NCATE/BOT Institutional Report

Previous | Index

Standard 6: Unit Governance and Resources

Element 1: Unit Leadership and Authority

The Twin Cities campus of the University of Minnesota is the largest of the four campuses that make up the University system. This system is governed by a Board of Regents whose 12 members are elected by the state legislature. The president of the University (approved by the Regents) and the chief operating officers head the Twin Cities campus and also serve as system-wide administrators. Three senior vice presidents along with six vice presidents oversee the University’s programs with the senior vice president for academic affairs and provost having the most direct oversight responsibilities relative to the college. Other key higher level University administrators are the vice provost for research and academic affairs; the assistant vice provost for student affairs; the vice provost for undergraduate education, academic affairs; and the vice provost for distributed education and instructional technology. The dean of the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) meets regularly with the provost on an individual basis, and along with the deans of the 20 other colleges on the Twin Cities campus meets monthly to discuss issues of strategic planning, policy and procedures, programmatic development, budgetary and other issues relative to University and college governance. Associate deans also meet on a regular basis with other University-wide councils including the Council of Undergraduate Deans, the Council of Graduate and Professional School Deans, and the Council of Research Associate Deans to advise central administration on college developments in their respective areas and update their representative programs on recent all-University developments.

The college and its leadership have a number of means for gaining broad support for its professional education programs from the University central administration and from other academic units and services at the University. Briefly, these include the following: 1) The college operates with a strategic plan and a yearly compact (agreement) with the provost tied to that plan, which enumerates goals for its programs. 2) The president has an active, University-wide, interdisciplinary initiative entitled “Children, Youth, and Families” which links several colleges in a range of research, teaching, and service activities in a variety of P-16 education fields. Units involved with these activities include our own CEHD, as well as the College of Human Ecology, College of Liberal Arts, School of Public Health, and the departments of pediatrics and psychiatry in the Medical School. 3) The college has strong links with a number of colleges in the delivery of its professional education programs and professional opportunities for faculty and students in these programs. Examples include:  College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences (joint program in Agricultural Education); College of Liberal Arts (joint program in child psychology-early childhood emphasis); Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs (leadership minor); and the Academic Health Center (developmental neuroscience ties to early childhood, special education, and kinesiology programs).

The college organizational chart provides an overview of the organization of main departments and offices. The college’s programs are managed and coordinated in a variety of ways through regular meetings of leadership groups. The dean oversees twice monthly meetings of the Administrative Council – which includes associate deans, department chairs, and directors of the college’s support offices – for the purposes of setting strategic directions, discussing programmatic issues, and updating policy and procedures and sharing information on general education issues. The dean also holds twice monthly meetings with dean’s office staff to share information on ongoing support for college programs and key college initiatives and accomplishments. The dean and associate deans meet twice monthly to coordinate support for programs as well as to provide feedback on their activities throughout the college and University. All departments have regular departmental meetings to conduct business, and minutes are kept in the department. Meetings targeted for specific groups to deal with issues needing immediate attention are called on an “as needed” basis.

College governance bodies
College governance authority resides in the college senate and its standing committees which advise the dean. Ad hoc committees may also be appointed by the dean for advising and other purposes.

