Faculty Directions, Spring 2003 - Director's Corner

Carla Rathbone
Educational Technology Services

We are excited about this latest issue of Faculty Directions. Since our last published issue, many advancements in technology and supporting programs have been implemented at Clemson University. We hope you will see evidence of this as you read the various articles and discover ways in which faculty and students use technology in and out of the classroom.

The Collaborative Learning Environment, a department in the Clemson Computing & Information Technology (DCIT), supports and develops new technologies to enhance the teaching and learning process. Faculty and student input determines our direction in technology and allows us to provide the tools and resources they need to accomplish their goals.

This past year, we expanded MyCLE, Clemson's online learning environment, to include services beyond the classroom and to centralize all computing resources for teaching, learning, research, and administration. These enhancements should promote collaboration and provide a more efficient system for sharing resources. We also added a testing tool that provides a comprehensive array of features and functionality for use in and out of the classroom.

The Laptop Faculty Training Program was implemented this year to support the new laptop mandate. The Provost's office funded the program, which provides workshops and application-specific training for effective laptop use in the classroom.

This semester, spring 2003, we are piloting a secure testing facility for faculty interested in administering tests online. We will publish the results of the pilot in the next issue of Faculty Directions.

We encourage you to read the newsletter and take with you as many ideas and suggestions as you can for use in your teaching, learning, research, and administration. Also please send us your comments for improving the newsletter. If you are interested in sharing with your peers how you are using technology, its advantages and disadvantages, please let us know.

Best wishes for the New Year.