One example of rapid prototyping in education is the curriculum my district is using this year. It is called C-Scope and it is always changing. This curriculum is always having to be updated due to TEKS changing, feedback from teachers and administrators and correcting mistakes that may be in the curriculum. Curriculum in the educational setting is never "done" because expectations change, tests change and students change as well. So, I feel that my district curriculum fits the prototyping as mentioned in the reading.
If I were hired for the military, first of all I would be a little intimidated, but willing to take on the task. As a designer of training for the military, I would offer paper-based training guides or manuals. If technology is scarce where these training are taking place, I would find a way to offer the trainings over the phone or even skyping. This may pose some problems, but allowing the military to access the material at their convenience would need to be an option as well. I might also offer an online course set-up because this would allow the people involved in the particular training a way to access the information at their convenience. There are a number of ways that material can be shared when electronic access is not always available.
I know that my campus has been doing a lot of the Step-Up-To-Excellence methodology this year. We are facing a new standardized test called the STAAR this year. This test is different than the TAKS and as of now we have limited information about the STAAR. So, my campus as been reviewing information from previous given TAKS test to see where particular students might need help and project their success with the new STAAR. The teachers that are teaching the grade levels affected by the STAAR have been reviewing ways of teaching that work and did not work, where the students seem to struggle the most and asking for help from the rest of the staff. As a lower grade teacher, I am focusing on the vocabulary that my students need to be introduced too and making sure I am teaching the material in a variety of ways. This will help ensure that students can master the skills in various subjects when taught or assessed in a variety of ways. So, my campus started at in-service in August looking at how we can make our campus successful this year. We have been working on this plan the entire school year.
I found three universities that have an Office of Faculty Development. At Michigan State University the name for the faculty development is Office of Faculty and Organizational Development. This office is through the office of the provost and offers orientations, community building, organizational and leadership development, scholarship research, and faculty and instructional development. This office offers training in its various components once a week. Fayetteville State University calls its office of faculty development by that same name, but often abbreviates is to OFD. At Fayetteville, the office is through the social science department and offers leadership, advocacy for faculty, workshops, consulting services, classroom observations, and a lecture series. This facility offers training weekly as well. A third university I researched was Harvard University. Harvard refers to its faculty development as Faculty Development and Diversity. It is offered through the office of the provost and offers development and materials, scholarship research, appointment policies and practices, teaching and advising, work-life, benefits and perks, and preparing for an academic career. Training is offered once a week in this office as well. All three of these universities have a faculty development office, but two of them add more to their offices. At all three universities, there is ample opportunities for faculty to continue their education as well. I feel that even as faculty members one can never be finished learning.
Kristen Downs
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