SPC : Instructional Innovation Center

Instructional Innovation Center

Supporting Faculty & Staff Through Innovation

St. Philip’s College Instructional Innovation Center (IIC) advances teaching and learning by equipping faculty and staff with the skills, confidence, and support needed to excel. We cultivate a climate of innovation through professional development opportunities that strengthen instructional practice, integrate emerging technologies, and enhance workflow effectiveness to elevate educational excellence across the college and better serve our students.

Range of Services

Faculty and staff certifications
Faculty and instructional development activities, including faculty consultation services
Resource rooms for faculty and staff
Workshops
Instructional technology support
Media production facilities

Professional Development

Workshops, conferences, and learning opportunities that promote instructional excellence.

Instructional Technology

Support for Canvas, online teaching, multimedia, and educational technology.

Teaching & Faculty Resources

Programs that prepare faculty for online instruction and recognize teaching excellence.

Are you an SPC faculty or staff member?

Visit the Instructional Innovation Center's AlamoSHARE page:

Access IIC AlamoSHARE (Sharepoint Page)

Live Zoom support

Availability: Monday through Friday.
Support Specialists & Instant Links:

Reese Hearn (Sr. Multimedia Specialist - PT): Available 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Join Reese’s Zoom Room

Jerryl Lowe (Instructional Designer): Available 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Workshop schedules

The Instructional Innovation Center (IIC) hosts events and workshops annually to support faculty and staff professional development.

Key Events & Activities:

Professional Development Week (including Call to Conversation): Held every August and January.
Employee Development Day: Held every October.
Fiesta of Teaching Technology
Administrative Professionals Workshop
Weekly Workshops
Walk-in Technical Support

View the Schedule: To check the latest dates, details, and schedules, please visit the IIC Events Canvas Course.

Canvas Training

Instructure Canvas is St. Philip's College's standard Learning Management System (LMS) for online, hybrid, and web-enhanced classes.

Canvas Training Course: A fully online, self-paced course designed to introduce you to Canvas tools for face-to-face, online, and hybrid environments.
Requirement: Completion of this online Canvas Training course is all that is required to begin using Canvas in your face-to-face classes.
How to Register: Sign up by emailing Jerryl Lowe, Instructional Designer, at jlowe@alamo.edu.

Distance Learning Certification

To teach online or hybrid courses at SPC, faculty must complete the official certification programs.

Distance Learning Certification Program: Offered quarterly for faculty who will be assigned online or hybrid classes next semester (requires department Chair approval).

Requirements: Includes an online course covering pedagogy and best practices, course development in a sandbox, and a presentation before a Course Readiness Review panel. Participants must also complete the Canvas Training course.
Registration: Contact Jerryl Lowe at jlowe@alamo.edu.
Certified Faculty: You can view the list of certified faculty here.

Distance Learning Certification Refresh Workshop: Recommended for SPC faculty who have been certified to teach online/hybrid courses for 5 years or more.

Details: Covers online pedagogy, accessibility, and an introduction to Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality (AR/VR), ending in a course design review of your sandbox.
Registration: Contact Jerryl Lowe at jlowe@alamo.edu.

Advanced Distance Learning Certification Program: For certified faculty to learn advanced tools.

Details: Explores advanced online templates, the SAMR Model, instructional technology, and course reviews using the OLC OSCQR Scorecard.
Registration: Contact Jerryl Lowe at jlowe@alamo.edu.

Master Teacher Certification

Established in the Fall of 1998, this program helps faculty engage in reflective and creative exercises, collaborative learning, and cross-discipline dialogues to improve classroom practice.

Availability: Offered every Fall and Spring semester.
Program Requirements:

Completion of an online course containing 5 content topics.
Participation in 2 required face-to-face discussion sessions.
Collaborative group activities, a reflection report, and a teaching philosophy statement.

Recertification: Certification must be renewed every two years. Contact the IIC for renewal process details.
Certified Teachers: View the directory of currently certified Master Teachers: Master Teacher Directory.

Resource Library

Self-service guides and materials curated by the IIC staff to help you master new teaching technologies:

IIC Resources (Canvas, Office 365, etc.): Access helpful guides developed by IIC staff in the IIC Resources Canvas Course.
Teaching and Learning Resources: Explore pedagogical guides and materials in the Teaching and Learning Canvas Course.
General Inquiries: For any additional questions or support, contact the IIC staff at spc-iic@alamo.edu.