April 13: Speaking of Teaching
ITUE teaching series to consider 'Silos, Bridges and Designing Stew'
9:24 a.m., April 4, 2012--The University of Delaware Institute for Transforming Undergraduate Education will continue its spring Speaking of Teaching series with a multidisciplinary presentation titled "Silos, Bridges and Designing Stew" from 2:30-4 p.m., Friday, April 13, in 006 Kirkbride Hall.
For more information or to register, visit the Speaking of Teaching series website.
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The April 13 presentation will feature four faculty members in a multidisciplinary panel that will focus on how they work to develop students' ability to communicate, respect and collaborate with other students who have different educational backgrounds and a fundamentally different knowledge base.
The panel includes Jules Bruck, assistant professor of plant and soil sciences; Terry Harvey, assistant professor of computer and information science and recipient of the UD Excellence in Teaching award; Tony Middlebrooks, professor of public policy and administration and recipient of the UD Excellence in Advising award; and Troy Richards, assistant professor of art.
In their problem-based learning (PBL) classrooms, studios and computer labs, these professors work to stimulate thought about an issue from all viewpoints and that ultimately culminates in a shared project. Best practices and challenges will be highlighted by each educator as well as how to manage collaborations to get the best student results.
Bruck and Middlebrooks have found overlap in their disciplines as landscape designers often go on into leadership roles, and leaders can use design thinking and processes to be more innovative and effective leaders.
They have collaborated on a variety of projects, courses and study abroad programs, and will discuss several of their collaborative endeavors including the challenges, tips and benefits of crossing disciplines.
Richards and Harvey integrate their art and computer science classes to produce video games and simulations. In the process, students who have never been asked to work or communicate outside their disciplines are required to overcome barriers of language and culture.
Art and computer science students design substantial projects together, develop work processes, checkpoints, and due dates, and host an open house to present their products. Students emerge able to understand the project from the perspective of the other discipline, and understand in a tangible way what “interdisciplinary” means.
The ITUE Speaking of Teaching series highlights UD faculty members from across the disciplines who have been honored for their outstanding contributions to education at the University and beyond. All of the spring’s featured presenters emphasize student engagement in their classes, reinforcing the idea that student-centered practices can lead to rich educational experiences in a variety of disciplinary settings.
The series is sponsored by the Institute for Transforming Undergraduate Education (ITUE), Center for Educational Effectiveness (CFEE), Academic Technology Services (IT-ATS) and Office of the Provost.