Schedule

Varsity Hall Lobby

Varsity Hall  |  Innovating Learning, Impacting Lives

Welcome Address and Panel Moderation
Christopher Olsen, Interim Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning

Panelists
Craig Benson, Office of Sustainability, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Geological Engineering
Sarah Davis, The Center for Patient Partnerships, Law
John Hawks, Anthropology

What will constitute student learning experience as we move forward in a new century and in an increasingly interconnected world? As we map our way to the future, we must consider the myriad of opportunities from among pedagogies we already know and be open to approaches we can’t even yet imagine. How will different strategies best integrate with one another and with the diverse learning needs and styles of students? How will education serve the greater good of societies locally and around the world, both individually and collectively?

This panel discussion will provide a glimpse into the range of exciting innovations in education that are happening on the UW-Madison campus, discuss how innovations can positively impact students, and demonstrate how new approaches to teaching and learning will further extend the Wisconsin Idea for the 21st century. The future of higher education is now.

Landmark Room  |   Done with PowerPoint? Think Again?

Steven George Oakes, School of Pharmacy

PowerPoint is the preferred presentation method of both students and teachers in American universities. However, criticisms that this presentation form leads to oversimplification, student passivity/disengagement, and tension with instructor pedagogical philosophies have highlighted its shortcomings. This presentation will utilize a synchronized, three-projection PowerPoint format that responds to the criticisms aimed at PowerPoint presentations. Participants will directly experience the relatively simple construction of this multi-projection system, as well as the options and advantages that it affords.

Northwoods Room  |  MOOCs: A Sustainable Innovation? | Learning Circle

Linda Jorn, DoIt Academic Technology
Jeffrey Russell, Division of Continuing Studies
Cheryl Diermyer, DoIt Academic Technology

Currently MOOCs are seen as a disruptive innovation—variable quality, easy access, and affordable. Join this learning circle to discuss MOOCs through the lens of educational innovation efforts which empower us to view disruptive innovations as potential catalysts for change: change that may or may not create breakthrough models for future learning environments and student success.

Fifth Quarter Room  |  Smart Media

Jon McKenzie, English, DesignLab

This workshop focuses on “smart media”: emerging genres of scholarly communication such as podcasts, graphic essays, Pecha Kucha, and professional blogs. After introducing and showing works by students and others, we will address ways to incorporate smart media assignments into courses, identify important models and technology resources, and provide frameworks for instructor and peer-based evaluation. While focused on teaching and learning, this workshop also offers design insights related to professional development and the shift from academic publishing to scholarly communication.

Wisconsin Idea Room  |  The Learning Record: Beyond Portfolios

James Brown, English

This workshop will demonstrate the Learning Record, a portfolio-based assessment tool that asks students to observe their learning development, collect evidence of that development, and build an argument for their own grade. Based on specific learning objectives and grade criteria, students use these arguments to analyze and evaluate the work they complete throughout the semester. The workshop leader will explain the system, show examples of student work, and provide ample time for discussion.

Alumni Room  |  Virtual Research Trips in Livestock Production: Learning Circle

Jess Reed and Angelina Smith, Animal Sciences
Alan Barnicle and Emmanuel Contreras, Transform Teaching Through Technology

In this learning circle, we will use an example of how we used technology to simulate research abroad as a launch pad for discussion. Participants will learn about a specific example of a collaboration between CALS International Programs and Animal Sciences that used digital media assignments to hone several high-impact learning outcomes: a) Collaborative work—students have to come to solutions together b) Inductive inquiry and reasoning—students have to learn to ask the right questions c) Synthesis of information—students have to integrate what they learn into cohesive narratives. Participants will take away an understanding of how using campus resources such as Engage, the Digital Media Center, and other campus computer lab facilities can assist them in accomplishing their teaching and learning goals.

Agriculture Room  |   Blended Learning Won't Work for My Class Because... | Learning Circle

Steve Cramer, Engineering
Greg Moses, Engineering Physics
Elizabeth Harris, Wendt Commons
Trina McMahon, Civil & Environmental Engineering, Bacteriology, Delta Program
Barry VanVeen, Electrical & Chemical Engineering

Blended learning is alive and well on the UW-Madison campus and a great deal has been learned about successful implementation. Yet concerns and misinformation persist because faculty/instructors don’t understand what has already been tried and learned. Join this learning circle with faculty, staff, and administration from the College of Engineering to hear some successful examples and to discuss the pros and cons of blended learning.

Varsity Hall  |  Interest-Driven Learning: The Case of Games

Constance Steinkuehler, Games+Learning+Society, Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, Curriculum and Instruction

Over the last decade, video games have emerged as a leading technology medium for educational innovation. Games have become a “go to” way to engage both youth and adults in intellectual knowledge and skills across domains as diverse as language learning, science, and civic engagement. Nearly twenty ivy league and tier one research universities across the states now include programs on games for impact. And for the first time we see games for more than a high score compete successfully against commercial titles on the open market. But what’s behind all this excitement? What are the core mechanics that enable games to function as a vehicle for thinking and learning? Scholars have argued for the game mechanics, the immersive narratives, the technology platforms, and the fandom communities of consumers themselves as the core features for what makes games effective. In this session, I will argue that the root cause behind the power of games is the fact that they are interest driven. 

Games are effective technologies for learning because games are architectures for engagement. Designed well, games beguile the player in the content and concepts they represent, mobilizing problem-solving processes toward puzzling through the content. In the words of game scholar Ian Bogost, games are a medium of persuasion. In the context of a classroom, the game’s role is to illustrate the core intellectual concept of the domain to be taught, and to seduce the players into believing its solution and understanding is worth the courtship. In this presentation, I will discuss how games function as an architecture for engagement based on their fundamental design principles and thereby serve as a leading-edge example of interest-driven learning. Using empirical studies from my research and those of my colleagues, I will highlight how games recruit performance and persistence from learners in the face of challenge through the art of persuasion, good design, and playfulness.

Varsity Hall  |  Fueling Innovation: Discussion and Networking Around Educational Innovation

Sponsored by the UW Teaching Academy

In conjunction with the University-wide celebration of the Year of Innovation, the Teaching Academy is hosting facilitated lunch discussions to explore our varied conceptions of educational innovation. Please note: If you didn’t pre-register for the luncheon, several restaurant options are available on the lower level of Union South. You are welcome to bring your meal and join the discussions.