Diane Gavin

Bhavna, I like to lean in on those faculty who have had a positive experience to counter the naysayers. I am always surprised by how often positive attitudes offset the negative ones.

Plan integration requires project management skills. Setting timelines, goals, and points of evaluation are critical for success. In my role, I also provide certificates of professional development to those educators who engage with implementing a new technology or service. It's important to provide a reward or an incentive to show faculty they are appreciated for being partners in the technology integration experience.

I'm piloting three tech initiatives right now and it's important to reach out to those faculty who are willing and interested as well as who have the right skill sets for the ed tech tools being piloted. One initiative connects strongly with AI, and it doesn't make sense to pilot this tool with educators who have a negative concept of AI. Early adoption during piloting means finding those who can evangelize about the tool or the innovation rather than negate the tool or innovation.

I like to set up a needs analysis with educators to see what type of tech tools or research tools they think they want versus the skill levels they have. We then work together to match up tools to skill levels, and as the faculty skills improve, then we can move up with more challenging tech tools. Far too many educators want to use tech tools or systems that have an incredibly challenging learning curve right out of the box. Building skills so educators can be successful allows for better attitudes toward educational technology.

Students often learn better when they are at play. Gamification allows students to engage in learning while playing, which does allow many students to keep working at the material within the game structure. The feedback received at each stage or level gives students a sense of mastery. Many will go back to lower levels and strive for improvement. While gamified learning does not necessarily translate well for adults, for younger learners it is a way to generate excitement for learning new skills.

Evaluate funding opportunities based on their relevance to your organization's mission, research priorities, and long-term goals. If a funding opportunity doesn't match the mission, research priorities, and long-term goals, it's probably not a good fit. Consider the potential impact, scalability, and sustainability of the proposed project or initiative to help determine fit. Also, assess the funding agency's track record, review their processes, and success rates for similar proposals. This will help you determine whether your institution or organization could be a good fit for a funding opportunity.