Refresh: Educational Technology and Professional Development

In 2009, the Federation of Post-Secondary Educators of BC’s (FPSE) Education Policy Committee (EPC) prepared a discussion paper entitled “Reboot: Making Education Technology Work for Faculty and Students,” offering it as a “catalyst for an on-going conversation within our ranks about the pace, direction and impact that technology is having in the post-secondary education workplace.” FPSE’s Professional and Scholarly Development Committee (PSDC) members offer this paper as a complementary rejoinder to “Reboot” addressed to all FPSE members. Our aim is to look at educational technology from a professional development perspective and argue the importance of ongoing training for members not only in the use of learning management systems (which most of us are getting) but, more importantly, in the pedagogy and use of Web 2.0 technology. Throughout this paper we refer to aspects of the EPC’s paper and also include our own perspective on what is needed to ensure faculty members are able to make the best use of technology. Ultimately, we argue that administration should be responsible for ensuring we have the resources and training needed to design and deliver quality online courses and technologically supplemented face-to-face offerings.