Huffington Department of Education, Innovation and Technology Overview

The department anchors education, one of our mission areas, as a discipline at Baylor College of Medicine with an academic focus on the science of teaching and learning. Members of the department contribute to and teach from a growing body of specialized knowledge related to how people learn and effective educational practices.

The following areas are represented in the department.

• Science of Teaching and Learning
• Curriculum Design and Assessment
• Learner-centered Teaching and Education Methodologies
• Online Teaching and Learning
• Digital Technology Applications to Education 
   

Faculty members’ scholarly work and teaching in the Huffington Department of EIT explicitly will focus on the science of teaching and learning, along with applied research that links theory with educational practices (for example, designing more effective learning tools or approaches) relevant to Baylor’s context as a health sciences university.

In university settings, faculty members typically are expected to teach or mentor students and trainees based on their specialized knowledge in a particular field or discipline (such as biology, engineering or medicine). Many of these individuals are skilled educators, but the primary focus of their research typically lies within their home discipline, not on contributions to the body of knowledge around teaching and learning. Some of these faculty members with disciplinary expertise in science, medicine or health professions may be interested in certificate programs or other opportunities in the Huffington Department of EIT, but most likely would not have appointments in the department. 

Up to 30 inaugural faculty members will be appointed during the first one–two years (Phase 1) of the department. We expect that most of these individuals will be education specialists, education researchers or educators within disciplines, professions or applied technology areas. Some faculty members in the Huffington Department of EIT might have day-to-day responsibilities situated in Education Cores, Academic Departments, the Center for Educational Outreach, Advanced Technology Cores or similar programs. 

Inaugural faculty members will be selected through an application process and appointed through normal institutional procedures involving the Office of Faculty Affairs. All members of the inaugural faculty will be expected to complete longitudinal professional learning experiences offered through the department and demonstrate competencies related to the training. All faculty members will develop active programs of investigation or projects in one or more areas related to disciplinary focus areas of the department.

The department will provide role relevant guidance and opportunities for faculty members to have an understandable pathway and appropriate pace for academic promotion and other recognition. Examples of departmental priorities include: 

• Support for Faculty Vitality
• Clear Paths for Advancement
• Learning Innovation Community
• Exchange of Ideas and Approaches

The Huffington Department of EIT will offer educational programs related to all five of its disciplinary areas of focus. 

Some of the department’s programs will be aimed primarily at members of the department. Other programs will be offered to learners inside and outside the institution. Examples of potential educational experiences to be offered by the department include the following. 

• Faculty or trainee education fellowship programs
• Certificates of added qualification (e.g., College-level STEM Teaching or Educational Program Evaluation)
• Longitudinal applied programs in areas such as “backward design” curriculum development or design of learning objects (culminating in a product or project)
• Certificates or eventual master degree programs aligned with expertise of faculty members (e.g., Biotechnology or Biomedical Science Teaching)

No, the department will not replace or subsume any existing faculty development programs. 

It is possible that individuals appointed in the department will participate as instructors in some institution-wide faculty development offerings.

The department will not be engaged in educational technology support or services. Its name—Education, Innovation and technology—reflects a unique opportunity to involve faculty members working in advanced research technologies (such as in the Advanced Technology Core facilities) and other areas to develop and disseminate new educational and training resources, practices and tools. 

Inclusion of “technology” in the name also acknowledges the significance of applications of technology to 21st century teaching and learning. In particular, the department of EIT will focus on effective practices for online teaching and learning, and digital approaches to education, such as the development of novel learning objects.

Basic operations of the department will be funded through institutional sources. 

Most, if not all, faculty members with primary appointments in the department already will have salary support covered by their existing Baylor responsibilities, such as having a major role in the Education Core for Instructional Design under the Office of the Provost. Funding of the department will not affect current distributions of T-dollars to departments or other funding in support of the education mission.

Faculty members will be expected to meet the same standards for academic appointment and promotion (instructor, assistant professor, associate professor and professor) as all other Baylor faculty members. See Baylor’s general guidelines. 

It is likely that most faculty in the Huffington Department of EIT will demonstrate excellence in education as their primary area, with research (which might include scholarly work in education) as the second area. Role-relevant guidance and mentoring will be provided to department faculty members based on their areas of expertise, so that all individuals have an understandable pathway and establish an appropriate pace for academic promotion and other recognition.
 

Appointees within the department are likely to have a range of institutional roles. They will be united by their contributions to the learning innovation community represented by the department and its faculty. 

Examples of roles (“day jobs”) of possible faculty members include: educational leaders with significant roles; individuals in Advanced Technology Core facilities who develop tools and educational resources related to the services provided by their Cores; individuals with roles in an Education Core or other educational service; community educators who develop models leading to community impacts; clinical or science educators who are deeply engaged in improving teaching and learning (active learning, curricular design, evaluation, etc.); or clinical research coordinators of large scale programs who develop new processes and tools for communication and recruitment. 

Beginning in the department’s second year (Phase 2), other faculty members will be eligible for appointment to the Huffington Department of EIT following an application process and, when appropriate, completion of a longitudinal professional learning experience offered through the department. 

These appointments will follow normal institutional procedures involving the Office of Faculty Affairs. Appointment will be open to individuals with expertise in education, science, technology applications or health and medicine, who participate or intend to engage in substantive educational scholarship or innovation. Appointed faculty will be expected to attend departmental knowledge sharing events (education seminars, etc.) and collaborate in development of at least one scholarly product or learning object per year.

The Huffington Department of Education, Innovation and Technology will carry out all expected functions of a Baylor department—first and foremost by serving as the academic home of education as a discipline. 

Unlike centers, which typically bring multiple disciplines together, the Huffington Department of EIT will focus on a single discipline (education or the science of teaching and learning). In addition, for members of the department, EIT will enable the alignment of institutional roles, training within their discipline, scholarly contributions and their departmental appointment. Like all Baylor departments, EIT will support advancement and recommend appointment and promotion of faculty members; appoint fellows, postdoctoral associates and research associates; deliver programs of instruction, certificates and degrees; stimulate and support research studies; and engage in professional activities in support of Baylor’s education mission.

No, the Academy of Distinguished Educators will continue as an honorary organization of faculty members in service of Baylor’s education mission.