The mission of Technology Mediated Instruction (TMI) is to encourage the appropriate use of educational technology by faculty, both within the classroom and in distance learning modalities, to promote student success and enhance access in accordance with the college’s mission and values.
TMI supports all the District’s instructional programs in the use of the Learning Management System (LMS). This includes enhancing traditional courses with online resources, as well as distance learning through online courses. TMI is a vital component in the student learning process in its efforts to increase the number and quality of distance learning offerings and the use of technology in and beyond the classroom. TMI provides comprehensive faculty training in online course development and works closely with the Distance Learning Committee to ensure quality in online course offerings. TMI also encourages peer mentoring among faculty, and holds annual campus events focused on the sharing of best practices in the use of educational technologies. TMI offers support to faculty and administration, and specifically the Distance Learning Committee and Academic Technology Committee, in helping to promote "best practices" for students success. TMI implements its program through giving dozens of campus workshops geared toward helping participants not only understand the use of the campus LMS, but also guide them in choosing the appropriate tool for student success. Workshops for students were also implemented. In addition, TMI staff have spent hundreds of hours in consultations with faculty/developers to ensure that the use of the LMS in classrooms as well as online meet Butte College, state and Federal standards. Supplementing one-on-one consultations, the annual full-day TMI Symposium (August) and Community Exchange (January), with faculty presenters and updates on the campus LMS, help users develop community in a shared, collaborative environment. During 2015, TMI was focused on implementing and evaluating a limited pilot of the Canvas LMS, as part of the Online Education Initiative. Much of the Fall semester of 2015 was focused on providing demonstrations and rationale for stakeholders involved in the decision to adopt Canvas, and to discontinue use of the Blackboard LMS. With a successful adoption of Canvas on the horizon (June, 2016) TMI remains very busy with retooling faculty training, and creating options for participants to be trained in the online environment.
Respondus - Required Software
Respondus was used by 60+ faculty in 2015-16 to both create and import assessments from various authoring platforms and then to publish into the Blackboard LMS. We anticipate increased usage of this product as we adopt the Canvas LMS.
Stipends for Online Course Development
The stipends were used for ADOC (Academy for the Development of Online Courses), which produced five new online courses, all of which have been approved by the Distance Learning Committee.
TMI primarily supports faculty and their effective use of technology in teaching, and does not directly affect Student Learning Outcomes. However, TMI staff work with faculty to improve their instructional content and design, including effective methods of meeting SLOs.
Beginning in Summer 2015, TMI will be assisting faculty in the use of the Outcomes tool in the LMS (Canvas), which provides clear alignment between course activities and individual outcomes, as well as comprehensive reporting.
While TMI is not directly involved with student achievement standards, a primary department function is providing assistance to faculty in the design and development of effective and appropriate online content for both fully online and face-to-face classes. Class materials that are well designed and easy to navigate provide an overall benefit students, and increase their chances of success and attaining their degree and certificate goals.
TMI activities and responsibilities align with the following Strategic Direction and Priorities:
By guiding faculty in the most effective use of the learning management system (LMS), TMI encourages the use of technology, both in the classroom and online, to improve student access to course content, supplemental materials and resources, as well as grades and progress tracking. (1f)
TMI is continually exploring and evaluating new technology tools and services that can improve both teaching and learning, including methods of delivery, assessment and communication. (1f)
Use of the LMS provides highly effective ways for faculty to supply course content to students outside the classroom, making it available from any desktop computer or mobile device, thus improving student access and accountability. (2a)
By encouraging faculty to make their syllabus, course content and assessments available online, TMI supports the effort to reduce printing and paper use. The model of sustainability is often used to educate faculty about the benefits of increasing their use of the LMS. (5b)
TMI conducts an annual unit plan which serves as its Program Review.
- Successfully transition learning management system from Blackboard Learn to Canvas. This includes:
- coordination with IT staff on the development of technical processes
- provide training to all faculty in the use of Canvas
- provide training and assistance to faculty for the process of moving course content from Bb to Canvas
- participate in professional development activities that support LMS administration and training
- Develop and deliver all LMS training content as self-paced fully online modules.
- Investigate and implement supplemental LMS tools, such as badging, SLO reporting, web conferencing, publisher integrations, student e-portfolios, and others
- Increase use of Skyway Center (SC 102) for faculty training and consultation.
Strategy 1 - Update & Maintain LMS Training for Faculty
Continue to refine the existing suite of traditional and online faculty training sessions, in order to respond to the needs of faculty in the usage of the District's Learning Management System, Canvas.
