Connection: Access through Technology

“It can be difficult for districts to obtain high-quality professional development,” says Phil McCullum, director of the UO administrator licensure program. “But if we bring expertise to them, busy educational leaders can concentrate on their work, rather than traveling to and from distant conferences and classes.”

The college reaches West Linn-Wilsonville through live video distance technology or “VTEL” classes. With similar programs connecting faculty members to educators in Bend, Medford, Salem, Portland, Klamath Falls, and even Alaska, the college helps professionals outside commuting distance work on topics such as how to use data to make decisions and to access world-class scientists in the classroom.

According to McCullum, “There’s a lot of demand on the single videography studio we share with the entire university, which limits the number of districts we serve. But—if we can build on the connection that the current technology and studio offers our partners—we can easily expand our reach. When school districts in Alaska became a thriving cohort, we realized we have the potential to reach professional practitioners anywhere in the nation.”

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