By Jamie Buzek
UHCLIDIAN STAFF

Shujen Chang, assistant professor, SOE.
photo by Angela Stone














Shujen Chang, assistant professor for the School of Education, won the Nova Southeastern University Award for outstanding practice by a graduate student in instructional design last month.

She received the $250 award at the Association for Educational Communications and Technology International Conference in Dallas Nov. 14. Chang came to UH-Clear Lake this semester from Florida State University, where she developed a program called "Online Mentor Training Phase II: Using Blackboard 5.0." This program, the second in two phases, trains mentors to help students and teachers with online courses at FSU.

A mentor is like a teaching assistant. Mentors attend a three-day training for Phase I and meet with faculty, staff and other mentors. Phase II training is all online. Mentors learn what courses will be like for both the students and the teacher. Mentors are then able to assist both students and teachers with the courses.

"Mentors help online instructors," Chang said. "They play three roles: subject expert facilitators, online learning community initiators and online technical support."

So far, FSU has about 46 certified mentors who assist with two or three courses at a time.

The software is used to train mentors to assist with bachelor of science courses in computer science and interdisciplinary social science. It is also used to train nursing and Navy personnel.

Chang currently teaches online courses at UH-Clear Lake in Cognition and Instruction, and Web Design and Development.

These courses are easier to teach and take online than in the classroom, because you have more time to think about the material, Chang said.

"We were very impressed with Dr. Chang's credentials, to have her win an award such as Outstanding Practice in Instructional Design just validates our decision [to hire her]," said Dennis Spuck, dean of the School of Education. "We are pleased to have Dr. Chang with us. She is already bringing national recognition both to herself and our instructional technology program."

Chang would like to see UH-Clear Lake develop a similar mentorship program. She says that the university is a great candidate for such a program because it has such an advanced education and technology department.

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