• The College Senate, upon request from standing committees of the Senate, other college committees, the dean, or on its own initiative, studies and reviews matters of policy and program development. It consists of representatives from the faculty, P & A staff, college-wide centers, Civil Service/bargaining unit staff, undergraduate students, master of education students and graduate school students and meets at least once each semester and at other times as the need arises.
• Committee on Academic Affairs represents the Senate in review and approval of matters of educational policy in regular and irregular courses, programs of study, and degree programs offered wholly or in part by the college. The committee reviews all new and revised course proposals and other policy matters.
• Committee on the Academic Uses of Technology is charged with advising on the development of specific activities to improve available hardware and software, classroom facilities, faculty development, and curriculum development related to the educational use of technology. This committee also advises the dean on the distribution of college technology fees paid by all students and returned to the college specifically for technology improvements that affect student learning.
• Committee on Civic Engagement and Service represents the Senate in design, conduct, and evaluation of activities of the college faculty, staff, and other personnel related to outreach needs of college, University, community, and state constituents.
• Committee on Diversity supports and advises college programs committed to increasing diversity, works to foster an institutional climate conducive to inviting and supporting diversity, and identifies and addresses college diversity needs.
• International Education Committee advises the college administration and senate on international students and scholars, international exchanges, curricular and co-curricular learning opportunities, personnel and resources needs, faculty development and support, community outreach, study abroad programs, and special programs.
• CEHD Research Committee reviews and makes recommendations about policies and procedures that are instrumental in maintaining and expanding the college’s record of research productivity.
• Council on Teacher Education (CTE) is the primary committee responsible for the continuing development of teacher education and related programs in the college and is directed toward issues of admission, retention and licensing of teachers, as well as curricular instructional, clinical, and evaluative experiences of teacher education. This committee has college committee membership of 32 faculty, P & As, staff, and students. In addition it has an advisory board of 17 members. It also includes four subcommittees: Assessment and Evaluation, Clinical Experiences, Program/Professional Development, and Policy Connections.
• The Student Scholastic Standing Committee has oversight of academic policies and progress related to candidates enrolled in the college, works closely with staff in SPS to monitor students, defines processes, and monitors and recommends policies to enhance candidates’ academic progress.

The college and Student and Professional Services (SPS) provide accurate and timely information to all student applicants. It is a key first step in making certain that candidates are prepared to meet all standards — both for admission and eventually for licensure or other graduation requirements. Once enrolled, the cohort model for the initial programs requires that all candidates stay in step with specific course and program requirements. Complete and accurate information prior to admission is provided to ensure applicants have a clear understanding of program standards and requirements.

For the advanced programs, the standards for completion are articulated through individual program materials. For programs that require a license to practice (administration, counseling, school psychology), state licensure requirements are articulated in program literature. For other advanced programs, the completion requirements are outlined in fact sheets, catalogs, and on Web sites. Applicants are admitted to programs only with the appropriate background to be successful in the programs to which they are applying.

College communications to applicants, candidates, and completers
Advising
The college, SPS, and program areas are committed to providing accurate and timely information. SPS has taken the lead in creating and maintaining recruiting and admissions material for undergraduate, initial, and advanced teacher programs. SPS also provides information on programs for the administration, counseling, and school psychology programs and refers applicants to the appropriate program faculty for additional information.

For the initial licensure programs a series of information sessions are held regularly throughout the year for each teacher education program. These sessions are advertised on the SPS Web site. Applicants can register online to attend, and sessions are generally limited to about 20. The sessions include an overview of the program, the application and admission process, and an opportunity for individual questions. Admission information also is shared widely across campus with advisers from other University units, using printed material or Web resources. SPS staff members also assist other advising offices in key transfer programs by providing adviser training, and they participate in regular meetings across the campus to update key staff about CEHD program information. SPS reception staff also are aware of advising resources and regularly refer applicants inquiring about program information to information sessions or other resources. Advisers offer applicants the opportunity for individual appointments and/or transcript reviews to determine where candidates stand in terms of meeting admission prerequisites.

SPS advisers meet with applicants to discuss admission processes and criteria, as well as to review the prerequisite requirements for admission, and to assist them with planning how to meet prerequisites at the University, or in cases where courses are taken elsewhere, to help identify the appropriate transfer courses to meet U of M requirements. A great deal of communication about program requirements also is handled via e-mail as more applicants prefer the ease of access that e-mail provides.

Deadlines are advertised widely in publications. Wherever changes are required, up to a year’s notice is typically provided. The individual fact sheets for each academic program also clearly state the criteria for admission, and are available in the SPS office and on its Web site.

