Professional Faculty Development and Support

It is amazing that University Faculty are most often held to a lower standard than teachers in K through 12. If you want to teach first graders, you are required to have a degree in Education. If you want to teach college seniors, you need an advanced degree in math or physics or chemistry - but no "education in education" is required.

As a result, college faculty just do what they learned by observing their own college professors. Thus, there is now consistency in syllabi, no attention given to properly written learning objectives, no concept of alignment between LO's, content and assessment. And Active Learning? Who has time, when lectures deliver content so rapidly to large audiences - professors replicate the horrors of their professors who lectured for 60 minutes non-stop to audiences of 200 or more.

Students deserve more. They deserve syllabi that outline course content and delivery. They deserve learning goals and rubrics that accurately tell them what they are going to learn and how they can succeed. They deserve real-world, interactive learning experiences that they can someday apply in their ultimate goal of employment.

And faculty deserve more. They deserve the tools to deliver all those things listed above. Workshops, online courses, peer observations, and other skill development resources can provide the necessary skills. Certainly, the university wants to see consistent syllabi and course design throughout the school that reflects the goals and the mission of the university - but how can they expect that without providing the tools and the knowledge to their faculty?

An important part of the answer lies in the Faculty Certificate Programs that are starting to appear in universities around the globe.  These typically consist of five to ten short courses or workshops that are complemented by peer assessments and research.  The end result is a portfolio of accomplishments that become an important part of the faculty's resume.  They are the essential tools needed to meet the standards required by both the university and its students.

Seven reasons why Smart Classrooms matter:

1. Enhanced Learning Experience:  They facilitate interactive and engaging learning experiences through multimedia presentations, videos, simulations, and virtual labs. This makes learning more dynamic and caters to different learning styles.
2. Access to Resources: Smart classrooms provide instant access to a wealth of online resources, databases, and educational materials. This allows students and teachers to supplement learning with up-to-date information easily.
3. Collaboration and Communication: They enable collaborative learning among students through tools like digital whiteboards, shared screens, and group project management software. This fosters teamwork and communication skills.
4. Personalized Learning: With adaptive learning technologies, smart classrooms can personalize the learning experience based on individual student progress and needs. This helps in catering to diverse student abilities and interests.

5. Teacher Effectiveness: Teachers can use smart classroom technologies to create more effective lesson plans, track student progress more efficiently, and provide timely feedback. This improves teaching quality and student outcomes.
6. Preparation for the Digital Age: Smart classrooms equip students with digital literacy skills and familiarity with technology, which are crucial in today's digital world and workforce.

7. Cost and Resource Efficiency: While initial setup costs can be significant, smart classrooms can save costs in the long run by reducing the need for physical resources like textbooks and by optimizing energy usage.

Overall, smart classrooms play a vital role in modern education by leveraging technology to enhance teaching and learning processes, preparing students for the challenges of the 21st century.