On Wednesday April 19, 2017, Innovative Teaching Fellows presented at the Paul C. Reinert, S.J. Center for Transformative Teaching & Learning’s 6th annual Learning Studio Symposium. Past and current Innovative Teaching Fellows shared their experiences with course redesign and with teaching in the Learning Studio – Saint Louis University’s award-winning, state-of-the-art teaching space designed by a team of faculty and students as part of the Herman Miller Learning Spaces Research Program. Faculty who presented at the Symposium included:
- Amber Knight, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Political Science, presented thoughts about how the space of the Learning Studio impacted her course, Universal Design in Practice.
- Jeffrey Wickes, PhD., Assistant Professor in the Department of Theological Studies, presented on key aspects of designing and teaching his course, “Music, Poetry, and Religious Identity.”
- Dr. Simone Bregni, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Italian and the Coordinator of the Italian Studies Program in the Department of Languages presented on his course, ITAL 1200, Intensive Italian for gamers. His presentation explored the challenges and the successes of developing a content-based, focus-interest-driven hybrid/blended elementary intensive language course through backward design and scaffolding.
- Amber Hinsley, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication, detailed how her students used the physical transformability of the classroom to create collaboration spaces that fostered greater engagement in her course, Social Media as Professional Tools.
- Cathleen Fleck PhD., Associate Professor in the Art History Program of the Fine and Performing Arts Department, presented on a new course she created, ARTH 2070 Art and the Body. The course examined the study and depiction of the divine and human body in art from medieval to modern times as a general introduction to art history with a focus on how art and science interact and on how the body has been perceived in art.
- Chris Carroll, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering within Parks College of Engineering, presented on how wireless presentation capabilities of the Surface Pro coupled with skeleton files changed the dynamic of his course, Structural Analysis.
- Dyan McGuire, Ph.D., J.D., Associate Professor in the Criminology & Criminal Justice Program in the School of Social Work, shared some highlights of her course, CCJ 2050: Multiculturalism for the CJ Professional, and the Learning Studio helped support the content of her course.
After the symposium, attendees met to talk more about the Innovative Teaching Fellowship to as well as teaching in the Learning Studio. Videos from the symposium will be posted on the Reinert Center Vimeo page.
For more information about the Innovative Teaching Fellowship and the Learning Studio, visit the CTTL website. The next call for applications will be announced in late August, 2017.
The Notebook 