S. in Management from Clemson University, a Masters of Arts in Teaching in Business Education from the University of South Carolina, and an Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Educational Technology and online learning from the University of Florida.

Her research interests include implementation of digital learning solutions in technical and vocational education, development of career pathways utilizing stackable certificates, educator professional development in communities of practice, and analysis of economic development and industry factors impacting education and workforce development.

She is a licensed South Carolina Educator and serves on various boards to assist with implementation of workforce development is a statewide model including: the Anderson, Oconee, Pickens Showcase board, the technical college led Partnership for Academic and Career Education, Oconee County Work Ready Community Board of Advisors, and Pickens Career and Technology Center Advisory Board.

In over 10 years in development of educational and training materials Kris has designed and delivered professional development and training courses and seminars for 501-c3 organizations across the United States. Her experience as a professional educator has supported her development of educational resources, knowledge of P-12 and technical college systems and needs, and passion for educating youth. In her role as Director of Operations for the Center for Workforce Development she has guided development and assessment of innovative online educational material and the integration of digital learning and visualization tools. She has been part of a team involved in disseminating those results and models throughout numerous national conferences and peer reviewed conference papers. Finally, as part of an overall team she has worked to develop a system wide support network consisting of all 16 South Carolina technical colleges, state funded organizations, National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education Centers across the United States, P-12 schools and districts across South Carolina, and many manufacturing industry partners to create pathways and resources for supporting advanced manufacturing advocacy and opportunities impacting employability and economic development across the Southeast.

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biography

Rebecca S Hartley Clemson University Center for Workforce Development

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Rebecca Hartley has spent the past seventeen years working in higher education administration in the areas of undergraduate admissions, graduate admissions, academic records, and student affairs. She holds a Ph.D. in Public Administration and Public Policy from Auburn University. Prior to joining the Clemson University Center for Workforce Development as the Director of Pathways, she served as Director of Graduate Admissions & Records at the University of Montevallo in Alabama. Her research interest and expertise focuses on citizen public opinion as it relates to federal and state public policy. Additionally, her research focus includes how outside political interests affect policy agendas and specifically policy implementation.

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Kapil Chalil Madathil Clemson University Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0001-8938-9793

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Dr. Kapil Chalil Madathil’s area of expertise is in applying the knowledge base of human factors engineering to the design and operation of human-computer systems that involve rich interactions among people and technology. His research covers the entire spectrum of system design: from identifying the user needs to designing and developing systems that inform and motivate user behavior and empirically evaluating the efficacy of these interventions. He draws on qualitative and quantitative methodologies including ethnography, contextual inquiry, surveys and controlled behavioral experiments to understand how humans perceive, make sense of, and interact with complex human-machine systems.

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Hope Epps Rivers South Carolina Technical College System

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Hope E. Rivers is the Executive Vice President of the South Carolina Technical College System. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Administration degree from the University of South Carolina (USC). Dr. Rivers is responsible for promoting communication and collaboration between the State Technical College System Office and partnering agencies across the state. She also works closely with the Presidents, the Vice Presidents of Academic and Student Affairs, Deans, and Directors at the 16 technical and community colleges in all areas related to curriculum and instruction, student services, research, and System advocacy. She serves as the primary technical college system liaison to the SC Commission on Higher Education, certification boards, and a diverse group of agencies designed to address the educational and workforce needs in the state. Additionally, Dr. Rivers is the principal administrator and manager of several federal and state grants, which are distributed to the technical and community colleges across the state. Her 20+ years of higher education experience provide a wealth of knowledge to draw from for a host of state-wide initiatives.

