Initiatives Relating to Teaching Innovation
Sponsored by: The Center for the Enhancement of Teaching & Learning (CET&L) and the Center fro Excellence in Learning (CEeL)
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The A&S iPad Project involves a cohort of faculty working to enhance teaching through the use of an iPad in a supportive community. In collaboration with the Center for the Enhancement of Teaching & Learning (CET&L), and the Center for Excellence in e-Learning (CEeL), this project aims to foster a culture of continuous growth in teaching with technology.
Sponsored by: The Center for the Enhancement of Teaching & Learning (CET&L)
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A&S Open Classroom Week provides the opportunity for A&S faculty and staff across disciplines to visit colleagueâs classrooms and watch how others approach teaching. Sponsored by the Center for the Enhancement of Teaching & Learning (CET&L) and the A&S Innovative Instructional Advisory Council (iiAC), Open Classroom Week promotes reflection and conversation about learning at the University of Cincinnati.
Everybody Can Code
Sponsored by: Communications Department
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According to Apple Computer, “Technology has a language. It’s called code. And we believe coding is an essential skill. Learning to code teaches you how to solve problems and work together in creative ways. And it helps you build apps that bring your ideas to life.” Under the charge of Dean Ken Petren from the College of Arts & Sciences, and in partnership with the School of Information Technology (College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services) and UC’s Service Learning program, close to two dozen students participated in an experimental course designed to combine learning how to code with apply that learning to the service of others. Dr. Michael Sharp, Professor Bekah Michael and Dr. Stephen Depoe worked with freshman students toward developing a real-life “app” that would reduce time wasted waiting for laundry facilities in the university dorms, a student-driven project that the class debated and eventually selected. Using Intro to App Development with Swift, the faculty helped the students to build a solid foundation in programming fundamentals, get practical experience with the tools, techniques and concepts needed to build a basic iOS app from scratch, and create something of value for themselves and fellow students.
“The Calculus Project”
Sponsored by: Department of Mathematics
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Calculus I/II is a large gateway course with students from many different programs. Based on the principle that mathematics is best learned by actually doing mathematics, over the last three years the Mathematics Department has implemented a large scale trial of âflippedâ classrooms. In Fall of 2017, this led to half of the sections being flipped, half being traditional lecture based, as well as a fully online course. In the flipped sections, students engage with online video modules pre-class to establish foundational knowledge which empowers them in the collaborative problem solving sessions done in class. The videos are produced by the Calculus team and use Lightboard technology which helps makes the videos engaging and personal.
To support this transformation of the pedagogical environment, we have used a dual coordination model, where one coordinator focuses on logistics such as organizing midterms while the other focuses on the pedagogy, aiming to create a community of instructors dedicated to pedagogical excellence. To measure the efficacy of these reforms, an extensive collection of data has been collected on student performance, engagement, and attitudes throughout the course.
The video playlist is here:
“Inquiry-based Labs”
The goal of the first year biology labs is that students will be familiar with how to design an experiment, interpret scientific data using statistical analyses and graphing, place their study into a broader context of the scientific literature, and communicate their results in a variety of scientific formats (manuscripts, oral presentations, poster presentations, and grant proposals).
To help students accomplish these goals, the curriculum focuses on using inquiry-based methods in which student learning is driven by their own intellectual ideas and understanding. Students are encouraged to think independently through guided discussion, come up with their own experimental designs, and engage in science as a team with their peers in the process. This varies from traditional labs in which lab manuals often dictate exact step-by-step directions, which can result in students only understanding how to do something. Alternatively, the lab manual is designed, and instructors are encouraged, to lead students to understand why they are conducting their experiments in a specific way.