Technology grants boost distance learning at UF College of Education

University of Florida education technology instructor Richard Ferdig believes earning an education degree shouldn’t be confined to the College of Education’s classrooms at Norman Hall. Assistant Professor Ferdig and the college are working to provide more online education courses at the high school, undergraduate and graduate levels.

Ferdig, a faculty member in the college’s School of Teaching and Learning, recently received three technology-related grants totaling more than $106,000 that the college will use to increase its development and use of virtual schooling.

UF’s Center for Instructional Technology and Training awarded Ferdig an $8,750 grant to launch an Introduction to Educational Technology online course this summer. Students have an opportunity to learn about teaching and learning online in both lecture and lab settings. Ferdig launched the online lecture component in a trial run this summer with a smaller class, and will make any necessary adjustments before the regular fall class begins.

With a second grant worth more than $76,000 from the North Central Regional Educational Library, Ferdig will evaluate the effectiveness of virtual high school lessons taught online.