The
faculty spotlight will inform the campus community of ways technology is
used, inspire other faculty to use technology, generate discussion, and
demonstrate how technology can enhance and enrich instruction, both in and
out of the classroom.
Spotlight on..
Tammy Borren
Were
you at the 2004 Employees Honors and Awards Convocation, when Billy
Walters said,
"I
am happy to announce the recipient of Columbia State’s first Faculty
Instructional Technology Award." ???
If you were, you would have heard some
amazing achievements by Tammy Borren. The following list is just a few of
Tammy's accomplishments in coupling Technology and Education in the
on-ground and on-line classroom.
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In
1996, her first year at Columbia State, she taught classes using the
PLATO software program purchased by the College.
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In the
Spring of 1997, she attended a week-long training session in Charlotte
North Carolina to learn how to modify software provided by the adopted
math textbook company to coordinate it with PLATO. This involved
learning the Toolbook software program.
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In 1998
she developed a website where she posted course syllabi, homework
assignments, and study guides for all of her students.
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In the
summer of 1999, she taught the first online courses at Columbia State.
At that time, enrollment at our extended campuses was small and
traditional classes were hard to make. The online classes provided
these students with an opportunity to take classes that were routinely
canceled.
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In the
spring of 1999, she developed an online math lab for students enrolled
in basic, elementary and intermediate algebra. She had to learn
Blackboard, a course management software program used to deliver the
labs. There were 45 labs for the math department and 4 sites to
manage. This was a tremendous benefit to our students. They no longer
had to register for a scheduled math lab, making it easier for them to
schedule other classes.
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In
April 2000, she presented at the Horizons Conference in Richmond,
Virginia on Using the Internet to Deliver Developmental Labs.
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In the
summer of 2001, she developed the Basic Math course for the Regents
Online Degree Program. This process involved learning WebCT, the
management software used by the TBR. She continues to teach the course
for RODP and mentors others who are teaching her course across the
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It
doesn't stop there! Tammy has been more than willing to to share her
experiences and techniques with others.
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She
served on Columbia State’s technology implementation committee which
met for 12 consecutive weeks.
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She is
now a member of the
Instructional Design
Team and assisted with developing the
Quality Assurance Guidelines for the development and evaluation of
online courses, and assists other faculty with developing online
courses.
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She is
serving as a Faculty Technology Mentor and provides training and
assistance to faculty at the Williamson County campus.
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Tammy is proficient on all core computer
competencies as well as advanced development applications such as;
Blackboard, Academic Systems, WebCT, and HTML. She has invested countless
hours of her time to advance the use of instructional technology at Columbia
state. Our students and our instructional program have benefited from her
numerous contributions.
What's
next?
"I plan to create a hybrid Elementary Statistics course to be delivered
for the first time in Fall 2005."
What
do you think about teaching with technology?
"I enjoy using
technology to reach students that may not be able to obtain an education in
the traditional ways. I know through my dealings with RODP students that
many are returning single women with small children at home, and this is
their only opportunity. I think that technology should be used to enhance
the educational systems, but it is not a replacement for tried and true
methods that work for many students."
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