Rubn Garca Garca, Ph.D.

1
Enhancement of the Teaching-Learning Process
through Integration of Technology and
Information Literacy

• Rubén García García, Ph.D.
• Director
• Medical Sciences Campus
• Maria del Pilar Toral, Ph.D.
• Co-Director
• University of Puerto Rico at Carolina

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Asignan 5.7 millones en fondos federales a
universidades Viernes, 30 de septiembre de 2005
SAN JUAN (EFE)- El comisionado residente en
Washington, Luis Fortuño, anunció hoy que el
gobierno federal ha asignado 5.7 millones de
dólares para Puerto Rico bajo el programa
"Fortaleciendo Instituciones Educativas
Hispanas". Estos fondos podrán ser utilizados,
mediante el desarrollo individual de la
institución o a través de acuerdos cooperativos
entre entidades públicas o privadas, para el
desarrollo de las facultades, la compra de equipo
científico o de laboratorios, entre otras, indicó
Fortuño en un comunicado. El Recinto de Ciencias
Médicas de la Universidad de Puerto Rico (UPR)
recibió 699.911 dólares, la cantidad mayor de
fondos otorgada para el desarrollo individual de
la institución académica. Esta asignación fue
decidida luego de una competencia a nivel
nacional entre estas instituciones educativas
El Recinto de Ciencias Médicas de la Universidad
de Puerto Rico (UPR) recibió 699.911 dólares.
(Archivo)
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Summary

• Period covered 5 years (2005-2010)
• Budget /- 3.5 million
• Leader institution UPR-MSC
• Partner institution UPR Carolina
• Evaluation 97.3, Excellent
• Components Four

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Justification

• Responsibility and commitment in providing
  students the best opportunities
• Interest in improving the teaching-learning
  process
• Symbiotic relationship between both institutions
• Common needs
• Previous experiences
• Common strategies

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Justification (cont.)

• Convergence in weaknesses, strengths, problems,
  goals, objectives, resources, strategies, ideas,
  experiences, and needs
• Planning embedded in strategic plans, goals,
  objectives, self-studies, and accreditation
  reports from each institution
• Collaboration and perspectives
• Student laboratories at UPRC expand their
  services
• MSCs Mentoring Program broadens its scope
• Technology integration models at MSC extended and
  diversified

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CDP

• Strengths, Weaknesses, and Problems Analysis -
  Procedures and Participation
• Mission and Vision - UPR, MSC, UPRC
• CDPs of Individual Title V Projects
• Institutional Strategic Plans (2003-2008)
• Self-studies and MSA-CHE accreditation visits
• Continuous process, especially at MSC
• Common characteristics
• Academic Programs
• Institutional Management
• Fiscal Stability

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Strengths

• Academic Programs
• Accreditations
• Well -qualified and dedicated faculty
• Faculty development programs
• Unique academic offerings
• Community services

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Strengths (cont.)

• Institutional Management
• Ongoing and participative institutional planning
  and assessment
• Automated services
• Professional improvement and development for
  administrative personnel
• Fiscal Stability
• 9.6 of the governments general revenues
• Balanced budgets
• External resources, especially at MSC (65)

9
Weaknesses

• Academic Programs
• Limited ability to acquire technological
  equipment and infrastructure budget constraints
  do not allow classroom redesign and equipment
  with the latest technologies
• Limited ability to train faculty in the
  incorporation of technology in the curricula due
  to restricted budgets
• Students have weak computer skills
• Problems within the student population for which
  the institutions do not provide support services
  or assistance

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Weaknesses (cont.)

• Institutional Management
• Limited ability to update and expand technology
  infrastructure
• Administrative personnel lack the necessary
  training to make effective use of computer
  technology
• Information and data gathering needs to be
  improved databases need to be strengthened and
  integrated

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Weaknesses (cont.)

• Fiscal Stability
• Need to update Facilities Master Plan and
  Deferred Maintenance Plan
• Low salaries make recruitment of new personnel
  difficult
• Limited budget, annual budget cuts

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Significant Problems

• Academic Programs
• 1- At UPRC there is poor academic achievement in
  gateway/bottleneck science and math courses and
  low student retention due to poor student
  academic background and inadequate adjustment to
  university life and general low academic
  achievement at both institutions
• 2-There is a critical need to provide student
  support services in technology use to address the
  digital divide of the partner institutions
  low-income, Hispanic student
• 3- Faculty (full and part-time) at both
  institutions evidence uneven levels of mastery of
  instructional methods to integrate technology in
  their courses

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Significant Problems (cont.)