Print and electronic resources
Communication about the education programs are handled by two primary sources. First is the college’s communications office, which has primary responsibility for several all-college publications and catalogs. Members of the communications staff also work closely with the University Relations Office (a University-wide service office), to distribute and share information with University, local, and national media outlets. Communications staff manage distribution of press releases, and any other program advertising to be distributed locally and regionally, as well as the content portion of the college’s Web site in cooperation with the college Information Technical Services team. Changes to Web content are routinely made within 48 hours of notification.

The college's communications office is the first college component in providing printed and electronic information about professional education programs and related research. Brochures outlining the overall college programs, teacher preparation programs, early admission programs for future educators, and advanced programs are produced annually. The office also produces a professional studies program guide, a significant piece that includes in-depth information on all initial licensure programs, professional M.Ed. programs, and certificates. The college Web site, managed and maintained by the communications office, provides extensive support, with detailed and always current information about programs, admission, courses, requirements, and features on research. Research related to professional education is among the work that is highlighted in the monthly publication, ResearchWorks. It also is featured on regular occasions in the alumni magazine, Link (circulation 50,000). This office helps find hundreds of experts in more than 150 categories of education and human development — from accountability to youth apprenticeship.

The second key component in production of communications items is SPS. A publications coordinator maintains a series of fact sheets for each of our majors, certificates, and teacher education programs. As noted above, these sheets are available online and in SPS office suites. They are provided to candidates looking for information about program requirements, department contacts, policies, etc., and are routinely updated.

Part of communication maintenance includes an annual cycle to review each publication. The review cycle is tied closely to the timelines for application and admission. This ensures that information for applicants is as accurate as possible during the critical times associated with application. In the review cycle, all stakeholders are given an opportunity to review the information and suggest changes. While this cycle is generally an effective way to manage publications, new proposals or policy changes often do not follow a predictable schedule, meaning that updates or changes need to be able to be made any time. SPS is committed to providing accurate information for students and information about any changes affecting students is updated as soon as possible.

In addition, information about program changes or approvals handled by the college’s Committee on Academic Affairs is shared with both the communications office and the SPS publications coordinator as soon as changes have been approved at the college level or by the Board of Regents.

Another important source of information for candidates is the University’s electronic One Stop site. This Web site provides candidates with links to a host of University information about policies, deadlines, and processes. The site is maintained by the University’s Office of the Registrar and the University Web team. The University Class Schedule, the Course Guide, links to registration, financial aid, and information about all common policies are all available from this key site.

Coordination of communication
Key administrators also meet regularly with staff from across the campus to stay current with issues related to campus policy and procedure. Representatives from the college meet regularly with the Twin Cities Dean’s Council, the Council of Undergraduate Deans, the Council of Professional Deans, the College Student Affairs Administrators, the Registrar’s Advisory Committee, the Academic Advising Network, and other special task forces or committees as needed. These regular meetings help keep communication up to date and the college in step with University policy and procedure. College leaders and staff communicate regularly with representatives from the Minnesota Board of Teaching and the Office of Educator Licensing and Teacher Quality to keep abreast of changes occurring in state licensure policies and procedures.

Candidate access to college services
Upon admission to the licensure program, all candidates are assigned a faculty adviser, as well as an adviser from SPS. The faculty adviser is responsible for helping the candidate plan his/her final program and to deal with any kind of approvals or petitions for any variation or waivers of program requirements. A comprehensive online resource for faculty advising may be found at this link. In the teacher education programs, the cohort model provides a very structured curriculum that candidates follow in order to meet license and degree requirements. At the other end of the spectrum, in the professional studies programs, faculty advisers provide more guidance since the requirements for the programs are less structured and offer more choices of courses to consider and include a research paper or final project that meets the approval of the faculty adviser.

