northwest wcet handout on strategic staff development

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Strategic Staff Development: Moving an Entire Campus Forward This staff development model is designed to improve the overall quality of online courses and services offered by Northwest College, located in Powell, Wyoming. The focus of key college administrators is to improve the overall online campus delivery system in a rural region that attracts many non-traditional students with diverse learning needs. This model engages both faculty and non-instructional staff in the following staff development activities that are designed to close the technology literacy gaps among faculty, support staff, and students.

Visit Northwest College’s web site at www.northwestcollege.edu

Scott Horton, Instructional Technology Coordinator

Scott.Horton@northwestcollege.edu

Marlene Zentz, Online Educational Technology Consultant Marlene.Zentz@northwestcollege.edu

Step One: Faculty and non-instructional staff participate in on-site, hands-on workshops that provide training in the Blackboard CE Learning Management System and other newly adopted campus technologies.

Step Two: Faculty participate in online workshops that examine nationally-recognized best practices in online teaching and that review award-winning online courses. Faculty design or revise an online course during the workshop, and are mentored by workshop instructors via the use of webcam conferencing and other distance technologies.

Step Three: Non-instructional staff participate in online workshops so that they can better meet the needs of online students. Staff providing course advisement, tutoring services, special needs support, and library services are among those targeted for these workshops. Non-instructional staff develop requisite online skills and an understanding of online learning in order to fully prepare them to mentor online students.

Step Four: Faculty and staff have the option of auditing or taking a two-credit online course, Introduction to Internet Learning, if they feel they require additional entry level support in order to attain basic technology competencies.

Step Five: Faculty and students are provided with continuous online support via resources which include online tech support, ePortfolio development, online library access, and much more.