At the UW, the University Libraries conduct a biennial user survey . As a result of a UWired collaboration with the library system, the most recent survey included questions about student and faculty uses of technology. Survey responses give us a useful profile of the faculty as a whole, rather than our usual peek at those who self-select to access our services. While many faculty do not think of themselves as technology users, this statistic helps us emphasize that they likely are already taking advantage of technology. Such context helps to demystify technology and allows faculty see that innovation does not require the use of exotic or complicated technologies.
Few tactics beat simply asking faculty what they want.
As part of the Catalyst development process, UWired representatives conducted a series of focus groups to get a better sense of what faculty in different contexts, and with varying levels of technological expertise, want. The ensuing discussion was rich, and the observations of the participants often ran counter to our assumptions. There is no magic solution for supporting faculty uses of technology in teaching and learning. Those of us technology support roles at research universities typically find ourselves working in a highly decentralized environment with heterogeneous faculty members and rapidly changing technologies. At smaller colleges and universities, the environment may be slightly less hectic, but most of the same challenges remain.