Learning Faculty to Teach with an E-Learning Platform: Some Design Principles

The implementation of electronic learning platforms requires new competencies of faculty members. Institutions of higher education are challenged to support their staff to acquire those competencies. Training seems to be an interesting way to do so. This paper includes a brief description of a faculty development programme of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium). The evaluation of the programme - both by the trainers and the participants - clearly pointed at the necessity to carefully analyse the characteristics of the participants, as well as the competencies needed to integrate successfully an e-learning platform in one's teaching practice. This exercise led to the formulation of some design principles for faculty development programmes on e-learning platforms. The change of faculty members' teaching conceptions as well as the attention for their stages of concern can be pointed at as crucial elements of these principles.