For the advanced professional programs, SPS provides collaborative support to the faculty advisers in the form of admissions advising and managing the admissions process. The faculty adviser provides guidance on courses and program design to admitted candidates. SPS advisers also provide admitted candidates with access to University services and facilitate a coordinated experience to the candidates. Candidates seeking admission to advanced educator programs receive their admission advising primarily from faculty advisers within the program areas, as well as advising once they are admitted.

The professional advisers in SPS also provide all candidates in initial licensure and professional studies programs basic assistance with registration for classes, monitor academic progress of candidates in their program or cohort areas, review petitions, provide career advising, and assist with license and degree clearance.

As noted above, the college sustains connections across the campus. College staff work with staff from University and Counseling and Consulting Services when special student needs occur. Regular contact with the University’s Disability Services Office is maintained to support appropriate accommodations to students who need them. Bridges to other services such as the Aurora Center for Advocacy and Education (working with sexual assault, relationship violence, stalking), the Multicultural Center for Academic Excellence, and International Student and Scholar Services ensure support for candidates in the college.

Element 2: Unit Budget

College budget decisions are made in meetings between the dean, department chairs and center and service unit directors with assistance from the financial services office (FSO). The overall college budget consists primarily of allocations of funds derived from tuition and a state subsidy which fund general operations: instruction, academic support, student services, public outreach and service initiatives. Research support is funded from grants and contracts (including indirect cost recovery from grants and contracts). The college budget is supplemented also from funds derived from private gifts and endowment income.

College general operations budget
For FY2006, 81% of the college’s budget comes from tuition and 19% from the state subsidy, for a total of $34.3M. Tuition is attributed in the following manner: 25% of each tuition dollar is attributed to the college where the candidate is enrolled and 75% of each tuition dollar is attributed to the college delivering instruction for the course if the two are different; when the candidate is both enrolled in and taking courses from the same college, that college receives 100% of the tuition.

The college also receives funds based on projected earnings of “indirect cost recovery” (ICR) from externally funded grants and contracts. That amount will be $2M for FY2006. See below for an in-depth explanation of ICR.

The general operations budget is allocated to departments using both productivity factors and base budget targets for the current fiscal year. Productivity factors used are: tuition generation, student credit hours, faculty and staff numbers, sponsored awards received, sponsored expenditures, and number of active grants. Base budget targets are determined using historical spending, budgetary needs, and future needs for each unit. During the budget process, each unit meets with the dean and dean’s office fiscal staff to discuss their budgetary needs for the coming year. The dean uses the information gathered at those meetings when determining unit allocations. The dean’s office withholds 8.5% (or $2.9M for FY 2006) to cover an institutional tax for payment of support for central University operations.

The summer session budget is included in the general operations budget pool, and is created by the academic units providing instruction during the summer. The course offerings and budgets are reviewed by the dean’s office and an allocation is made to cover expenses of teaching and supplies.

Indirect Cost Recovery (ICR)
The indirect cost recovery pool is distributed differently than the operations pool. The dean’s office sets aside 8.5% of the pool to cover the institutional tax, and an additional $325,000 which is distributed directly to college-wide centers based on total sponsored expenses during the period of May to April. The remaining funds in the pool are distributed in the following manner:

• 50% - Dean’s office: used to support new activities (especially inter-departmental, inter-center, or inter-college) that are not yet funded, provide support for writing large proposals, underwrite foundation support for existing infrastructures to manage financial accounting, and provide bridge funding for research programs that are “between grants.” Dean’s office funding is allocated primarily where research programs in question involve large-scale projects that are central to the strategic missions of the college.
• 30% - Departments and college-wide centers: used to support research infrastructure at this level. This includes general secretarial support, administrative costs that cannot be directly charged to grants and contracts, and infrastructure equipment (computers and general software, etc.). In addition, departments/centers should provide support to potential principal investigators in preparing grants. Where the grant is being managed through a college-wide center and/or most of the effort is provided by center staff, the ICR will go to the center. Where both the principal investigator and most project staff are employed by a department or a department-based research center, the ICR will go to the department.
• 20% - Principal investigator who generates ICR: used for supporting research activities that cannot be charged to an existing grant or contract, such as producing additional reports/papers, bridging graduate student support to retain them on a program of research, dissemination, and conferences, equipment/software that is directly related to a specific project, etc. Where ICR returns to a principal investigator are less than $1,000 they will be allocated to the department/center to reduce cost-accounting overhead.

