The WGBH Educational Foundation, in partnership with the League for Innovation in the Community College, is developing, field testing, and disseminating multimedia resources to foster the use of effective teaching and learning practices among Advanced Technology Education faculty members. The materials are adaptations of Learning Exchange Networks modules, a research based professional development curriculum written specifically by and for community college teachers. The customized materials feature video segments illustrating exemplary practices and online resources and strategies targeted to ATE disciplines. The primary audience of the materials is comprised of adjunct faculty who are teaching in ATE programs. These materials are also useful to new and experienced community college faculty who are interested in revisiting their instructional strategies within the context of teaching for understanding.
These resources are being field tested in 13 ATE centers and programs in community colleges across the country, revised to increase their effectiveness and ease of use, then further evaluated at a representative group of 10 additional ATE programs across the country, and disseminated through a network of over 750 League for Innovation in the Community College member colleges and 112 corporate partners. In addition, the American Association of Community Colleges is assisting in the dissemination of the materials.
The intellectual merit of these resources is ensured by the active engagement of experts from industry as well as academia, including substantial representation from ATE programs and the community college system; and by the decades-long track record of WBGH in developing compelling teacher training resources that fully engage and inspire the viewer. The Community College Leadership Program at the University of Texas is conducting formative and summative evaluation activities to ensure that the new materials are rigorously tested at each stage of development.
