The University’s Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) prides itself on experimental learning.
Located in 201 University Hall, the CTL’s mission statement is to support education to achieve a creative learning environment through innovative teaching techniques while incorporating technology in the classroom.
The CTL was opened in 1996 as part of former University President Sidney Ribeau’s Community Building Initiative. Dedicated to providing professional development of all University educators, the CTL is divided into eight distinct learning communities that focus on exploring new learning methods.
Anthony Fontana is a CTL community member who is also the co-facilitator of the pedagogy and scholarship in the Second Life program. The University’s Second Life program is an online learning center where students can interact with their instructors as a digital avatar in a virtual world.
“Second Life is a multi-user virtual environment,” Fontana said. “It’s sort of like the Sims, except it is an online world where educators can create classrooms and share information. It’s like Facebook in 3-D.”
Paul Cesarini is chair of the VCT department and the leader of another learning community program, Active Learning and the Transition to Digital. His expertise in the field of active learning will lead a topic session titled “The joy of teaching large lecture hall classes.”
“We will be focusing on the idea that since you’re teaching a large lecture hall doesn’t mean you’re limited to talking at students for 75 minutes twice a week,” said Cesarini. “There is a lot more to teaching than that. There are better ways of engaging your students than just the typical scantron exams and large lecture hall teaching styles.”
Representatives from each separate learning community will be able to boast their teaching methods at this Friday’s Teaching and Learning Fair. Taking place at 9:00 a.m. in the Union Ballroom, the CTL will celebrate the educating achievements of the different learning communities while providing individual booths for student involvement.
Admission to the Teaching and Learning Fair is free and will be open to all educators and students.
At 11:00 a.m., the event’s keynote speaker will welcome Kathleen Yancey, a pioneer in the field of developmental learning.
A professor of English at Florida State University, Yancey is also the author of “Learning by Design: The Role of ePortfolios in Fostering Intentional Learning.” Her presentation will examine the importance of collecting a portfolio and being able to learn from one’s personal reflection of what they have learned.
Karen Meyers, the assistant director at the Center for Teaching and Learning, said Yancey’s studies have made her teaching techniques one of the most effective in furthering a student’s learning experience.
“A portfolio’s most powerful use is when students put their work in one of these folders … they spend some time reflecting on what they learned,” Meyers said. “Essentially, it’s thinking about learning and making connections through their own individual progress.”