Best Faculty Development Conference EVER!

[image 2]The Northwest Vista College department of Distance Learning in conjunction with Faculty Development was proud to host the TeachTechFest2014 conference on Tuesday, July 22. This year’s theme was Information Literacy: Teachers, Learners & Technology.

The one-day conference featured three guest speakers: Dr. Julie Todaro, dean for Library Services at Austin Community College, and Jeff and Cindy Maynard, president and vice president of Biometric Signature Corporation. There were also 32 concurrent sessions on topics including information literacy, using various tools to engage learners, supplemental software for ESL students, trends in higher education, experiential learning, teaching online, flipping the classroom, using search engines, and many different technology platforms, tools, and systems used by teachers and learners in the Alamo Colleges. 

[image 1]A total of 110 people attended the event; this included at least one person from each of the five Alamo Colleges, five district employees, and two high school/dual credit teachers. Of the 86 NVC attendees, 60 percent were adjunct faculty. The event was jointly funded by Interdisciplinary Studies/Faculty Development and by Title V.

The lunch theme was “The Beach,” in which participants enjoyed a boxed lunch in the Innovation Center which was decorated with pails, beach balls, fish, and ocean scenery. In all, it was a fast-paced, highly positive event that not only was fun and informative but also allowed faculty from across disciplines and colleges to meet new people and share ideas. One participant, a long-time tenured faculty member, called it “the best faculty development I’ve ever attended.”

[image 3]Psychology faculty Liz Wright, said, “Interacting with both college and high school instructors gave me new a perspective on integrating information literacy into my courses.”