Community College Pathways
to Improved Teacher
Preparation Through Technology
(Pathways)
The Community College
Pathways to Improved Teacher Preparation Through Technology
(Pathways) project adapts a proven set of P-12
training materials and internet-based curricula for use in
math, science, language arts, and educational technology in
community college courses taken by pre-service teachers.
Pathways will create an online library of technology-based
learning objects to promote constructivist learning in the
community colleges. Faculty from thirty community colleges
will participate in a face-to-face/online training and
development program and will be supported by mentors in an
online learning community to promote institutionalization.
The
first phase of Pathways resulted in the development of
a 26-hour blended professional development program, Savvy
Cyber Professor, for community college faculty who teach math,
science, language arts, or educational technology to students
planning to go into teaching. Through online and face-to-face
instruction, faculty participating in the Savvy Cyber
Professor program learn to use unique and compelling
internet-based applications that promote effective teaching
and improved learning.
Another product of the first phase was the development of an
internet-based library of Real World Learning Objects (RWLOs)
for use in the four mentioned disciplines.
The second
phase of the Pathways Project focuses on training teams
of four faculty from 12 additional community colleges in Savvy
Cyber Professor who will, as part of the process, develop
additional RWLOs in their discipline areas. The third phase will
expand Savvy Cyber Professor training and RWLO development to
faculty teams from 18 additional community colleges. It is
for the second and third phases that we are inviting League
Member Colleges to join the Pathways Project.
Join
the Pathways Project!
The League for Innovation in
the Community College and Stevens Institute of Technology
invite your college to join this dynamic collaboration
involving community colleges across the country in what
promises to be a rewarding and worthwhile endeavor.
Pathways will provide your faculty with online and
face-to-face instruction for using internet-based resources
designed to improve student engagement, while also modeling
best practices. We encourage your college to take advantage
of this unique opportunity by filling out and returning the
application by June 15, 2005.
What are
the benefits to institutions that join the Pathways
Project?
Faculty
teams participating in the training will learn to develop and
use unique and compelling internet-based tools that promote
critical thinking and effective learning for students. These
teams will be well prepared to share content and strategies from
the Savvy Cyber Professor course with additional faculty at each
participating college.
Faculty at
participating colleges will have membership in an online
community of community college faculty that supports the
development, integration, and implementation of RWLOs.
Students
at participating colleges will learn in the same ways they will
be expected to teach, using the full power of internet
technology to bring relevant, pertinent, dynamic, and real-world
data into the learning environment.
What
commitments must institutions make to join the Pathways
Project?
The first
seven hours of training will occur at the League's
Conference on Information
Technology in Dallas, Texas on October 22, 2005. Partner
Institutions will be expected to send a team of four faculty for
this training and to support their completion of the remaining
19 hours, which include
-
15 hours
of online, asynchronous training;
-
3-hour
hands-on working session in a computer lab at each
institution; and
-
1-hour
final showcase event to share RWLOs with 30 faculty and
leadership at each institution.
Participating colleges will be expected to provide opportunities
for their faculty team to share unique and compelling uses of
internet technology in teaching and to demonstrate the use of
the online RWLO Library to other faculty at their institution
who teach classes required for education majors.
The cost
of each institution's participation in the Savvy Cyber Professor
professional development program is being largely subsidized by
the U.S. Department of Education through this PT3 grant. The
only cost to participating institutions is the cost for the
faculty team to travel to the League's conference to attend the
first face-to-face session.
How
can institutions apply to join the Pathways Project?
Complete
and mail the
application by June 15, 2005 to
Pathways
Project
League for Innovation in the Community College
4505 E. Chandler Boulevard, Suite 250
Phoenix, AZ 85048
ATTN: Ed Leach
What
is the time frame for this phase of the Pathways Project
commitment?
-
6/15/05 Applications
submitted
-
7/15/05 Applications
reviewed and 12 Phase 2 institutions notified
-
10/22/05 Faculty teams
participate in first seven hours of Savvy Cyber Professor at
League's CIT (October 22, 2005, Dallas, Texas)
-
1/31/06 Faculty teams complete Savvy Cyber Professor and
submit RWLOs for review
-
3/31/06 RWLO review complete and RWLOs added to internet-based
library
If the
time frame for this round of training is not convenient and you
would like faculty from your institution to participate in a
future training event, please complete Parts I and II of the
application. You will be contacted at a later date to
complete a full application.
For additional information contact:
Beth McGrath, Director
Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education
(CIESE)
Stevens Institute of Technology
Castle on the Hudson
Hoboken, NJ 07030
(201) 216-5037
bmcgrath@stevens.edu
or
Edward J. Leach
Vice President, Services and Programs
League for Innovation in the Community College
4505 East Chandler Boulevard, Suite 250
Phoenix, Arizona 85048-7690
(480) 705-8200 x233
leach@league.org
Also of interest:
Alliance +: A Model
Internet-in-Education Teacher Training Program
http://www.league.org/league/projects/alliance+.htm
