Teaching and Learning
Classroom technology
University Media Services (IT-UMS) continued a 6-year cycle of upgrading A/V technology in centrally scheduled classrooms. The upgrades include conversion to fully digital systems and designs that will standardize A/V equipment operations campus wide. Four rooms in Purnell Hall and two auditoriums in Sharp Lab were updated over the summer, with upgrades to 24 rooms in Gore Hall scheduled for January. This work follows the first leg of the upgrade cycle in which 23 rooms in Alison Hall, Harker Lab, and Colburn Lab received the new technology.
UD Capture concierge-level service
Since 2009, faculty members have taken advantage of UD Capture, UD’s classroom recording service, available in all centrally scheduled classrooms upon request and, since 2013, the self-service recording studios in 309 Gore Hall and 208 Harker Lab. Beginning this year, a new concierge-level recording service is available in Faculty Commons, 116 Pearson Hall. Using a green screen backdrop, faculty can appear in the recording, superimposed on an image from a laptop or document camera. During the recording, faculty can switch which inputs are recorded. Contact Faculty Commons to reserve the studio at faculty-commons@udel.edu or (302) 831-0640.
"Keep Calm and Teach On"
Over 100 faculty members participated in the new "Keep Calm and Teach On" series of workshops (Aug. 18-Aug. 27) to help prepare for the fall semester. Faculty Commons partners led sessions on over 20 topics, including learning the basics of Canvas, developing effective rubrics, getting updated on new iClicker software, and connecting with Library resources. Based on the reception to this event, faculty can look forward to a similar offering next year.
First Friday Roundtables
The partners of Faculty Commons offer a monthly discussion series, First Friday Roundtables, to provide an opportunity for UD faculty members and graduate students to examine teaching, learning, and assessment practices and issues.
The first session, Sept. 11, focused on campus resources for new faculty and included guests Lynn Okagaki, deputy vice provost, and Chris Lucier, vice president for enrollment management.
The rest of the fall semester First Friday Roundtable sessions will address topics related to student motivation:
- Oct. 2: Spark learning with community engagement (Register)
- Nov. 6: Create teachable moments with the help of student response tools (Register)
- Dec. 4: Considering the right things: Motivate students to evaluate teaching fairly (Register).
For more information, visit the Center for Teaching and Assessment of Learning’s website.
Other upcoming Faculty Commons events
This fall, Faculty Commons partners will be hosting several other events including Game Night; Discover Delaware: Roots, Rifts, Reconciliation; a Book Club meeting for In Defense of a Liberal Education (Oct. 7); and several events during Open Access Week (Oct. 19-Oct. 25). For an updated list of events and times, visit the Faculty Commons website.
