Strategies to Support the Faculty Adoption of Technology for Student Success Initiatives

Strategies to Support the Faculty Adoption of Technology for Student Success Initiatives

Phyllis K. Brooks Collins
Copyright: © 2018 |Pages: 8
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-5201-7.ch046
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Abstract

Faculty members have a key role in helping students to navigate through the academic requirements for their chosen degree program. As the call for more institutional accountability increases across the higher education landscape, retaining and graduating students becomes critical for institutions. Technology has been touted as the solution to alleviate the problem by adopting more efficient ways of improving and monitoring student success. Historically, the faculty's primary focus was to teach, engage in research and service with limited oversight and full autonomy. This chapter will examine strategies to facilitate and support the faculty adoption of technology as it pertains to student success initiatives. The author will discuss the types of faculty and their responsibilities, the barriers institutions face to faculty participation and how to motivate faculty to adopt technology to support student success. Finally, selected strategies for successful faculty adoptions that will support student success initiatives and programs will be reviewed.
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Knowing “Who Are Your Faculty”

This may seem elementary, but knowing the faculty at your institution is critical to understanding how to help them to engage in adopting student success technologies and programs. Being cognizant of the types of faculty who work at higher education institutions and the type of institutions where they work are crucial to improving student success. While the workload may have changed, the role of the faculty member has remained consistent over the years in terms of their functions and responsibilities. The faculty responsibilities generally encompass three functional areas or components: teaching, research, and service. The proportion of time a faculty member spends (or is expected to spend) in each area varies generally by institution type and more specifically from institution to institution.

Teaching

This generally includes actual in-class time working with students, as well as time spent mentoring and directing research by students and preparing for class. Depending on the specific institution, such time could also include office hours as well as time spent revising old or creating new courses. Technology has changed the way faculty engages students in the learning process through the delivery of active learning and pedagogies. Most technologies aimed at supporting student success are applicable to this area.

Research

The area of research broadly refers to the inquiry and/or discovery activities of the faculty member. Faculty members in all institution types engage in some form of intellectual inquiry that demands a significant portion of their time and energy and should also be valued as research.

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