TAs get head start on teaching with technology

While teaching technologies have become almost ubiquitous, teaching about the use of those technologies is less pervasive.

Fortunately, Temple has provided such training for professors for years. Now, the OnLine Learning (OLL) program is taking the training one step further by offering sessions to the teachers of tomorrow.

On November 1 and 21, OLL will offer teaching assistants (TAs) an hour-long workshop on teaching with technology.

“We were motivated to create this training by President David Adamany’s Self-Study, which was released last June,” said Dominique Monolescu, OLL’s interim director. “In that report, he talked about distance education and better preparing our teaching assistants.”

Linking those two concerns together, Monolescu came up with the orientation idea for TAs.

“With all the technologies that we currently have, you have to realize that not all of our TAs have the opportunity to work with professors utilizing those tools,” Monolescu explained. “With this workshop, TAs can develop more awareness of teaching strategies and learn how to use the technologies.”

Although the orientation cannot possibly cover every issue involving teaching technologies, the session will introduce TAs to online course management tools, online chat services and desktop videoconferencing, and address handicapped accessibility issues.

“We’ve had this type of orientation for our faculty members, but we’ve never done anything specifically for our TAs,” Monolescu said. “We hope these sessions will open doors to our services for the TAs and hopefully guide them through the various support services available at Temple.”

Faculty response to the planned sessions has been favorable, although limited, Monolescu said.

“This idea is so new that a lot of our faculty don’t even know that we are planning these sessions,” said Monolescu, who noted that the orientations will be offered next semester.

Even though most of the faculty is unaware of the orientations, TAs are excited about the training.

“It seems like a great idea,” said Yan Tian, a Ph.D. candidate who is teaching a communications theory class this semester. “I’m currently using Blackboard in my class, but I just know the basic functions of the program.

“With additional training, I could do more with the program,” she added. “I think this type of training would be very helpful for all future teachers.”

Monolescu hopes she has a classroom of TAs with the same goal as Yan.

“The whole idea of teaching technologies is to find strategies to improve learning, not just to have the technology,” Monolescu said. “It’s not about the technology, but about using it to teach better.”

For more information about the orientation sessions, TAs can call OLL at 204-2712 or e-mail the department at online@temple.edu. — Fred Maher