TOPkit: An Online Faculty Development Resource

Authors

Shelly Wyatt PhD, University of Central FloridaFollow
Wendy S. Howard, University of Central FloridaFollow
Ashley Salter, University of Central FloridaFollow
Jessica Tojo, University of Central FloridaFollow

Abstract

Faculty preparation is a critical success factor for any program that involves online teaching and learning (Kane, Shaw, & Pang, 2016; Merillat & Scheibmeir, 2016; Parker, Maor, & Herrington, 2013). Although experts in their respective fields, faculty may not have studied online pedagogy or instructional design before stepping into the onsite or online classroom. While few educators would argue against offering faculty development, institutions grapple with limited funding and campus resources (e.g., limited space, scheduling constraints) for faculty training. To pool resources for this purpose, the State University System of Florida Board of Governors committed to sponsoring a program to develop an online toolkit and annual workshop to support faculty development efforts statewide. The result was The Teaching Online Preparation Toolkit (TOPkit), an open educational resource (website and two free, customizable online faculty development courses) that faculty developers anywhere can use. This article describes the online toolkit and specifically highlights the toolkit’s pair of sample courses that may be downloaded and customized.

Recommended Citation

Wyatt, Shelly PhD; Howard, Wendy S.; Salter, Ashley; and Tojo, Jessica (2018) "TOPkit: An Online Faculty Development Resource," FDLA Journal: Vol. 3, Article 5.
Available at: https://nsuworks.nova.edu/fdla-journal/vol3/iss1/5