If you're looking for new and exciting ways to adapt information technology to the classroom or to your research, an upcoming annual symposium hosted by the HBCU Faculty Development Network may have the answers you seek.
The Fifth National HBCU Faculty Development Symposium is being held in Miami, Florida, on October 15-18, 1998. Themed "Networking to Enhance Diversity in a Technical World," the symposium is expected to attract more than 200 faculty members from historically Black institutions, according to organizers. The event is expected to feature a total of 125 presenters.
The Honorable William H. Gray III, president and chief executive officer of the College Fund/UNCF, will deliver the symposium's keynote address.
Dr. Stephen L. Rozman, a founder of the HBCU Faculty Development Network, says this year's focus on information technology reflects a major interest of network members. HBCU faculty are eager to learn how they can utilize computers and the Internet in their teaching and research, according to Rozman, a political science professor at Tougaloo College in Mississippi.
"Our members want to do more with technology," he says.
Information technology topics covered during the symposium will include using the World Wide Web in classroom instruction; information technology across disciplines; using technology to improve language skills; and getting HBCUs on the information superhighway.
While the general theme of the symposium centers on information technology, many workshops will cover other subjects. General topics include faculty development at community colleges; preparing HBCU students to teach AP (advanced placement) courses; strengthening HIV/AIDS pre-service education at HBCUs; and integrating service learning into the curriculum.
Dr. Phyllis Worthy Dawkins, the network's co-director, says information technology will be critical for HBCUs as they seek to provide diversity in the learning experiences of their students. Linking HBCUs to other colleges and universities with technology will represent one facet of that diversity push.
