Winter/Spring
2002
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Winter/Spring
2002
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A new project launched this winter will assist faculty members at independent colleges and universities make more effective use of digital tools in their teaching. The Faculty Development Collaboratives in Technology (FDCT) program will enable independent institutions within that state, working collaboratively through state independent college foundations, to provide workshops, materials, and on-campus technical assistance for faculty members. Five states—Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri, New Jersey, and South Carolina—were recently selected to receive $20,000 grants (awarded to state foundations) to assist in this work. 
Project activities begin in spring 2002 and continue
through the following academic year. The collaborative program is sponsored
by CIC and the Foundation for Independent Higher Education (FIHE), with
funds made available through the FIHE/UPS National Venture Fund Program.
The FDCT program is one of several initiatives in which CIC and FIHE are cooperating under a "Protocol of Collaboration" signed in 2000 by CIC, FIHE, and the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU). Another example is project MERLOT, profiled in last fall’s newsletter. In the FDCT program, five states—Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, and Kansas—had already been involved in a similar project. The success of those collaboratives led FIHE and CIC to undertake the initiative to get more states involved. Based on four years of successful experience in four of those states, CIC and FIHE were able to determine key elements of successful institutional collaboration and to create professional development strategies that can be of use to other states and institutions. CIC President Richard Ekman, in announcing the program, said "A key challenge for small, independent institutions is the difficulty of realizing large returns in learning or in cost-effectiveness resulting from their significant investments in new technology. In addition to bearing the disadvantage of small scale, these institutions often have limited financial resources and insufficient staffing in their information technology and faculty development offices. Rather than expect rapid reversals in financing or staffing small colleges, the FDCT program aims to help independent institutions, working together, address this widespread challenge." For further information, contact Edward Barboni at ebarboni@msn.com. Independent |