• Academic Programs (cont.)
• 4- The libraries have fiscal constraints that
  limit their development and their capacity to
  acquire new databases, technologies, and online
  services
• Institutional Management
• 5- Challenging academic and administrative
  computing and telecommunications infrastructure
• Fiscal Stability
• 6- Restricted budgets with constraints on fiscal
  resources due to a tight expenditure structure in
  which institutional budgets are mostly allocated
  to personnel and other operational costs.
  Institutional funds are insufficient to allow
  financing of necessary major academic quality
  enhancement initiatives

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Institutional Goals

• Academic Programs
• To improve student academic achievement
• To provide a comprehensive faculty development
  program to improve their skills in the
  integration of modern technology into their
  instruction
• To improve academic offerings and student
  learning outcomes through the integration of
  innovative technology into the curricula
• To strengthen and enhance library resources and
  other instructional resources through the use of
  technology
• To provide readily available information literacy
  support services

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Institutional Goals (cont.)

• Institutional Management
• To upgrade the technology infrastructure to
  support new network resources
• To maximize student support services
• To guarantee the necessary support for the
  integration of information technologies into the
  teaching-learning process
• To enable faculty to comprehensively integrate
  the use of information technology in the daily
  teaching-learning process

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Institutional Goals (cont.)

• Institutional Management
• To increase the cost-effectiveness of programs
  and services provided
• To reduce the high costs associated with student
  repetition of courses

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Institutional Objectives

• Table (pages 27-29), relationship between
• Significant problems
• Impact areas
• Related weaknessess
• Institutional goals
• Measurable objectives

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Institutional Commitment

• Support and commitment provided by Chancellors
  and MSCs Dean of Academic Affairs
• Integration of Title V activities into the
  institutions operations
• Incorporation and expansion of the Projects
  initiatives into the institutions existing
  academic and administrative structures

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Institutional Commitment (cont.)

• Budget for
• Staff members release time
• Computing resources
• Office space
• Operational costs
• Replacement and/or equipment upgrades
• Incorporation into the Information Technology
  Plan

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Major Objectives

• Increase student academic achievement in
  gatekeeper/bottleneck courses
• Increase freshmen to sophomore persistence rates
  in UPRCs Natural Sciences Department
• Increase students proficiency in the use of
  library resources
• Improve students skills in the efficient use of
  technology

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Major Objectives (cont.)

• Increase the availability of library resources
  and services through the Web
• Increase the number of faculty integrating
  technology into the teaching/learning process
• Increase and improve the technological
  infrastructure

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Components

• 1. Establishment of a Student Resource and
  Assistance Center (SRAC) at UPRC
• Career planning
• Mentoring
• Workshops
• Tutoring services
• Face-to-face
• Online
• Technology tutorials
• Mentors and tutors - MSCs students

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Components (cont.)

• 2. Establishment of a Faculty Technology Resource
  Center (FTRC) at MSC and UPRC
• Academic and technological support for
• Technology and multimedia integration in the
  teaching-learning process
• Development of online course tutorials
• Creation of online courses

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Components (cont.)

• 3. Enhancement of Library Resources and Services
• Establishment of an online library information
  system
• Creation of online tutorials on information
  literacy
• Purchase of materials and shared databases

25
Components (cont.)

• 4. Improvement of the technological and
  telecommunications infrastructure
• 35 classrooms remodeled into electronic/smart
  classrooms
• Creation of an online technology help desk
• Installation of lightning rods and electric
  generator at UPRC
• Improvement of wireless infrastructure at MSC

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Implementation Strategy and Timetable

• Table (pages 48-61), relates
• Specific tasks
• Primary participants
• Methods
• Results
• Timeframes

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Conceptual Map
RCM
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Budget

• Total 3,499,781
• Distribution strategy Management at MSC and
  shared resources particular needs of each
  institution
• Project Management 843, 476
• Director and Co-Director
• Administrative personnel
• Travel to annual conferences
• External evaluator

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Budget (cont.)

• Activity, MSC 1,601,239
• Shared coordinators
• Shared administrative personnel
• Travel to annual conferences
• Equipment
• Materials
• Remodeling
• Shared library consultant
• Mentors and tutors
• Trainings
• Faculty and librarians

30
Budget (cont.)

• Activity, UPRC 1,055,066
• Shared coordinators
• Shared administrative personnel
• Travel to annual conferences
• Equipment
• Materials
• Remodeling
• Trainings

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Organizational Chart
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Staff

• Director Dr. Rubén García García
• Co-director Dr. Maria del Pilar Toral
• Coordinators, MSC
• Faculty
• Mentoring
• Library Services
• Coordinators, UPRC
• Technology
• SRAC

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Staff (cont.)

• Other personnel, MSC
• Instructional Designer
• Librarian
• Webmaster
• Administrative Secretary
• Administrative Assistant
• Other personnel, UPRC
• Graphic Designer
• Laboratory Technician
• Programmer
• Administrative Secretary
• Administrative Assistant

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Evaluation Plan

• Summative and Formative
• External Evaluator
• Table (pages 90-91), relates
• Objectives
• Data elements
• Data collection procedures
• Personnel in charge
• Time line

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Summary

• Focus on technology to improve students academic
  persistence and success by
• Providing student support services
• Training faculty in the incorporation of
  technology
• Increasing student access to instructional
  technology and information literacy resources at
  partner institutions
• Improving the universitys computing and
  telecommunications infrastructure