FDI 2002 Workshop Choices

The 2002 Faculty Development Institute is marked by an increased effort to allow greater customization and personalization of attendance options for summer workshops. This increased customization is planned for specific FDI workshop Tracks in recognition of faculty research travel commitments, during summer. Specific times for personal project development with lab assistant support are planned for all 2002 summer workshops.

Sessions of Track E and K will be offered in early spring as an alternative to summer attendance. Participants who attend these sessions will also receive their computer in the spring.

There will be a combination of spring workshops and online tutorials offered that can serve as a point of departure for all summer tracks, as well as count toward attendance requirements, for specific summer workshops. Early on-line registration for the Spring 2002 workshops will be possible in late November 2001.

For FDI 2002, twelve workshop tracks are planned within four thematic categories. The categories and workshops are:

The FDI workshop tracks and our increased emphasis on project-orientation reflect the increased complexity of emerging technologies. A Research Technology category is being offered to provide an overview of emerging methods for more effective data presentation and feedback. Most summer workshops will have a required series of spring workshops.

An "Academic Team" approach is envisioned for several tracks to allow graduate students and/or support staff to attend, along with the faculty leader as desired.

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

FDI Summer Track Participant Meetings

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, meetings with workshop presenters will be held to discuss certain workshop topics, goals and prerequisite skills. Additional participant 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 participant 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 one of the participant meetings.

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

FDI 2002 Summer Workshop Descriptions

Track A - New Faculty Technology Orientation (2 days)

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 site on the University's Blackboard system, register for Fall workshops and develop an inventory of campus resources specific to their needs. No prerequisites.

Track B - Basic Computing Skills (2 days)

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.

Track C - Developing a Web Course using Dreamweaver and Blackboard (3 days)

This workshop is intended for participants who would like to use Blackboard to develop a web course and who have little or no knowledge of HTML.

Participants will learn to use Blackboard, Virginia Tech's web course management system to manage course documents, an online gradebook, and to create online quizzing. Several interactive teaching methods and tools will also be discussed. Participants will also use Macromedia Dreamweaver and Adobe Acrobat to create high quality web documents without using HTML coding. Participants will have time to work on materials for their own courses.

Optional "Open Lab" sessions will also be available on a scheduled basis to address individual needs.

Familiarity with Microsoft Office programs is helpful. Attending a series of spring workshops is highly recommended.

Track D - Developing Web Course Interaction (3 days)

This workshop will provide participants with an overview and demonstration of interactive web-based functionality, (Chat, Discussion Boards, Quizzing and Surveys), collaboration tools, and related web elements (frames, rollovers, forms and web actions). Macromedia's "Dreamweaver" will be used extensively to demonstrate the integration of web elements, web documents and to build a web-based instructional module. Workshop time will focus on the functionality and instructional use of interactive web elements for course content interaction. Hands-on activity time will be devoted to individual projects.

The workshop will focus on demonstration of the capabilities, suggested usage and understanding the available options.

Current use of the Internet in a course is a prerequisite. Participants are asked to attend a series of spring workshops.

Track E - Creating Instructional Web/Media Content (2 days)

This workshop is production-oriented and has a lot of hands-on activities. Participants will use various desktop programs to create digital content for use in Web-based-instruction. Topics will include project planning, web page element management, web page object creation (audio, video and animation), web media integration and interaction concepts. Macromedia's Dreamweaver will be used as a tool to put the content into a web page.

Several breakout sessions will be scheduled for small group or individual studio production. This workshop can be used as a companion to Tracks C or D.

Academic support staff and graduate teaching assistants may participant with faculty as 2-person project teams.

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

Track F - Using AutoCAD (3 days)

AutoDesk's AutoCad has three main "Desktop" modules; Architectural, Land Development and Mechanical. The workshop's primary focus will be based on the needs and interests of the participants, as expressed in a focus group meeting. This AutoCAD workshop is envisioned for faculty in various planning-based disciplines.

Familiarity with a particular Desktop module is required. If necessary, participants may be asked to attend a series of pre-workshop hands-on sessions.

Track G - Using MatLab (3 days)

This workshop will provide participants with a general overview of MatLab functions as well as have discipline specific presentations of how MatLab is
used in research and instructional practice.

Academic support staff and graduate assistants may participate with faculty as 2-person project teams.

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

Track H - Creating Learner-Centered Instruction (1 day, with extensive online modules)

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 offered online with 2 required half-day sessions. No prerequisites.

Participants are asked to attend an orientation during the spring.

Track J - Developing and Delivering Online Instruction at a Distance (3 days)

This workshop will focus on IDDL 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. Small group support and consulting will be provided for course design methods and delivery options.

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

Track K - Instructional Media Production (2 days, with personal action plan)

A studio approach for advanced FDI participants. Participant focus group meeting will be held in mid March 2002 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 2-person project teams.

Knowledge of web-based instruction and familiarity with multimedia concepts are prerequisites.

Track L - Research Tools and Presentation (2 days)

This workshop will introduce participants to the basic concepts, methods and tools of several presentation and distance learning tools. Designed as a hands-on, project-based workshop, participants will learn how to bring research knowledge into a particular course or to present research findings, with computer augmentation.

Academic support staff and graduate teaching assistants may participant with faculty as 2-person project teams.

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

Track M - Visualization and Virtual Environments for Research and Instruction (3 days)

This hands-on workshop will introduce participants to the basic concepts, methods and tools used in CAVE Visualization and Virtual Environments. Participants will learn how to create and prepare content, and how to design and evaluate user interfaces for use in Virtual Environments.

The workshop will also include a hands-on introduction to DIVERSE(TM), an open-source application programming interface(API), developed by the Virginia Tech CAVE group.

C/C++ programming experience is recommended but not required.

Academic support staff and graduate teaching assistants may participant with faculty as 2-person project teams.

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