What Should We Know About Technology-Based Projects for Tenure and Promotion?

There have been recent discussions about a paradigm shift to new forms of scholarship for tenure and promotion. An 18-item survey was sent to a select sample of teacher educators to gain insights about what they and their respective institutions are doing to develop technology-based projects. Four reasons selected most frequently for creating technology-based projects are: (a) instructional impact, (b) professional recognition, (c) opportunities for research, and (d) motivation for end user. Respondents indicated that time and monetary support, equipment, professional-development opportunities, and recognition are needed to encourage faculty involvement with technology-based projects. Respondents suggested the following four criteria to judge the value of technology-based projects for tenure and promotion: (a) contribution to the field, (b) national recognition of the project; (c) well-researched data collected prior to development, and (d) local recognition of project. Recommendations for increasing the value of technology-based projects in tenure and promotion decisions and for garnering institutional support and professional association assistance are provided.