Center for Teaching, Learning and Research

From a radical idea first proposed in 2008, the integrated concentration in science (iCons) program at UMass Amherst has evolved into a living, breathing, academic program that has uprooted expectations about what undergraduate students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are capable of achieving.

One of the most interesting and potentially transformative technological trends concerns two separate movements. On the one hand, we have virtual reality, a 1990s dream that has suddenly become practical through expensive devices and smartphones. VR experiences, stories, experiments, technologies, and practices are rapidly growing, with a series of educational uses. On the other hand augmented reality (AR), the practice of tying digital data to the physical world, has quietly matured as mobile devices bring us information through Google Maps, Yelp, and more.

Assistant Professor Rob Moeller will discuss some of the teaching techniques he’s incorporated into his courses based on his experience working as a faculty mentor at MiddCORE over the past two summers. This interactive session will focus on best practices for group work, community engagement projects, activity-based classroom sessions, and case study based learning. (RSVP for lunch at go/pedagogy)

Join us for a conversation on mid-term assessments and their value to both students and faculty. We will be hearing from students and faculty on their experiences with mid-term assessments and why they believe they can be constructive to the educational process.

Co-sponsored by the Student Educational Affairs Committee

In inquiry-based learning (IBL), most class time is devoted to student-centered activities. In this workshop, participants will work through a sequence of questions on a mathematical topic accessible to all. We will also discuss recent research on the efficacy of IBL and other active learning environments, and explore ways that faculty can incorporate inquiry-based principles into their own classrooms. (RSVP for lunch at go/pedagogy)

CTLR Pedagogy Series—From Theory to Practice
Presenter: Heather Stafford, Academic Technology Group

Encouraging collaboration across different cohorts of students can be helped along by utilizing some tools within Canvas that allow conversations and work to extend beyond the limitations of a an in-class session. In this workshop we’ll explore different functions within Canvas that can provide additional pathways towards connection and conversation.

The November 29th Behind the Scenes lunch talk from 12:15-1:15 will be presented by Professor Mike Dash (Psychology) along with student research assistant Kevin Serrao ‘18. They will discuss his development of web-based, interactive tutorials that enable students to explore the relationships between chance and common statistical tests, helping students develop an intuitive understanding of how statistics are used to make conclusions despite the inherent uncertainty of inferential tests. The talk will be held in the Wilson Media Lab.

Join us for an informal discussion about digital literacies with Henry Jenkins, University of Southern California. He will lead us in a conversation about how high school graduates are arriving for college with transformed literacies fostered in both formal and informal educational experiences, and consider how a liberal education might best address our current and future students.
Lunch will be provided.

From drone mapping to 3D animation, the Digital Liberal Arts initiative has supported nearly 50 digital projects and professional development opportunities for faculty, staff, and students from every division of the College. Come by the Open House on Friday, December 4th, from 3:30-5:00 P.M., in the newly renovated Wilson Media Lab, for a peek at some ongoing and completed projects that feature faculty, staff, and student collaborations. We’re excited to celebrate past accomplishments and hear your ideas for future collaborations we can support through the Digital Liberal Arts initiative.