Fairleigh Dickinson University uses distance learning technologies not only to bring students to faculty, but also to bring faculty to students. Global virtual adjunct faculty members (GVF) bring a global dimension to the learning experience by offering different perspectives and observations to students on the issues under study. For example, GVF may be involved through:

• Participating in a threaded discussion on a course topic;
• Presenting relevant narrative material or case studies;
• Directing students to useful web sites within the Global Virtual Faculty member's area of expertise.

Each Global Virtual Faculty member will be assigned a campus-based partner, who will help shape and design his or her participation.

Six members of the University’s Global Virtual Faculty attended the Developing Global Competencies conference. Standing from left are Nilufer Bharucha (India), Jacob Lomranz (Israel) and James Gallagher (United Kingdom). Sitting from left are Thomas Chuaqui (Chile), Viorela Ciucur (Romania) and J.C. Lennard (United Kingdom).

The campus-based faculty member is responsible for the syllabus, primary material, assignments, and evaluation. All communication and participation is web-based, with the Global Virtual Faculty member remaining in his or her home environment.

Levels of Involvement

There are two levels of involvement of the Global Virtual Faculty:

Level One (L1) involvement includes consistent participation in a course throughout the semester (14 weeks). The average amount of time spent on-line is 1-2 hrs/week.

Level Two (L2) involvement includes participation in a course for a period of up to 7 weeks and is content-area based. Global Virtual Faculty members who prefer to participate in discussions on specific topics within a particular course, rather than throughout the semester, opt for this level of involvement. In such cases where those topics are not in consecutive order, the participation should not exceed a total of 7 weeks/semester. The average amount of time spent on-line is 1-2 hrs/week.

The nature of the participation for Level One or Two is mutually agreed upon by the main facilitator of the course (FDU faculty member) and the participating GVF and typically includes:

• Engaging in an on-going dialogue with students on a weekly basis in the form of threaded discussion;
• Postings of original writing on a topic under discussion;
• Sharing observations on a previously published or presented paper;
• Directing students to useful web sites within the global faculty member's expertise.

Nomination and Selection

FDU global virtual faculty are nominated by a member of the FDU faculty and/or by another Global Virtual Faculty member. Each nominee must complete an application form, provide a current CV and meet the following expectations:

• Demonstrated intellectual expertise and/or practical experience in a specific field,
• Ability to adapt to the course curriculum and Internet delivery modality,
• Adequate English proficiency,
• Access to appropriate hardware and software applications that allow consistent and effective web-based participation.

Additionally, each individual must agree to abide by the policies Fairleigh Dickinson University sets up for this program. After receiving completed materials, specific opportunities for participation will be discussed with each nominee. GVF appointments will be made after review and approval of the relevant academic department and/or dean and administered by the Office of Interdisciplinary, Distributed and Global Learning. Assignment of a GVF to a particular instructor/course will only be made with the consent of that course instructor.