New Active Learning in Flexible Classrooms sessions open in August!
All workshops to take place in Hodges Library, room 129. The registration form is located at the bottom of this page.
Over the summer of 2012, the Humanities and Social Science building (HSS) will be renovated and classrooms refitted as “flexible classrooms” with node chairs, ceramic boards, and a wall-mounted smart board. These rooms will look very different from the current rooms; the HSS new classrooms can enhance teaching and learning through active engagement and group learning. The University Provost has requested that the Tennessee Teaching and Learning Center provide support to faculty and GTAs. This instructor support will consist of a series of facilitated teaching faculty dialogues this spring, followed by a fall 2012 mid-term session to share ideas and address questions and concerns during the semester instructors are teaching.
Faculty and GTAs from all disciplines who regularly teach in HSS or anticipate teaching in HSS during the 2012-2013 academic year are strongly encouraged to participate in one of these teaching and learning dialogues.
These 2.5 hour sessions will be held in 129 Hodges Library. The first 1.5 hour will be devoted to a discussion of the learning potential of flexible classrooms, focusing on active and collaborative learning. The 2nd hour of the session will be devoted to installing Smartboard software and exploring the basics of using this new flexible classroom technology. Please bring your laptop to the session.
Wednesday August 1, 1-3:30
Thursday August 2, 12-2:30
Monday August 6, 1-3:30
Wednesday August 15, 10-12:30
Thursday August 16, 2-4:30
To sign up, please use the form at the bottom of this page.
Related Opportunities/Events:
Smartboard Training: Most HSS classrooms will have the instructor’s podium replaced by an equipment stack in a corner of the room and a wall-mounted Smartboard. Training in the use of these technologies will be provided on an ongoing scheduled and by-request basis by Office of Information Technology Instructional Support. Dates and registration for these training sessions is available at: https://oit.utk.edu/Training/instructor-led/instructor/Pages/default.aspx
Individual Faculty Consultations and Classroom Observations: The Tennessee Teaching and Learning Center offers confidential consultations and classroom observations on request. Faculty are encouraged to continue their development of interactive teaching and learning strategies through individual consultations with Tenn TLC staff. For an appointment, please email tenntlc@utk.edu.
Mid-term Sessions: During the semester in which the instructor is teaching, instructors will meet to assess their progress, share ideas, and allow facilitators to address questions and concerns and offer further support as needed. Sessions will be scheduled at numerous times in early October 2012 and early March 2013. A schedule of sessions will be posted on the Tenn TLC website (http://tenntlc.utk.edu/), and program participants will be notified by email.
Program Assessment: Before the mid-term session, instructors will ask students to complete a formal assessment. The assessment will reflect the degree to which instructors are adopting basic, interactive pedagogies in the flexible format. Other assessments could include end of semester comments (instructors will be encouraged to collect and report comments), direct observations, and student focus groups.