About FAST3
Mission
The Faculty and Staff Technology Training Team (FAST3) was formed in
1996 as a consortium dedicated to providing state-of-the-art training
on computers, software, and related technology for the faculty and staff
at the Urbana campus. Working as a team, the FAST3 partners offer:
- a comprehensive and coordinated curriculum
- the best qualified instructors for the subject matter
- high-quality learning materials
- training to meet the needs of the Urbana campus, and beyond
- on-going evaluations of training effectiveness
- multiple training locations with small classes
- a learner-friendly classroom that encourages active participation
- no duplication of training efforts
Funding of FAST3
The start-up funding for FAST3 was provided by a grant from the Educational
Technologies Board. All other expenses are covered by class fees.
Fees for FAST3 Classes
FAST3 is self-supporting. Training classes are offered at an hourly rate
that recovers our direct out-of-pocket costs, plus a materials fee that
is included in the total fee per class. Since FAST3's inception, we've
had to raise workshop fees to compensate for increases in what we pay
for computer lab usage (our lab fees increased 28% in 2000, plus an
additional 11% in 2005), as well as increased software and marketing costs. However, these
increased fees are helping pay for upgraded (faster) computers, further
enhancing your training experience.
As much as we'd like to be able to offer our training on a no-charge
basis, that just isn't possible. We are not a fully-funded entity—–
an Educational Technologies Board (ETB) grant in 1996 funded only the
start-up costs. Since that time, the FAST3 consortium has had to operate
on a "cost recovery" basis. Among other things, your training
fee covers the cost of advertising (several flyers per year), the instructors,
workbooks (we pass along our quantity discount), equipment maintenance,
software, course development, staff support, and a multitude of related
expenses. We think, however, that you'll agree that every dollar invested in this training is returned many times over.
Consortium Members
The FAST3 consortium brings together the training efforts of two primary
providers to best serve the interests of the Urbana campus:
Both of these units have independently provided computer training to
campus users in past years.
Associate members of FAST3 have included:
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