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Elaine L. Craft Florence-Darlington Technical College

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Elaine L. Craft (Florence-Darlington Technical College, Florence, SC) holds a baccalaureate degree in chemical engineering from the University of Mississippi and a MBA from the University of South Carolina with additional graduate studies in mathematics. Her experience includes working as an engineer in industry as well as teaching and administration at community college and state levels. She has served as Director of the South Carolina Advanced Technological (SC ATE) Center of Excellence since 1994, leading initiatives and grant-funded projects to develop educational leadership and increase the quantity, quality and diversity of highly skilled technicians to support the American economy. Currently serving as Principal Investigator, Mentor-Connect: Leadership Development and Outreach for ATE; Co-Principal Investigator, SC ATE National Resource Center for Expanding Excellence in Technician Education; and Co-Principal Investigator, ATE Regional Center for Aviation and Automotive Technology Education Using Virtual E-Schools (CA2VES). The SC ATE Center is widely known for developing and broadly sharing successful educational models and practices in technician education, with a particular emphasis on faculty development in problem-based learning, the first year of study for success in engineering and technology majors, and mentoring educators nationally.

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Stephanie Denise Frazier South Carolina Technical College System

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Dr. Stephanie Frazier has been employed since 2007 with the SC Technical College System (SCTCS) and currently serves as the Associate Vice President for Curriculum and Instruction. In this role, she manages activities related to new program development, curriculum management, articulation and transfer, and professional development. She believes strongly in the concept of the scholar practitioner, and works to promote the System through research, grant writing, and case study development. She has led the implementation of several first-time initiatives for the SCTCS, to include a state-wide teaching and learning conference, and a state-level program to support females enrolled in information technology programs. Prior to joining the SCTCS, Dr. Frazier worked for several years with the University of South Carolina TRIO Programs as a counselor and technology coordinator. She also has experience as an instructional designer in the private sector, and as a training and marketing coordinator for SC Educational Television. A proud first-generation college student, she earned a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from the University of South Carolina. Her research interests include mobile learning, faculty development, and women in community college leadership.

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Abstract

Improving professional development and learning opportunities for educators is a significant factor in improving student academic achievement and initiating school change (Darling-Hammond, Wei, Andree, Richardson, & Orphanos, 2009). Taking steps to improve teacher learning is essential and recent studies have identified integration of emerging technologies into teacher professional development as a key component to advancing innovation and achievement in teaching and learning (Little, et al., 2009; Partnership for 21st Century Skills, nd). Research suggests that effective teacher professional development includes connecting professional development to practice while focusing on student learning, building strong relationships and networks with other educators, and utilizing a collaborative and collegial approach (Darling-Hammond, et al., 2009; Servage, 2008). Both teachers and students are increasingly interested in incorporating technologies into the classroom but are sometimes unsure of best practices related to incorporation of these pedagogies. As component of a recent research study conducted by a univeristy workforce development center at a four-year institution (also a regional National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education Center); approximately 170 two-year college students were given a survey to aid in better understanding student perceptions of learning, satisfaction, engagement, usability opinions, and self-efficacy toward computer use when using online learning modules. The study and proposed outcomes of this project are segmented in three separate steps: (1) conducting the research and gathering information from approximately 170 two-year college students from three different technical colleges, (2) analysis of results specifically focusing on outcomes related to student perceptions and developing those findings into a relevant professional development session and toolkit, and (3) conducting the professional development sessions and evaluations. In development and implementation of the professional development sessions, the university workforce development center is partnering with the state technical college system leveraging and building on the prior successes of the existing state technical college system system-level faculty academy which provides a forum for professional development and networking with faculty across the state. Previous participants of this program have completed a hybrid curriculum and project. The program provides a basis for faculty development initiatives at the system level. In these professional development programs the university workforce development center and the state technical college system will co-develop professional development modules focusing on the findings from the student survey, which will emphasize best practices, related to technology integration in two-year technological education classrooms. All modules will focus on faculty-centered strategies that systematically improve the quality of teaching and instructional experiences emphasizing active learning and differential education strategies including nontraditional lecture strategies that support active learning, engage learners, and customize learning.

Frady, K. K., & Hartley, R. S., & Chalil Madathil, K., & Rivers, H. E., & Craft, E. L., & Frazier, S. D. (2016, June), Connecting 2-Year Faculty Professional Development with Technology and Student Learning Perceptions in Online Environments Paper presented at 2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, New Orleans, Louisiana. 10.18260/p.26565

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