College expenses and income
Table 6.1 college expenses relative to other college units in the University. (For comparison purposes, the College of Biological Sciences is a unit comparable in size to the CEHD).

Table 6.1 Total expenses by college and fiscal year in dollars

Table 6.2 provides information about private gifts, grants and contacts, endowment income, and budget expenditures for the past five years by type of expenditure, compared to the whole University (i.e., “Institutional”)

Table 6.2 Comparative University and CEHD non-tuition/subsidy income and expenditures in dollars

The same data disaggregated down to college departments and cross-college research centers for a single year may be found at the following link.

Table 6.3 provides budget allocations to departments and centers for the last five years.

(Note: Budgeting for student services shifted in 01-02. At that point the Common Ground Consortium graduate assistant support was included in the SPS budget)

Department chairs and center directors can request budget supplements throughout the year as need arises. The dean maintains a carry-forward balance for meeting unanticipated needs and/or unique opportunity initiatives as they arise. Further, most departments have substantial carry-forward funds as well to supplement yearly negotiated budgets. The University allows colleges and departments to keep unexpended allocated budgets for use in support of regular general operating budgets.

Element 3: Personnel  

The CEHD is dedicated to promoting excellence in research, teaching, and service. The college has specific workload guidelines that outline the expectations that govern faculty effort in the departments and programs and are intended to promote faculty productivity. They also are intended to promote collaborative teaching, research, service and other activities that enhance the mission, quality, and productivity of the college and its departments within the University.

Faculty members in the college are expected to spend no less than 40% of their time on instructional activities. This might be expressed as a teaching load of 12 credits per academic year and/or an appropriate share of the department’s expected overall instructional output (i.e., student credit hours). A typical load is at least 200-300 student credit hours per faculty member each academic year. A faculty member in the college must teach a minimum of one course (3-4 credits) per year. Faculty receiving “career awards” are exempted from this requirement as a condition of their awards. The college ratio of clinical faculty to student teachers was 1 to 10 in 2004-05.

As a resource for faculty, graduate assistants, and staff, the college’s Learning Technologies initiative provides an additional source of scholarly research and information. At a basic level, faculty have access to quality technology in the college, as well as available information and training resources through the CEHD Technology Enhanced Learning (TELS) initiative. Looking forward, the strategic plan for the college, includes (among other goals related to faculty qualifications), a goal to further increase the use of digital technology in teaching and learning (Goal 8.2). Evidence of current best practices in using technology for instruction may be found in faculty vitae.

The college collects and maintains demographic data about all college faculty and staff, as well as performance reviews and data from course evaluations. Data on unit resources is also maintained by the dean’s office. These data include information about budget, technology, and facilities. The college maintains, within resource constraints, necessary staff support for faculty effort. This includes not only graduate assistants, but support staff (termed “Civil Service”). A complete list of staff in all categories, by department is available by linking to this table.

Graduate assistants play a valuable role in the college by serving in various roles as research assistants, instructors, and candidate advisers. Complete information about employment policies may be found at this link. Employment policy information for Civil Service staff may be found at this link.

Element 4: Unit Facilities

The business of the college is primarily conducted in offices, classrooms, and teaching laboratories in six buildings on the Minneapolis campus and one building on the St. Paul campus. All faculty have private offices with personal computers, telephones, and access to printers, faxes, and mail delivery close to their offices. Staff assigned to faculty are housed in the same buildings as faculty offices and most graduate research and teaching assistants who are assigned to faculty are housed in close proximity as well.

