Ana Barraza
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Tech Savvy Tutors WantedTeachers to Tutor TeachersFaculty Staff Resource Center Seeks the Technologically-Inclined
In hopes of bringing teachers out of the “dark ages,” the Faculty Staff Resource Center is looking for peer tutors to shed some technological light on their fellow faculty members.
“In Monday’s class, my Animal Science teacher was like, ‘I’m still really old-school. I still write with chalk,'” said Perla Bravo, an undeclared third-year student. “She doesn’t even know how to use a projector.”
Instead of investing money or relying on grants for workshops to enhance teachers’ technology skills in the classroom, the FSRC is providing a service in which faculty would have to look no further than to their own colleagues for help in software applications such as PowerPoint, Photoshop, Word, etc.
“She only has a piece of paper to go by to keep track of what she’s covered,” said Bravo, afraid she would be missing out on information regarding her animal science class. Some technology tutoring “would help them to be more organized.”
“Anyone can go into FSRC and say, ‘Is there anyone around that can help me?'” said Kathy Oborn, Professional Growth and Development Chairperson.
The qualifications for tutors don’t require them to be connoisseurs in all things technology. They can simply come in and say, “I know about PowerPoint if anyone needs help.” The center will match the teacher to their peer tutor, leaving it up to them when and where to meet.
The FSRC, previously known as the Faculty Support Center is a new and improved room/lab for staff and both full- and part-time faculty. Adjuncts don’t have their own offices. It’s a place to get their stuff done, said Oborn, who is also a criminal justice professor.
According to Oborn, in the political science-economics department alone there are 30 part-time teachers that would have had one room. In the FSRC, slide scanner technology, media carts, faxing and webcasting are just some of the tools available to instructors. “You name it, we have it,” said this month’s Professional Growth and Development Bulletin.
All full-time professors are required to complete an instructional improvement obligation of about 35 hours per year. Another incentive for the faculty-to-faculty tutoring is that it helps satisfy the hour requirement for both participants, giving them the opportunity to bank up to 20 hours. Teachers can attain hours and help.
“It’s a win-win,” said Oborn. Those teachers interested should stop by the FSRC located in the library building. No deadline or limit to the amount of tutors has been set, just “whatever the need is.”