by
Hal Schlais
Director, Learning Technology Development, University of Wisconsin System

The University of Wisconsin Learning Technology Development Council (LTDC) has,
in a little over four years, become a very important part of the institutional fabric in the
UW System. Starting as a bit of a patchwork quilt it has become much more of a
tapestry. There are two quite different aspects of this weaving - the warp and the weft
if you will - and a bit of reflection is certainly in order.

The metaphorical warp in our weaving is the UW System-wide Learning Technology
Development Council (LTDC). This system-wide group, with representatives appointed
by the institutions, provides a kind of longitudinal connectivity to the overall activities in
the learning technology activities in the System. The campus-based learning technology
centers (LTC) with their various day-to-day activities, interactions with the faculty and
students and myriad responsibilities become the weft in this fabric. Their individuality
creates pattern, texture, richness and strength in the instructional and learning support
structure in the UW.

The warp and weft, unlike in a real weaving, were aided simultaneously as the fabric
of learning technology support grew in the UW. In 1995 the first discussions began on
a System-wide initiative budgeting for learning technologies; several campuses had
already begun development of LTCs and their experiences were used as exemplars for
that successful process. Campuses were struggling to address emerging issues of faculty
development; in September of 1996 an informal group of campus representatives already
deeply immersed in the learning technology issues, designated themselves, although
un-anointed, the Instructional Technology Development Coordinators. They gathered
and began a series of discussions on system-wide strategies. The mission they gave the
LTDC in November of 1997, (http://www.uwsa.edu/olit/ltdc/) although in need of a bit
of updating now, is quite extraordinary in its timeliness even today. Meanwhile, the
budget process begun almost two years earlier resulted in a $2.3M allocation to the
UW System for "Curricular Redesign." Seventy-five percent of this allocation was
(and is) distributed to the institutions, with the remainder held centrally for system-wide
activities. The LTDC was officially appointed as a system-wide group by the provosts
and held its initial meeting in January of 1998. With the support of the budget allocations
to the campuses, a learning technology center (LTC) was established at each of our
campuses (http://www.uwsa.edu/olit/ltdc/ltdclist.htm)

So how do the warp and weft interact? System-wide resources support grants for
research, sponsor professional development activities, and facilitate communication
between the campuses. About the LTCs at the campuses, Donna Raleigh and Kathy
Finder from UW-Eau Claire say: "each LTDC in the UW System has its own niche
and fulfills a need for its campus. Within their unique environments, the LTDCs provide
common services: consulting, training, clearinghouse, research and experimentation
(http://www.uwsa.edu/ttt/raleigh2.htm) This happens with largely campus-based
resources.

At times it is almost impossible to separate the central, more system-wide functions
from many of the local campus functions. This is especially true with the support
provided to the LTDC as a system function by the campus LTC representatives. For
example, the Curricular Redesign Program (CRD) is a funding source for projects
whose goal is to positively affect many, if not all, of the campuses… a central function.
However, the Executive Committee of the LTDC (campus representatives) reviews
proposals to that program. And they have done quite well. Perhaps the earliest example
of such a project funded by the program is BioWeb, (http://www.bioweb.uwlax.edu/) a
web collaboration of UW biologists. A recent issue of Teaching with Technology Today
(TTT) (http://www.uwsa.edu/ttt/) highlights the progress of an impressive project on
Hybrid Courses involving Alan Aycock, Carla Garnham, Robert Kaleta, and others at
UW-Milwaukee (UWM). More recently, with CRD support, the UW System has
become a member of MERLOT, (http://www.merlot.org) "a free and open resource
designed primarily for faculty and students of higher education." Members from a
half-dozen disciplines across the UW are supported to participate in activities involving
their national peers. Leading edge research is supported by the Program. With the
support of CRD funding Rosemary Lehman, UW Extension, and Simone Conceição,
UWM, have been working with Patricia Ploetz at from UW-Stevens Point and the
repository project at the Academic Advanced Distributed Learning Co-Laboratory
(ADL Co-Lab) (http://www.academiccolab.org) They have constructed 351 American
Sign Language modules (aka learning objects (http://www.uwsa.edu/ttt/lehman2.htm )
with the near-future goal of making them available to all using emerging national
standards for content interchange.

TTT itself (http://www.uwsa.edu/ttt/) is a centrally-supported communication strategy
initiated by the LTDC and UW-Extension. Its goal is to convey more effectively how
learning technologies affect and enhance teaching, learning and research. As a pre-
publication site for scholarly work, its "Teaching Scholars Forum" section disseminates
UW research on technology and education. (See a recent article on Development and
Evaluation of the Virtual Oncology Patient by Jill M. Kolesar and Michael E. Pitterle,
School of Pharmacy, UW-Madison.) You may have noticed how many references I
have made to articles published there. Take a moment to peruse Teaching with
Technology Today, surf the archives, and test out the search feature. Consider
publishing your best work here. None of this happens without the institutional LTCs
and the folks who support them. I suggest you take a few minutes and go to the home
pages of a few of them (http://www.uwsa.edu/olit/ltdc/) To mix metaphors (from Donna and
Kathy's paper again) they are more of a Baskin-Robbins and "each campus LTDC has
its own flavor." To confirm the veracity of this statement, see what is available to faculty
and staff at Platteville from Tony Valentine's "Web training Center"
(http://www.uwplatt.edu/~web/wtc/). Surf to Andy Speth's workshop schedule at the
LTC at UW-Green Bay (http://www.uwgb.edu/learntech/Workshops/schedule.htm).
Mush to the far north and Kayt Sunwood's faculty development center, UW-Superior, and
get some help on the BlackBoard campus portal. Find out what's happening in the spring
series of professional development events at UW Madison offered by the Learning
Technology and Distance Education Group (http://wiscinfo.doit.wisc.edu/ltde/) You get
the idea… Knit one… Pearl two.