Title III - The Journey

In October 2005, Northwestern State University, using $ 1.8M from a Title III Strengthening Institutions grant, began a journey to develop and implement some of the most innovative academic programs and services in the state to better serve our student population.

The process included developing and implementing a comprehensive faculty professional development program which:

• Enhanced faculty technology competencies
• Adopted instructional design innovations
• Provided equipment to implement and support these activities

During the ensuing 5 years, 108 faculty members have participated in the Title III Professional Development Program. More than 156 courses have been developed which meet instructional design rubrics and are offered both in the traditional classroom and electronically to benefit new populations of students. A full time Instructional Design Specialist and a Media Development Specialist have been added to the staff. Equipment has been purchased to include 108 computers for faculty use; a new state of the art computer laboratory for faculty and staff development programs; a new production studio with the latest, commercial quality technology in to produce audio casts; and individual desktop recorders and microphones for faculty to use to post material online to enhance learning outcomes and create a sense of community for online students. Additionally as a result of the grant, NSU has added four additional compressed video classrooms to reach underserved areas.

We invite you to visit the links to see the progress which has been made over the past 5 years; explore some examples of workshops offered; and to look at future plans as the journey continues.