The American Association of Higher Education (AAHE) has established the concept of the Teaching, Learning and Technology Roundtable (TLTR), as an institution- or campus-level forum for the development and promulgation of the concept of improving academic teaching and learning through applications of information technology. By fostering institutional communication and cooperation among all constituencies, the TLTR will be able to articulate realistic goals and implement institutional practices that will allow the goals to be fulfilled. The AAHE states the following six goals for TLTRs, adaptable to local circumstances:

• Two Categories of Faculty Represented 

Central to each TLT Roundtable is the active representation of faculty members who have already begun to use information technology in their teaching; and equally active representation of faculty members who have NOT yet begun to use information technology in their teaching. (Preferably, including faculty leaders from both groups.) Faculty representation might also include tenured/un-tenured, and full/part-time.
 
• Four+ Service Organizations Represented 

Active representation of key service/support organizations within the institution. (Minimum 4: library, computing/video/communications, bookstore, teaching/learning center or faculty development group-if there is one.) It is also desirable to include representatives from other relevant campus service organizations (e.g., student affairs, facilities management, disabilities, development) and from other relevant administrative divisions, or faculty governance organizations-everyone who can help understand current trends and support efforts to improve teaching and learning via information technology.
 

• Chief Academic Officer Engaged 

Active engagement of the Chief Academic Officer. (Possibly, but not necessarily, chairing the group; on some campuses it may be more practical to have a close colleague represent the CAO some of the time.)
 

• Student Views Available 

Through student representatives (or other means more appropriate for the institution) the needs, interests, and capabilities of undergraduates and graduate students are available to TLTR participants. 
 

• Inter-institutional Information Exchange & TLTR Coordinator 

Identification of a coordinator for the campus TLT Roundtable who will be responsible for liaison with AAHE and other campus Roundtables. Commitment to exchanging relevant information with other campuses, industry representatives, funding agencies; especially through participation in annual AAHE TLTR events, AAHE TLTR World Wide Web site and on-line discussions, regional activities, and collaborative inter-institutional projects.

 

• Long-term Institutional Commitment 

Issues related to teaching, learning, and information technology will not disappear or be "solved" in a short time. Consequently, the anticipated lifespan for each local TLT Roundtable is several years. (Even though the TLTR Program seeks to help each local Roundtable achieve some specific objectives within its first year of operation.)

FOR MORE INFORMATION 

• Subscribe to the Listserv AAHESGIT by sending a message to LISTPROC@LIST.CREN.NET that says SUBSCRIBE AAHESGIT FIRSTNAME LASTNAME 
• Browse the TLT Group Web Site at http://www.tltgroup.org/