student technology assistants for research and teaching

• To provide the technical and instructional support required to sustain and expand advances made in integrating technologies into the research, teaching, and learning environments at UT.
• To provide the leadership and direction for keeping pace with emerging trends in providing local and remote access to higher education.
• To provide students with skills and experiences that increase their opportunities in current and emerging professional markets.

Rationale
Since 1996, the Innovative Technology Center (ITC) has provided workshops for faculty in a broad range of areas related to the development and integration of technology-enhanced teaching and learning materials and methods. ITC workshops emphasize sound instructional principles and the importance of clear, appropriate instructional objectives, in which the technologies utilized are tools employed in achieving desired outcomes. The ITC also trains faculty in the operation of equipment located in the numerous Technology Enhanced Classrooms (TEC) that have been developed around campus since 1996.

The success of the ITC in encouraging and facilitating faculty use of appropriate instructional technologies to enhance the learning experience for students at the University of Tennessee, in conjunction with the success of the TEC program in providing technology enhanced learning environments, has created what is known as a “support service crisis.” The number of faculty needing assistance, and the number of locations in which they need assistance has expanded beyond the current capacity of technology support organizations.

Outside of no-cost consultation and guided development assistance, pedagogically-focused design, development, and production services for faculty and graduate teaching associates/assistants has not been able to keep pace with the growing number of faculty and instructional staff desiring to incorporate electronic materials in their classrooms and online resource sites. Budget projections do not anticipate the ability to meet escalating instructional technology service and support requirements with additional full-time professional staff.

There is clearly a need to provide faculty with assistance in developing instructional materials, modules and Web sites as requested, and to provide training, support and assistance in the classrooms as required. While faculty are aware of the value in effectively utilizing instructional technologies in their classrooms, their capacity to produce is increasingly diminished by available time and resources.

Therefore, the challenge is to meet both needs - instructional resource development and classroom support - while maximizing limited resources.

The START program can assist faculty in integrating the results of current research in their instructional materials, and assist with the design and implementation of surveys or other instruments which target the impact of teaching practices and technologies integration on learning outcomes. The START program supports the development of materials, resources or systems that are focused on designing, conducting or reporting the results of research projects.

Plan
The ideal student technology assistant program to meet the current needs of the UT faculty would blend elements of project-based and skill-based programs used at other universities. One or more trained, skilled and experienced undergraduate student technology assistants should be available from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in The Commons located at Hodges Library. START Team members will be available on an “on call” basis to provide assistance in TEC classrooms. The presence of student technology assistants in instructional facilities will need to be evaluated based on predicted costs vs. benefits.

The Coordinator will be responsible for insuring that student schedules accommodate faculty needs, and that STA time is used effectively, by coordinating scheduled faculty assistance while retaining the flexibility necessary for providing walk-in instructional design assistance and “on call” support for the TEC classrooms. (Except for scheduled training sessions in use of Technology Enhanced Classrooms, STA responsibilities for those classrooms is limited to providing immediate, responsive assistance to faculty during class sessions, on an “on call” basis. STAs will be trained to troubleshoot TEC equipment to determine if the problem is related to poor connections or operator error, but will not be expected to perform hardware maintenance and repair.)

Benefits

• Students receive professional skills, technology skills, and 10-20 hrs/wk employment while serving the needs of UT faculty and students and improving the educational experience for all.
• Faculty receive the benefit of access to instructional technology support services, resulting in increased use of course websites, modules and instructor-created electronic resources, thereby enhancing the educational opportunities and experiences for all UT students.
• Faculty and students receive immediate, responsive assistance in TEC classrooms, resulting in less lost class time and increased benefit from efficient utilization of limited contact hours.

Return on Investment

• Increased on-site technical and pedagogical support for research and teaching Faculty and GTAs to meet existing demand.
• Provide organization and structure for meeting increased demand in the future.
• Provide high quality, marketable knowledge, skills and experience to undergraduate students.