Research @ Seneca Spotlight | Academic Newsletter | Seneca Polytechnic

by Kevin Pitts, the Teaching & Learning Centre

in the March 2018 issue

Seneca is the lead institution on an eCampusOntario-sponsored multi-college research project looking into faculty support in the design, development, and facilitation of technology-enabled curricula across the Ontario college system.

Over the past eight months or so, researchers from Seneca, Durham, George Brown, and Georgian colleges have teamed up to survey and interview faculty development/support practitioners (those nice folks in Teaching & Learning centres, Professional Development centres, Libraries, IT departments, etc.) at Ontario colleges. The data gathering phase has just completed, and now the team has turned its attention to crunching the numbers and coding the data.

The research team is particularly interested in 1) how faculty are currently supported in technology-enabled learning (TEL) within the Ontario college system and 2) opportunities to enhance effective, efficient, and timely support to faculty in TEL.

We do know that faculty development/support practitioners have extensive knowledge and experience in helping faculty with TEL. The goal is to synthesize this knowledge and experience, and determine opportunities to optimize support for professors teaching in the digital age within the context of the Ontario college system.

When all is said and done, the research team is looking to meet the following objectives:

• produce a comprehensive report on how Ontario college faculty are supported in TEL;
• identify opportunities for enhancements and efficiencies based on the study findings and the broader literature; and
• offer a set of evidence-based recommendations to further support faculty in TEL.

Look for the research report to come out in the spring (2018).

If you have any questions about the study or need further information, please don’t hesitate to contact me at Kevin.Pitts@senecacollege.ca.

View the March 2018 issue of the Academic Newsletter.