Faculty Survey on Instructional Technology

Computing and communications technologies are becoming increasingly central to our everyday lives and particularly to the way we at the University of Washington (UW) carry out our educational mission. A variety of programs and initiatives have been created to assist UW teaching faculty who wish to incorporate technology in their teaching, but little has been known about how such technologies are actually being used.

To provide preliminary information on faculty use of technology, a survey of UW faculty was carried out in winter 2001. This survey was designed to obtain information regarding current and desired uses of technology to support instruction, and resources needed to improve such uses. The survey was sponsored by the Provost's Office, the Faculty Senate and the Faculty Council on Educational Technology, and carried out by the Office of Educational Assessment (OEA) in collaboration with PETTT.

The survey contributes to PETTT's goals in several ways:

• Explore the interplay of technology and pedagogy in real settings: The survey was developed to obtain information regarding current and desired uses of technology to support instruction in order to increase faculty awareness of ways in which technology can be used in service of instruction.
• Facilitate thoughtful and innovative educational technology uses: The process of conducting the survey was collaborative, intending to contribute to a University-wide conversation about uses of instructional technology and pedagogy in general.
• Make strong connections between research, design, and practice: The results of the survey will help inform decisions within UW departments, divisions and schools at the University regarding allocation of resources and will provide baseline data on the use of instructional technology at the University.

Collaborators

• UW Center for Instructional Development and Research
• UW College of Education
• UW Department of Medical Education
• UW Educational Technology Development Group
• UW Faculty Senate
• UW Faculty Council on Educational Technology
• UW Office of Educational Assessment
• UW Office of the Provost
• UW Office of Undergraduate Education
• UW Science Libraries

Research

1. Faculty Survey on Instructional Technology 2001: Methodology and Preliminary Findings

   by Nana Lowell (Director, Office of Educational Assessment) and Debbie E. McGhee (Research Assistant, Office of Educational Assessment)
   October 2001
   
   Read: Full paper (web page)

Dissemination

1. Do You Teach With Technology? Faculty Survey Results Revealing

   by Kay Pilcher, Computing and Communications
   Story in Windows on Technology
   January 2002
   
   Read: Full story (web page)