SA2

=Faculty FAQ on Course Design= S.A.

//Abstract//
This is a faculty generated FAQ centered on a course design workshop. It's aims are to facilitate collaboration, co-construction of a body of knowledge and experience about the course redesign process, and to participate in a community of practice.

//Learners & Context//
Faculty in a four day workshop on course redesign on blended learning. They'll have an overview of blended learning in terms of how it can change the ways they teach. They'll also have exposure and hands on experience with the tools and pedagogies needed to do that. Then they'll have one on one consultations with instructional designers, followed by an introduction to participating in a [|faculty learning community] throughout the rest of the year.

//Learning Goals//
Collaborate with peers. Co-construct a body of knowledge and experience about the course redesign process. Participate in a community of practice.

//Required Resources//
Using wikispaces, a tech/ITS person will set up a framework for participants, much like this site. Wikispaces is user friendly enough, they shouldn't need any other job aids. What kinds of learning resources, online and off- will you need?

//Tools and Models//
The FAQ's model will drive this project. It's simple and wikispaces as a tool is simple too.

//Process//
During the 3rd or 4th day of the four day workshop after participants have learned and explored, asked questions and talked with consultants; they'll be pointed to the FAQ wiki through the Blackboard site we'll be using. It will already contain a few example questions and answers for modeling formulating questions. During a 20-25 minute hands on session they'll be given a brief explanation of it's purpose and benefit. These will also be written on the entry page of the wiki.

//Rationale//
Modeling is very useful for faculty; they have the experience of using and seeing the use of a tool they may have heard of but are unfamiliar with. Collaboration and communities of practice are not indigenous to academia, yet the talk around town is that it'd be nice if they were. We begin face to face in the workshop, an anchor for exploring an online community.

//Motivation//
Relevance, Technical Confidence, Interdependence. Relevance should be established as faculty, instructional staff and "experts" add questions and answers. Technical confidence should be established fairly quickly because Wikispaces is easy to use, easier in fact than other wikis. As participants post, they will come to rely on contributions as a knowledge sources.

//Evaluation//
The number and quality of posts might be one criteria. Another would be end of workshop feedback about the wiki experience in terms of relevance, technical confidence, interdependence among other variables.

//Reflection//
Design that motivates is always a challenge. I think simplicity and the simplicity of wikispaces is this project's strength. Having worked with faculty for a couple of years has proven useful, however the hurdles, like motivation, are structural and can't be addressed in this iteration. Ideally, we'd pilot this this year, collecting some data to work from for next year. In the larger picture it'd be useful to understand faculty motivation and utlilize it somehow. While the RPT process is out of reach, perhaps we could design our own reward and recognition scheme, some kind of gold star that's admired by all. Perhaps creating a "Provost's toast," a bottle of champagne, with the Provost's own label, that is awarded at one of her lunches on learning. I'm skeptical though of the efficacy of extrinsic motivators beyond mere acknowledgements. Or something from the President, a certificate. Another idea might be a system where someone's awarded "Most ......." It would entail other extraordinary effort and be tied to monetary reward.