The Mission of the TRC |
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The Teaching Resource Center is a faculty-managed facility under the auspices of the Vice President for Academic Affairs. Our mission is to support the development and delivery of quality higher education at Broome Community College primarily through promoting sustained excellence in teaching.
The Teaching Resource Center supports faculty and staff in efforts to reach the highest level of efficacy in teaching and providing services so students are educated and supported as they grow to become competent and confident citizens of the world. |
| The core values and strategic drivers of the college guide the mission of the Teaching Resource Center. |
 
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Core Values
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| Learning |
By continually addressing the support needs of faculty and staff in improving pedagogy and work processes, the Teaching Resource Center advocates learning through effective practices of instruction and service. This is accomplished by fortifying linkages between learners, teachers, and support staff, and engaging all members of the campus in a Learning Community.
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| Excellence |
To maximize campus-wide synergy, the Teaching Resource Center seeks to foster communication among faculty and staff through a Community of Practice where excellence is a collective value, intellectual resources are shared openly, and collaborative efforts yield valuable results for the learner, the campus, and the community.
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| Innovation |
A central tenet of a learning-centered community is that education transforms and is transformed continually. Technology is one of many forces driving educational change. The Teaching Resource Center strives to maintain currency by applying educational research; helping faculty and staff employ educational technology; and engaging in a reflective practice regarding change and innovation for the betterment of teaching and learning.
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Strategic Drivers
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| The Teaching Resource Center uses several key performance measures to drive its mission. These include: |
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Grow, support and coordinate campus-wide distance learning and technology-based initiatives by: |
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- Training faculty and staff in the use of pedagogically-sound technology
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- Supporting the College's efforts to expand the availability of fully-online academic programs and support services
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- Endorsing efforts to improve academic programs that use instructional technology in the design and delivery of knowledge and skills
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- Encouraging standardization of online program instruction and programmatic components in design and delivery
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- Researching new technologies that aid in the delivery of instruction
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- Informing the college's Community of Practice about practical application of new pedagogical technology and theory
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- Encourage campus-wide peer communication and collaboration by providing both physical and virtual venues for faculty to converse about principles of teaching and learning
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- Promote the continual development of professionals by providing learning activities that heighten excellence in teaching and service.
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Function as a campus resource for teaching and learning by: |
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- Distributing key information on educational theory and practice
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- Maintaining instructional materials in a resource library focused on teaching and learning
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- Directing faculty and staff to campus, regional, and global resources that add value to instruction and learning
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- Acting as a liaison and advisor in joint efforts between the TRC and other divisions and departments to further the college's mission
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- Grow and support academic and college-wide initiatives such as Communities of Practice, General Education, Service Learning and Outcomes Assessment.
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Activities In Support of Strategies
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| Teaching Using Instructional Technology |
While online programs and programmatic components are articulated through traditional campus divisions, the Teaching Resource Center coordinates the college's various online components by providing: |
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- Technical support for faculty and staff in the design and delivery of academic programs, courses, programmatic components, and support services
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- Examples include one-to-one, email, and phone support for instructional design and use of instructional technology, course review through the online course design rubric; and conferring with program developers about effective practices
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- A hands-on lab environment for instruction in the implementation of technology in face-to-face and online classrooms
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- Examples include software for designing and delivering instruction; and course simulations for experimental and experiential study before application in the classroom or online
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- Timely information about technological innovations that impact teaching and learning
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- Examples include regular publishing of information that moves from theory to practice to on-campus use; and opportunities to learn about innovative instructional technologies through discussions and workshops
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| Improving Teaching |
The Teaching Resource Center proactively engages faculty and staff in addressing the needs of learners and the Learning Community by providing: |
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- Recurrent workshops, peer-lead programs, colloquia, and forums to fulfill educational goals, improve instruction and service
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- Examples of technology-based work includes signature programs using course management software (WebCT Intensive Training); context-appropriate technical training (Macromedia Dreamweaver for WebCT, Introduction to PowerPoint, and Excel Spreadsheets for Support Staff)
Examples of pedagogical topics include dealing with plagiarism, teaching methodologies, and classroom management techniques
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- Evaluation of innovative tools and techniques in the design and delivery of instruction
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- Examples include discussions with other departments and divisions concerning instructional technologies, including campus-wide availability and accessibility; and applying educational research in the classroom
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| Developing Professional Skills |
The Center actively encourages the ongoing development of professional skills among faculty and staff by: |
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- Offering programs that increase awareness and use of different modes of instruction through peer modeling (Teaching Squares observations; discussions during pedagogical workshops)
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- Raising awareness among faculty and staff of their dual roles as learners and instructors as well as supporting reflective practice regarding these roles
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- Supporting emerging leaders on campus by providing avenues to leadership ( BCC Leadership Academy )
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- Orienting new faculty to teaching on the college campus (New Faculty Orientation program)
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- Coordinating peer support events for new faculty (Teaching Squares observation activities)
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- Producing the BCC Faculty Handbook (printed and Web-based forms)
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- Verifying faculty and staff participation in TRC-sponsored professional development events and activities (certificates of completion)
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| Sharing Resources |
The Center promotes sharing information, skills, and resources among colleagues by providing: |
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- Face-to-face and virtual venues for faculty and staff to communicate, share, and discuss pedagogy, instructional technology, and campus culture
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- Examples include meetings, discussion forums, informal gatherings of faculty and staff to talk about employing different instructional methodologies; developing a potential setting for using blogs, wikis, and nascent technologies to expand shared knowledge and expertise online
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- A collection of pedagogical books, periodicals, and multimedia materials (the TRC Library)
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- Summations of key educational research impacting learners and teachers in print and Web-based forms (Center Stage, TRC Newsletter, and TRC Website content).
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