Strengthening Professional Development for IT Faculty

Information technology moves quickly, and lifelong learning is a necessity for anyone in the field. Recognizing the pace of change in industry, the Center of Excellence for Information and Computing Technology is playing a key role in Washington state by providing professional development opportunities for community and technical college faculty. Center Director Brianna Rockenstire shares her perspective on changes in industry and the need to keep current: “Technology changes rapidly and our IT faculty have the difficult task of reflecting those changes in the curriculum. Ongoing professional development for instructors is critical in ensuring that students have the right skills for today’s most in-demand jobs.”

As part of the support on offer, the Center will host a speaker series beginning in May for IT faculty from Washington’s community and technical colleges, providing learning opportunities in emerging technologies, industry trends, available resources and more.

The series kicks off Friday May 3rd with “Analytics and AI: The History of AI and Where We’re Going Next.” Read more about the event and the speaker, digital transformation leader Claus Jensen. Speaker Series events are free to attend, but registration is requested. Register here.

In addition, the COE provides funding for faculty professional development. In the past three years this annual program has awarded nearly $27,000 to a total of 23 faculty members from across Washington’s community and technical colleges. Faculty have pursued training on topics including full-stack development, data science, and network infrastructure, have set up hands-on labs for students, and attended conferences on the latest cybersecurity threats – all to better prepare their students for technology jobs.

Emma Kong, CIS/CS faculty at Highline College, used the opportunity to attend an international conference on system sciences. “This award meant a lot to me and it was important for my professional growth,” says Kong. “AI in cybersecurity practice and applications were discussed at the conference, and I was able to bring this related topic to my classroom.”

The next round of funding will be available in Fall 2024. Read more about the opportunity at the COE’s professional development page. Eligible activities include conference registration and travel, trainings, short courses or certifications, books and course material, subscriptions, tools and equipment and more.

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