Karen R. Petitto

Instructional Design is the systematic design of teaching and learning, and Technology connects students to learning resources, to other students, to teachers, and to the technological resources beyond the classroom, beyond the textbook. The National Survey of Student Engagement studies the correlation between engaging students in the classroom and student learning and supports the integration of instructional technology in the K-20 curriculum (Kuh, 2003.) Teachers at all levels meet the challenge of student engagement every day in their work. How a teacher meets this challenge reflects their own teaching style.

The dynamic field of Technology Education has served as a portal for my professional and academic work in Instructional Design and Technology. I am fortunate to work at an academic institution that is both progressive in its use of information technology and committed to academic excellence. The setting at Wesleyan has allowed me to grow as an individual and to set a research agenda that is aligned with my teaching responsibilities.

As the Instructional Technology Specialist at West Virginia Wesleyan College, my primary objective is to support faculty in the integration of instructional technology in their coursework. This work ranges from doing discipline specific technology research to conducting curriculum development workshops, to being available for hands-on assistance in the classroom. In our unique environment where each faculty and student has a mobile computer, there are many options for computer use in the curriculum. Many administrative positions in IT are disconnected from the classroom environment; at Wesleyan the link to faculty and the implementation strategies that will be effective is very important. My work in the classroom and as a faculty development specialist has afforded me a vast array of Instructional Technology experience upon which to rely.

-----------------------------------------------

Updated January 15, 2006