Table 6.4 provides square footage of space assigned to the dean’s offices, the six departments in the college, and three cross-college research centers.

Table 6.4 Square footage assigned to major CEHD units (building)

Another 235,971 square feet are devoted to other units in the college involved with research and educational programs, including 11 additional research centers, six research laboratories, and various gymnasiums and exercise rooms used for conducting physical activity and physical education classes, bringing the total space available for all college activities to over 500,000 square feet.

Scheduling of classrooms is by departmental personnel when classrooms are controlled by departments and through a University-wide scheduling office when classrooms are controlled by the University. Most college buildings have both types of classrooms and the University scheduling office is accommodating in providing priority scheduling of classrooms in college buildings, even if it has control of these classrooms. College classes are held in classrooms throughout the University and choice often depends on class size or requirements for special teaching accommodations. Scheduling of all college technology laboratories, teaching laboratories, and research laboratories is controlled by the college.

During this legislative session a bonding bill was passed to approve $14.5 million dollars for renovations of the historic Mines and Mineral Resources building on campus which is close to present college facilities. This will provide office space for expanding college teaching and research programs, adding 35,000 assignable square feet to the college’s capacity for space allocation.

All classrooms at the University have been upgraded to include basic technology supports, including CEHD-controlled classrooms.

Element 5: Unit Resources Including Technology

University library resources
The University libraries on the Twin Cities campus provide collections, access, and service to students, researchers, and citizens. As such, the libraries are a key component in the educational and information infrastructure for the state of Minnesota. The University libraries system is comprised of 14 locations on the Twin Cities campus and several independent libraries (e.g., law, journalism, and the coordinate campus libraries). Over six million volumes are held within five large facilities as well as specialized branch libraries. The University of Minnesota currently ranks 19th among the 113 North American university library members of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL).

Online library resources: Digital collections have grown considerably in recent years and promote access for all University users. Online tools increased almost 800 percent between 1995 and 2004 as Table 6.5 demonstrates.

Table 6.5 Online library resources of University libraries 2001-04

Table 6.6 Book and journal expenditures in education and psychology

University libraries provides all college candidates with easily accessed course reserve functionality for both library and private materials submitted to the library by instructors for use by enrolled students. Subject specific reference sources located mainly in Wilson Library include education, higher education, international education, educational psychology, education technology and multimedia, psychology, and multicultural education. Subject resources can be found here. Requested library materials not owned by the University can be obtained by candidates and faculty through interlibrary loan.

Library orientation workshops are offered online live and in a self-paced tutorial on the research process. Research QuickStart and RefWorks are among a variety of library tools that assist students and faculty to search the library, create databases of citation, and automatically generate bibliographies in all major styles.

Two librarians are assigned specifically as liaisons to the college for acquisition of materials and for providing library services. During 2004, the librarians assigned to the college completed 19 class and other presentations with 518 participants in college audiences. College candidates, faculty and staff also may attend informal library workshops. The Mobile Library for Education Project is an innovative partnership between the University libraries and the college. Candidates, faculty, and staff in the college can sign up for an appointment with a librarian for consultation. In the first year of service (2004-05), more than 73 individual appointments occurred.

Technology infrastructure
The CEHD’s six academic units are primarily located in seven buildings on campus and are all connected to the University’s recently installed gigabit computer backbone. All faculty and support staff computers are connected to this state-of-the art network backbone. This network provides the following services: hosting Web sites; printing services; pushing out antivirus and patch protection; sharing files; hosting mail services including mail lists; backing up work files; and providing large file storage via a state-of-the-art Storage Area Network (SAN) architecture.

Wireless technology is widely available in public places throughout the University and in selected departmentally controlled areas. Security is ensured using online authentication. This allows faculty, candidates, and staff to access the network in classrooms, libraries, lounges, and most conference rooms. Classes are primarily taught in general purpose classrooms. There are basic technology standards for all classroom facilities.

