Review by: Schönwald, Ingrid (2007-01-14)

This article deals with the question of how institutions can help motivate their faculty to cultivate the technological skills, knowledge, and strategies necessary to meet the needs of a new generation of students.

The article starts with stating two gaps in today's universities: First there is the gap between practices in which faculty engage and the potential that technology currently holds to transform such practice. Secondly there is a gap between students' and faculty's attitudes towards technology. If universities want to meet the needs of their students they have to find strategies to close these gaps. Typically computing departments have been charged with promoting faculty engagement with instructional technologies – usually with a limited effect on their efforts.

Kopyc proposes to develop sustaining partnerships among students, faculty, academic computing staff, and administrators as a promising approach. Diverse, relevant, and effective uses of technology in teaching can be explored by establishing multiple links between computing staff and faculty. Three examples are used to illustrate the need for initiatives that are solidly integrated in the institution and that meet the needs of a particular academic culture.

• Teaching Forums: In a teaching forum, consisting of representatives from faculty, com-puter staff, and administration, faculty have the opportunity to share their concerns about technology. This can contribute to foster a continued focus on pedagogical value and relevance while providing feedback to administrators and computing staff.
• Faculty Technology Fellowships: Recognizing the importance of collaboration and partnership, a faculty technology fellowship program requires faculty to work with other experienced fellows and academic computing staff. Faculty can apply for release time to develop skills and create technology-enhanced courses. Thus the program also rewards faculty who do embrace technology in their teaching for their efforts.
• Just-in -Time Training provides faculty with a relatively inexpensive on-demand training model that is supported by work-study students.

A crucial aspect in faculty engagement is to connect faculty to current research that demonstrates the pedagogical value of technology in learning contexts: "Such research persuades faculty members of not only the inherent worth of technology as a facilitator in the classroom but also the demonstrable benefit of technology to their students' academic performance."

All in all, the article doesn't claim to present a theoretically sound model for faculty development but introduces into interesting practices from different universities. As such it is supposed to be helpful and inspiring for practitioners in faculty development.