Through the Dashboard, DE instructors are able to post important class information and documents that students can view as they complete the Pathway to Distance Education, our online orientation designed to inform current and prospective students about DE at UH.
Four weeks before classes begin, DE instructors are notified about the Pathway, and how to use it. Using the latest enrollment information, the DE Student Services Office then sends out e-mails two weeks prior to the semester informing students about the Pathway. Since most students are unable to access Blackboard until the first day of classes, this allows them to obtain crucial information that can help them plan their semesters and whether to enroll in the class.
Also, the DE Student Services Office can help you with room reservations for on-campus meetings, as well as coordinating proctoring services for students taking classes outside of the area.
For DE instructional support concerning your educational technology, please visit the Office of Faculty Development and Instructional Support.
The Office of Faculty Development and Instructional Support (FDIS) provides leadership, support and programs designed to further the delivery of meaningful education to the University of Houston community.
FDIS team members work collaboratively with departments and colleges to provide instructional support services, and to develop strategies which help our faculty and staff deliver courses that adhere to sound educational principles and industry standards.
FDIS is responsible for, among other things, supporting faculty in the use of technology and teaching at UH. This includes courses delivered face-to-face, hybrid courses, online courses, and other means of delivery through distance education.
FDIS works with academic colleges, faculty and other administrative units to coordinate course and program delivery, and to provide faculty development opportunities. Here are the some of the services and programs that FDIS offers instructors:
Instructor Toolbox
The Instructor Toolbox provides instructors with software that can be utilized to improve their course delivery.
Instructional Designers
Instructional Designers work with DE instructors to help design their classes through Blackboard and other software.
Graduate Technology Assistants
Graduate Technology Assistants provide all levels of help and different skills including developing PowerPoint presentations, supporting Blackboard, design a classroom website, help scan material, and help with creating graphics.
The GTA program is administered by Educational Technology and University Outreach, and is a partnership between the academic colleges and Office of the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Instructor Events
Throughout the year, FDIS sponsors large instructor events to inform instructors of the latest educational technologies, and how to effectively implement them into their courses.
Instructor Workshops
Also, FDIS conducts more regular and smaller instructor workshops on a variety of instructional topics, such as using Blackboard, delivering presentations and conducting meetings in an online environment, creating effective quizzes and exams, and preventing plagiarism.
Faculty Development Initiative Program
The Faculty Development Initiative Program (FDIP) is a program offered through Academic Affairs to give faculty an opportunity to receive support for curricular innovations using technology. Each year Academic Affairs provides approximately $350,000 to $450,000 to fund grants to individual instructors who are engaged in innovative teaching with technology.
FDIP awards are based on proposals submitted by either an individual for an FDIP A Grant (up to $4,000) or to a team for an FDIP B grant (up to $25,000). Funding may be used for course development, salaries for graduate assistants and support staff, instructional equipment, hardware and/or software, or to acquire other necessary academic technology materials to complete the project. Instructional Design resources are also available for faculty as they develop and implement their projects.
Please contact Nancy Herron at ndherron@uh.edu or call 713-743-5096 if your college or department is interested in adding additional distance education classes or degree programs.