The college manages three classroom computer laboratories. These classrooms each contain 34 computer stations, with computers upgraded every three years. In addition, each of these classrooms has a ceiling-mounted computer projector and screen for instructors. One of the computer classrooms has computers capable of multimedia production and is used primarily for teacher licensure candidate instruction. These facilities also are available to students during non-class hours, with knowledgeable staff available to assist them.

The University has technology infrastructure available, including eight public computer labs and seven interactive television (ITV) studios, for broadcasting and receiving video feeds from other ITV classrooms at a distance. In addition, the University’s Digital Media Center has a video production suite available to all faculty members. The suite is staffed with consultants and equipped with up-to-date video-editing hardware and software.

Technology support
Technology support is provided by departmental, college, and University staff. Departments employ full-time professional technology coordinators who are available for desktop and software support. The “Coconut” is an online helpdesk service specific to the college that provides feedback for computer users and tracks the progress of work orders. The University also has a 24/7 computer helpline service. Network and server support responsibility are jointly shared by technology staff at department, college, and University levels. The college administers Web, file sharing, printing, database, and antivirus servers.

Technology resources for candidates, faculty, and staff
Support for faculty to use technology in their teaching is provided by the IT Fellowship Program, a college program that places an IT Fellow within each department to help faculty enhance their instruction through the use of technology. IT Fellows assist with putting course materials online, help in the development of multimedia materials, and direct faculty to other technology resources within the department, college, and University.

The college has developed many Web-based services including:

1. Mail lists that facilitate group communication within the college community.
2. TargetEd provides searchable and selectable information on the 65,000 licensed professionals employed in Minnesota public schools.
3. Mobile Librarian provides access to library and research consultants.
4. TEDS (Teacher Education Data System) is an online system for submitting and reviewing candidate data used by faculty in teacher education programs.
5. Instructional data reports provide faculty and staff with up-to-date productivity information.
6. An internal intranet page lists instructional and administrative resources and broadcasts community news, serving as a community focal point.
7. COST (CEHD Online Survey Tool), an online tool that college candidates and instructors can use to create, manage, and administer online surveys.

In addition, the college supports the use of eFolio Minnesota  to track and provide evidence for completion of competencies for initial licensure program candidates. The University’s Digital Media Center also provides consultation services for faculty in a range of areas.

The University provides several technology resources including:

1. WebCT Campus Edition and WebCT Vista course management systems for delivery of online courses and course materials. Of the 22 colleges in the University, the CEHD is second only to the College of Liberal Arts in frequency of use of the WebCT Vista platform for coursework delivery.
2. Faculty Toolkit which is common software which faculty members can obtain free of charge or at a greatly reduced cost, including Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Photoshop, Macromedia Authorware, Macromedia Director, Macromedia Dreamweaver, and Macromedia Flash.
3. Macromedia Breeze for the creation of Flash-based online content, including audio and video synchronous and asynchronous content.
4. UThink blogging software for the creation of faculty and student blogs.
5. RefWorks online reference and citation management software.
6. Portfolio online electronic portfolio software.

Opportunities for financial support for projects involving teaching and learning with technology include the college’s Grants for Enhanced Learning through Technology. Also, the college collects a technology fee from students, and some of those funds are distributed to departments to develop and deliver technology-enhanced learning initiatives. The amount of funds distributed to each department is based upon each department’s student credit hours of instruction and program enrollments.

At the University, funding for technology projects is available from Technology Enhanced Learning grants. In addition, the University awards Digital Media Center Faculty Fellowships, which pay for a faculty member’s time to develop and research a technology-enhanced learning project.

College technology staff promote the use of technology as an active tool to facilitate learning as they work with faculty, staff, and candidates. In the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, learning technologies faculty promote methods for integrating technology into P-12 classrooms. A member the program’s faculty served as education director for the adventure learning project Arctic Transect 2004, a free education project and curriculum distributed to millions of P-12 students and educators around the world.

Previous | Index