Faculty connections across AMICAL

Jeff GimaAMICAL Director

American University of Paris

2010-2012 AMICAL videoconferencing studies

Deans’ perspectives:• 12/16 could identify faculty interested in

workshops on collaboration• How can AMICAL support collaboration?– Guidelines, tutorials, sample courses– Information sharing & networking

Initial forms of AMICAL support for collaborative teaching

• broadened implementation of high-definition videoconferencing

• AMICAL-AUC Workshop on Collaborative Learning Technologies

Questions about faculty connections across the AMICAL consortium

1. Have you ever collaborated on a teaching and learning project with a faculty member at any of these institutions [refer to list]?

Responses:• Relatively few• Mixture of informal exchanges and formal

course collaborations

Challenges

• Unaware/unfamiliar with AMICAL

• Technical challenges

Challenges

Time“I don’t see why, as an adjunct, I should spend more time than I do on something that’s neither acknowledged or conducive to an improvement in my position”

Questions about faculty connections across the AMICAL consortium

2. Let’s say you could participate in an online community of faculty members from AMICAL institutions. What might the online community help you do?3. AMICAL is creating an online resource center for faculty collaboration. How could you use this?4. …if you didn’t have to worry about money, technology or distance? Main benefit for students?5. What kind of support do you think you would need?

Expected benefits

• Broadened experience/perspectives for students

2011 Deans' survey: educational benefits of videoconferencing

[reduce travel costs]

connecting students with experts

globalizing students' view of problems

accessing inaccessible places

increased student collaborative activity

broadened diffusion of student work

increased student motivation

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Agree ("4")Strongly Agree ("5")

Questions about faculty connections across the AMICAL consortium

2. Let’s say you could participate in an online community of faculty members from AMICAL institutions. What might the online community help you do?3. AMICAL is creating an online resource center for faculty collaboration. How could you use this?4. …if you didn’t have to worry about money, technology or distance? Main benefit for students?5. What kind of support do you think you would need?

Find people

Connect students

Meet colleagues…

…face to face

Ideas for supporting faculty collaboration

• Better use of AMICALconnect• Develop a more robust platform• Explore projects for connecting students• Face to face workshops• Admin/technical/logistical support for

collaborations