Engage Faculty in the Technology Selection Process

There is no shortage of new teaching and learning technologies in higher education. But despite facultyfamiliarity with and access to these new tools, a significant percentage of faculty have not begun using—or testing—frequently mentioned instructional technologies. This report, written for heads of teaching and learning, CIOs, provosts, and faculty, identifies the key barriers that inhibit faculty adoption of instructional technologies. It profiles strategies that innovative institutions use to engage faculty in the technology selection process. These tactics increase the number of faculty with whom teaching and learning staff interact and encourage faculty to clearly articulate use cases for technology prior to procurement. You can use this research to: Educate campus leaders about barriers that prevent instructional tool adoption Encourage teaching and learning staff to include faculty in the procurement process Align IT with the institution’s teaching and learning mission Ensure that instructional technology demonstrates high ROI Assess faculty technology needs more systematically and accurately Download the Report Tool 1: Template for Structuring Faculty Grant Applications to Increase Participation and Experimentation Low-lift technology grant applications are a tactic to increase faculty engagement with instructional technology. Elon University is a model for this strategy, demonstrating that a simple, streamlined grant application process has encouraged more faculty to apply for and receive funding to experiment with new instructional technologies. Using Elon’s grant application as an exemplar, this guide walks you through the process of creating a low-lift process for faculty to apply for small-scale technology grants. This guide has two components: A rubric to determine the criteria that your institution can use to evaluate grant applicants. A three-page technology grant application that can be sent directly to potential applicants.