Properly trained faculty can best use the school's Learning Management System to ensure course content delivery that encourages student success.
Strategy 2 - Support the use of online course design rubric and standards
Continue to collaborate with the Distance Learning Committee in encouraging the District's online course design rubric and standards (used to review online and hybrid courses) as faculty/designers are now responsible for showing evidence that each criterion has been satisfied.
Documentation of online course reviews will align with the "culture of evidence" mandated by accrediting standards and will encourage faculty/designers to become more actively involved in the review process from start to finish.
Strategy 3 - Evaluation of New Educational Technologies
TMI will continue to facilitate reviews of new educational technologies by collaborating with the Academic Technology Committee, and other groups, to set up campus demonstrations and initiate campus-wide discussions.
This strategy helps implement decision-making regarding the review, consideration, and adoption of new technologies, and helps ensure a consistent, campus-wide response involving all relevant stakeholders; ultimately students benefit.
Strategy 4 - Administration of the Learning Management System
TMI will continue to collaborate with IT to ensure ongoing functionality and access to the Learning Management System, as well as the implementation of external tools and integrations (LTI).
A collaborative work environment between TMI, IT, the Office of Student Learning, and other campus entities, will help the campus address issues in a timely fashion that may affect student access and even the working conditions of those charged with ensuring access.
Strategy 5 - Pursue Professional Development Opportunities
TMI staff will continue to pursue opportunities for professional development, including conference attendance and memberships in professional organizations, in the area of educational technology.
TMI staff need to stay abreast of changing industry trends to continue the support of faculty use of these technologies.
N/A
N/A
| Original Priority | Program, Unit, Area | Resource Type | Account Number | Object Code | One Time Augment | Ongoing Augment |
| Description | Supporting Rationale | Potential Alternative Funding Sources | Prioritization Criteria | |||
| 1 | TMI | Equipment | $44,500.00 | $0.00 | ||
| Employee Training Lab Upgrade (LB 216) | The primary use of the LB 216 lab is by employees. Technology Mediated Instruction (TMI) holds workshops year-round in the use of the District’s LMS. The lab is also used by Professional Development and Information Technology Support & Services. This lab is the only dedicated space for training staff and faculty, and has not had any updates (hardware or otherwise) in over seven years. Please refer to the 'Employee Training Lab Justification and Cost Estimate Breakdown' document for background and project details (this document has been provided to IT leadership, Professional Development leadership and Dean Luozhu Cen). |
|
|
|||
| 2 | TMI | Personnel | $0.00 | $80,740.00 | ||
| Instructional Technology Specialist. | Faculty use of the learning management has increased 400% since TMI staff were initially hired. Both student and faculty demand for use of the learning management system is continually on the rise. Additional staff will help meet the increasing demand of TMI services. |
|
|
|||
| 3 | TMI | Operating Expenses | $0.00 | $5,000.00 | ||
| Learning Management System administration training | With a change in the District's learning management system from Blackboard to Canvas, it is essential that TMI staff are properly equipped to administer the LMS and model use of the system to faculty in an optimal fashion. This also serves to prepare TMI to adequately provide migration strategies for faculty. This is the single largest shift for the District in terms of educational technology and adoption strategies in the past twelve years. Additionally, TMI staff need to stay abreast of changing industry trends and methodologies to continue the support of faculty in their use of educational technologies. |
|
|
|||
| 4 | TMI | Operating Expenses | $0.00 | $2,100.00 | ||
| Respondus Software (site license) | This would provide continuity of service for the use of the assessment authoring platform, used in conjunction with Canvas to provide efficient import and export of question databases and assessments. TMI projects an ongoing need for this software license. |
|
|
|||
| 5 | TMI | Operating Expenses | $25,000.00 | $0.00 | ||
| TurnItIn (site license) | TurnItIn provides plagiarism-prevention and academic integrity software for use by all academic disciplines via the learning management system. This need arises from a feature loss in the move from Blackboard Learn to Canvas. |
|
|
|||
| 6 | TMI | Operating Expenses | $5,500.00 | $0.00 | ||
| SoftChalk (site license) | A site license provides for unlimited use by online and face-to-face instructors to deliver content to students, and there is a provision to create SoftChalk lessons that connect with the LMS grade book for up to 2500 students (which would cover most of our online enrollment). The site license also includes training. |
|
|
|||
| 7 | TMI | Equipment | $3,405.00 | $0.00 | ||
| Office Equipment | Replacement of five year-old desktop computer with portable laptop, to accommodate increased mobility at multiple locations (Employee Training Lab, CHC, SC, GCC); external display for Main Campus office use. |
|
|
|||