Technology Learning Assistants
From ETS
Contents |
About
Penn State's Technology Learning Assistants are student technology tutors who work one-on-one with instructors to help them obtain the skills necessary to create blogs, podcasts, work with digital media, use Breeze, and ANGEL. Over the fall 07 and spring 08 semesters the TLA program received 98 requests for consultations from instructors resulting in 160 total consultations. Over the last year we added 6 new TLAs to the program. For the fall 08 semester we will add an additional 6 new TLAs and have a working staff of 10. We broadened the reach of the TLA program to recruit student tutors from all disciplines. As a result we've added TLAs from the college of agriculture, liberal arts, and HDFS in addition to our student's from INSYS and IST.
Marketing Plan
Faculty
Two faculty recruitment notices will be sent. One on 9/8/2008 and a second in mid-to-late October. The notices will be sent out via:
- The UP edition of Faculty/Staff Newswire
- TechNews
- TLT News
- ANGEL Community Hub
Student
We will begin recruiting new students for the spring semester when registration opens in October/November. Recruitment announcements will be sent out via:
- Student Newswire
- ITS Site
- The Collegian
Class Schedule
Class Schedule:
Week Activity 1
* Class Meeting/Training
o Consulting
o ANGEL
2
* Class Meeting/Training
3
* Class Meeting/Training
* Begin Consultations
4
* Class Meeting/Training * Consultations
* meet w/Jeff (if desired)
5
* Class Meeting/Training * Consultations * 1st Progress Report Due * meet w/Jeff (if desired)
6
* Consultations * meet w/Jeff (if desired)
7
* Consultations * 2nd Progress Report Due * meet w/Jeff (if desired)
8
* Consultations * meet w/Jeff (if desired)
9
* Class Meeting/Training * Consultations * 3rd Progress Report Due * meet w/Jeff (if desired) *
10
* Consultations * meet w/Jeff (if desired)
11
* Consultations * 4th Progress Report Due * meet w/Jeff (if desired)
12
* Consultations * meet w/Jeff (if desired)
13
* Consultations * 5th Progress Report Due * meet w/Jeff (if desired)
14
* Consultations * meet w/Jeff (if desired)
15
* Consultations * 6th Progress Report Due * meet w/Jeff (if desired)
16
* Reflective Paper Due
* Class Meeting: Podcast
TLAs for Fall
- Alex Kozak (Lead TLA) (IST)
- Jimmy Mesta (IST)
- Ashley Wade (HDFS)
- Kuldeep Deshmukh (Engineering)
- Gavin Grissamor (IST)
- James Heisel (Liberal Arts)
- Lori Clayton (Ag Ext)
Instructional Technology Fellows Best Practices Meeting
There is the potential to hold a best practices meeting on the Friday before the symposium with representatives of the Macauley Honors College (CUNY). The purpose of the meeting would be to learn more about their Instructional Technology Fellows (ITF) program with an eye on improving the TLA program. The ITS program is similar to our TLA program in the sense that both programs team up technologically savvy students with faculty who are interested in learning new skills.
Here is a list of some of the similarities between the programs:
- ITFs assist students and faculty alike to understand and take advantage of the appropriate use of technology to support and enhance their academic work. (TLAs work with faculty.)
- The ITFs are doctoral students. (TLAs can be undergraduate or graduate students)
- ITFs hold regular office hours, offer workshops at the local honors program office, and visit the Seminar classrooms. As part of Macaulay's virtual cross-campus honors community, they are also available via email to answer questions and provide technology tips to University Scholars.(TLAs meet with faculty in one-to-one consultations. Meetings generally occur at the instructor's office. This could be one time meeting or there could be several meetings over the course of a semester. TLAs also communicate with faculty via email and phone but do not function like a help desk support model.)
- ITFs are discipline specific in such fields as history, sociology, anthropology, and art history—who also have teaching experience and expertise in instructional technology. (TLAs are also recruited from all colleges however are heavily represented by IST and INSYS.)
- One of the major differences between the programs is funding. The ITF program is funded while the TLA program is not. TLAs take a 1 to 3 credit consulting course and there is the potential to work for wage depending on performance and demand.
- The other major difference is in the focus. ITS work specifically with faculty in the honors college while TLAs work with faculty across University Park.
Partnering Opportunity for ETS and the Schreyer Honors College
ETS has the opportunity to partner with the Schreyer Honors College to pilot a TLA position similar to an ITF. This could be a funded position for a student in the honors college whose focus would be to work with several honors college instructors on implementing a specific ETS initiative (possibly blogs as e-portfolio or something with podcasting, re what Steve Brady did with his students in the supply chain management course). If the pilot proves successful there is the possibility of submitting a proposal to the dean of the graduate school to solicit funding for a graduate fellowship position. Since this position would work across disciplines funding may be available from among the various colleges.
