A recently published ebook and this year's expansion of the Faculty Fellowship Program show that faculty, staff, and students embrace the benefits of educational technology and are driven to explore its effective use. Together, we are transforming our practices to take advantage of the opportunities academic technology provides at the University of Minnesota.
Cultivating Change in the Academy: 50+ Stories from the Digital Front Lines at the University of Minnesota is an ebook written by University of Minnesota faculty, staff, and students. This ambitious "crowd-sourced" ebook was written and peer-reviewed in just 10 weeks. The introduction states, "Our hope is to stimulate discussion about what's possible as well as generate new vision and academic technology direction." Read the ebook via the Cultivating Change blog.
Office of Information Technology (OIT) faculty development consultant, Kimerly Wilcox, Ph.D., is one of the ebook's contributing authors. Wilcox co-facilitates the Faculty Fellowship Program (FFP) which is highlighted in the introduction to Cultivating Change. The FFP fosters the exploration and thoughtful application of academic technologies in teaching and learning. The 2011-2012 FFP cohort issued a report, Engaging Faculty as Catalysts for Change calling for a learning revolution.
Demonstrating their work to advance teaching and learning are fifteen current and former Faculty Fellows who also contributed chapters in Cultivating Change:
- Abram Anders
- Melissa Avery
- Lee-Ann Kastman Breuch
- John Bryson
- Linda Buturian
- Christina Clarkson
- Sehoya Cotner
- Michelle Driessen
- Len Ferrington
- David Levinson
- Anne Minenko
- Joe Moses
- Rob Porter
- Amy Prunuske
- Stephen Wiesner
This year's FFP cohort has more than doubled in size compared to last year. One of the goals of the program is for its members to return to their colleges/units and share what they've learned and experienced so that the effects can expand throughout the University. Learn more about OIT faculty development programs.