All students, faculty and staff within the College of Education and Allied Professions and those in teacher education programs in the College of Arts and Sciences will be able to effectively, responsibly, and efficiently use instructional technologies in teaching and learning environments.

In all programs, the College strives to provide instruction that is appropriately supported by instructional technologies to help prepare students and future educators in becoming proficient instructional technology users, and in that process, instill strategies and skills to discover and critically analyze new information. Additionally, the College recognizes the supporting role instructional technologies offer in accessing student progress, supporting research, developing and delivering curricular content, stimulating student interest by promoting active learning, and exploring innovative ways of transferring knowledge and experience to a new generation.

External Strengths and Limitations

Strengths-

• The U.S. Department of Education recently published the National Educational Technology Plan which endorses and supports technology integration and use at all educational levels in the United States.

• NCATE (National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education), the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) have adopted the National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) and the Technology Standards for School Administrators Collaborative (TSSA) as applicable to all teacher preparation programs (pre-service and school administrator candidates) in North Carolina.

• NCDPI has a standing requirement for all candidates who apply for initial state teaching licensure to demonstrate mastery of technology use in teaching by means of a technology portfolio based on the NETS-T standards.

• The University of North Carolina Office of the President has established the UNC Teaching and Learning with Technology Collaborative to promote technology dialog, innovation and consistency throughout the sixteen senior UNC institutions.

• The UNC Office of School/University programs has established a UNC Teacher Education Technology Council that has representation from all teacher education programs in the system and meets periodically to discuss technology initiatives and innovative approaches to using technology in the preparation of teacher education candidates.

• Western Carolina University has a standing computer admission requirement for all entering freshmen and has expectations for all WCU students to use their computer throughout their academic studies at WCU.

• Western Carolina University is in the process of developing an institution-wide educational technology strategic plan under the aegis of the Office of the Provost and the Faculty Senate.

Limitations-

• Accountability of compliance with technology standards is not yet considered a core reviewable item for NCATE accreditation and NCDPI program reviews.

• The degree of autonomy and flexibility granted by NCDPI to colleges of education in the UNC system creates a degree of inconsistency in the technical preparation and mastery of technology use by candidates throughout the UNC system.

• Technology integration has not been documented and integrated throughout the liberal studies program at WCU.

Internal Strengths and Limitations

Strengths-

• All CEAP teacher education students produce a technology portfolio based on the NETS-T standards.

• All Elementary and Middle Grades students enroll in the Computers in Education course.

• The majority of CEAP faculty has developed proficiency in using technology and frequently employs technology as a support tool in delivering instruction and/or as a sole means of learning distribution.

• An increasing number of CEAP faculty are developing and delivering online courses and programs.

• Increasing numbers of CEAP faculty are voluntarily participating in faculty-driven educational technology professional development initiatives.

• Funding for enhancing technology teaching facilities and resources is increasing.

• Discussions have been launched to establish a ‘faculty commons’ approach to faculty development for excellent teaching, including the effective use of technology.

• The CEAP has a standing instructional technology committee with faculty, staff, administrator, and external members that addresses technology initiatives and issues within the college.

Limitations-

• Students in programs other than Elementary and Middle Grades do not have a formal course to instruct them on the use and integration of technology into educational settings.

• Access to instructional design and multimedia support for development of electronically networked learning is centralized but has limited coordination with other aspects of faculty development for effective teaching.

• Limited integration of NETS-T standards into all teacher education programs.

Strategic Goals and Actions

1. Provide WCU College of Education and Allied Professions undergraduate, graduate, and lateral entry teacher education candidates with instructional technology education and opportunities that adequately prepare them to enter the teaching environment with the skills they need to effectively integrate technology into teaching, learning, and other professional activities. (College of Education and Allied Professions Conceptual Framework – Knowledge; Experiences).

Actions:

• Technology Portfolio Orientation Sessions

• NETS-T Orientation Sessions

• Intern/Student Teacher Technology Seminars

• IDEA Adaptive Technology Workstation Orientations

• Faculty modeling and using appropriate instructional technologies

2. Provide College of Education and Allied Professions faculty (including Arts and Sciences faculty who teach teacher education candidates and cooperating in-service teachers from partnership schools) and other interested WCU personnel instructional opportunities that adequately prepare them to work with their students and CEAP student teachers/interns in incorporating technology into teaching, learning, and other professional activities. (College of Education and Allied Professions Conceptual Framework – Knowledge; Experiences).

Actions:

• NETS-T and NETS-A (NETS for Administrators) Orientation Sessions

• Technology Portfolio Assessment Seminars

• IDEA Adaptive Technology Workstation Orientations

• Advise faculty on integrating NETS-T based technology assignments and activities into their courses

• Provide faculty with opportunities to collaborate with colleagues regarding technology use and integration

• Work closely with in-service cooperating teachers in the assessment of candidate technology portfolios

3. Create opportunities that support CEAP faculty in the development and delivery of resident and distance education courses and programs using instructional technology. (College of Education and Allied Professions Conceptual Framework – Knowledge; Experiences).

Actions:

• Facilitate recurring dialog sessions where faculty can share and learn about innovate approaches to instructional technology and distance learning

• Host an annual professional development event for CEAP faculty focused on topics of interest regarding development, delivery and assessment of distance education course and programs

• Work closely with the Associate Chief Information Officer for Educational Technologies and the Coulter Faculty Center for development of a ‘Faculty Commons’ area where individuals can receive direct technical, multimedia, and instructional design support that links all facets of university teaching into a framework of pedagogical excellence

• Conceptualize, develop, deploy and evaluate methods of remote supervision of interns/student teachers via videoconferencing.

• Investigate innovative ways to use regional broadband connectivity to engage faculty in the use of instructional technology to support resident and distance leaning courses and programs.

4. Investigate new avenues regarding the development, delivery and assessment of the teacher education technology portfolio in coordination with the CEAP Director of Assessment, the CEAP Instructional Technology Committee, and the Professional Education Council. (College of Education and Allied Professions Conceptual Framework – Knowledge; Values).

Actions:

• Create a committee with comprehensive representation to consider options for development and assessment of the candidate technology portfolio

• Research different methods and electronic tools to facilitate the development, delivery, assessment, and archiving of candidate technology portfolios

• Externally scan other teacher education programs to understand their methods, rationale, tools, and experiences in regards to candidate technology portfolios

5. Collaborate closely with the Educational Technology Division, the CEAP IT Committee and the Dean of the College of Education and Allied Professions to secure funding and other resources that support the use and integration of technology throughout all aspects of the College’s programs, academic offerings, and staff functions. (College of Education and Allied Professions Conceptual Framework – Values).

Actions:

• Charge the CEAP IT Committee with the responsibility of engaging higher level university units, councils and committees in discussion about critical policy concerns, including those pertaining to mission-centered educational purpose, marketing, workload, intellectual property, and the appropriate allocation of budgeted technology funds

• Maintain representative membership from Educational Technologies and the Coulter Faculty Center on the CEAP Instructional Technology Committee

• Seek annual guidance from the Dean of the College of Education and Allied Professions regarding instructional technology initiatives and goals that support the college’s mission

• With consultation and recommendation from the college’s Instructional Technology Committee, maintain a current, prioritized listing of funding needs that accurately reflect necessary technology infrastructures to support the use of technology in CEAP programs, academic offerings, and staff functions

• Encourage the Educational Technologies division to expand the provision of a local Computer Support Consultant that is housed in the CEAP and investigate the possibility of hosting a resident distance learning instructional designer, technician, and multimedia consultant to support local development and delivery of distance learning courses and programs