The 2001 Faculty Development Institute is marked by an increased effort to focus on specific projects during summer workshops. This increased project-orientation is planned for most FDI workshop Tracks to encourage faculty to undertake course enhancement and transformation based on their specific needs. Specific times for personal project development with lab assistant support are planned for all 2001 summer workshops.

There will be a series of spring workshops offered that can serve as a point of departure for the summer projects, as well as ongoing support to assist in successful project completion. Early on-line registration for the Spring 2001 workshops will be possible in late November 2000.

In 2001, three categories and nine workshop tracks are planned. The categories and workshops are:

The FDI workshop tracks and the increased emphasis on project-orientation reflect the increased complexity of emerging technologies. This year’s FDI tracks have web content creation and multimedia integration for interaction as an underlying theme. The Geographic Information Systems (GIS) track is being expanded to include AutoCAD and 3-D Viz and will have a required series of spring workshops. An "Academic Team" approach is envisioned for faculty seeking assistance with advanced course transformation projects.

Brief descriptions of each track are provided below to help clarify the scope of each workshop's objectives and prerequisites.

After preliminary workshop registration December 6, faculty will have an opportunity to attend a series of related spring workshops. Before and after the spring workshops, focus group meetings with workshop presenters will be held to discuss certain workshop topics, goals and prerequisite skills. The additional focus group meetings are planned to assist faculty in preparing materials for personal projects that can be developed during the summer.

Registrants will be notified of the date, time and location of the focus group meetings by e-mail. Details of Workshop topics, instructional pace and hands-on activities will be adjusted based on the input, interests and concerns expressed during these meetings. We urge all faculty to attend.

FDI Workshop topics and content will continue to reflect the stated needs, interests and instructional objectives of the participating faculty.

This workshop will provide new faculty with an orientation to computing resources at Virginia Tech. Topics will include the Virginia Tech e-mail system, web authoring, instructional resources, classroom presentation systems and network resources. Participants will have a chance to create a Course webpage, register for Fall workshops and develop an inventory of campus resources specific to their needs. No prerequisites.

This workshop is intended for participants new to desktop computing or with very minimal computing skills. Topics will include critical information about the computer operating system, how to use the E-mail system at Virginia Tech, introduction to the World Wide Web, and searching for library resources.

Optional "Open Lab" sessions will be available on a weekly basis to address individual needs. No prerequisites.

This workshop is intended for participants with limited or no knowledge of HTML, and a desire to have a World Wide Web site. An All-in-one courseware tool, "Course Info" (WebCT also available) will be used to create Internet interactions for students. Participants will use Macromedia's "Dreamweaver" to create high quality web documents without using HTML coding. The workshop will focus primarily on Web design and creating a web presence for a specific course.

Optional "Open Lab" sessions will be available on a scheduled basis to address individual needs. Familiarity with MS Office programs is helpful.

Participants are asked to attend a series of spring workshops.

This workshop will provide participants with the knowledge and skills to develop and manage a network-enhanced or web-based course. Workshop time will focus on the use of web elements (HTML code, text and images) for course content interaction (forms, chat, and threaded discussion) using Macromedia's "Dreamweaver." Hands-on activity time will be devoted to individual projects. The workshop will focus on selecting appropriate methods and understanding the available tools.

Optional "Open Lab" sessions will be available on a scheduled basis to address individual needs. Current use of the Internet in a course is a prerequisite.

Participants are asked to attend a series of spring workshops.

Use various desktop programs to create digital content for use in Web-based-instruction. Topics will include project planning, site management, web page element management, web page object creation (audio, video and animation), web media integration and interaction concepts. The workshop will focus on advanced features of Macromedia's Dreamweaver.

This workshop is production-oriented and lab intensive. Several breakout sessions will be scheduled for small group studio production.

Optional "Open Lab" sessions will be available. Participants are asked to attend a series of spring workshops.

ESRI's ArcView version 3 and/or AutoDesk AutoCad will be used based on the needs and interests of the participants. Two separate workshops may be required. Past GIS workshops using ArcView 3 were intended for faculty in the Humanities, Natural and Social Sciences who wanted to show data relationships within a geographic context. An AutoCAD workshop is envisioned for faculty in design and planning based disciplines.

No prerequisites. Participants are asked to attend a series of spring workshops.

This workshop will introduce participants to the basic concepts, methods and tools of Instructional Design. Review your existing goals and objectives with an emphasis on "improving an existing course." Designed as a hands-on, project-based workshop, participants will examine the redesign of a particular course. Individual consultation and follow-up sessions will also be offered.

Although no software training occurs, this workshop will be held in a computer lab to allow web content interaction. No prerequisites.

Participants are asked to attend a series of spring workshops.

This workshop will focus on course development, delivery considerations and strategies for teaching distance learning courses by asynchronous or synchronous methods. Participants will use various instructional tools and course development software to create student/faculty interaction, student/student interaction and student/content interaction. Course management and assessment strategies will also be addressed.

A studio approach for advanced FDI participants. Participant focus group meeting will be held in mid March 2001 to determine track content and feasibility. Enrollment will be limited to ensure a quality experience and adequate coverage of suggested topics. Academic support staff and graduate teaching assistants may participant with faculty as project teams.

Advanced knowledge of MS Office, knowledge of web-based instruction and familiarity with multimedia concepts are prerequisites.