The Instructional Design, Engagement and Support (IDEAS) team is thrilled to introduce the new group of 12 fellows for the 2023-2024 Instructional Innovation Fellowship (IIF). These fellows are all about innovation in teaching with technology, and we’re excited to kick off this journey with them. Our 12 fellows come from across UMass. They’ll meet monthly…
Student engagement is among the most discussed topics in online learning. Many instructors encounter difficulties in creating meaningful interactions and fostering active participation in virtual environments where physical presence is absent. So, how to engage students online? Key Takeaways: Online engagement is crucial for meaningful learning Online engagement encompasses behavioral, cognitive, and emotional dimensions Online…
Instructors often assume that teaching online is equivalent to teaching in-person; however, research has demonstrated that online teaching requires a distinct set of skills (Baran et al., 2011). The failure to effectively teach online frequently stems from instructors employing the same teaching practices as in-person instruction (Kreber and Kanuka, 2006), even though online teaching represents…
Starting the Fall of 2022, the IDEAS team had the privilege of facilitating knowledge exchange meetings for an exceptional group of innovative teachers at UMass. We wrapped up the first year of the Instructional Innovation Fellowship at the end of May in Spring 2023. Throughout the 2022-2023 IIF fellowship year, the ten fellows shared a…
In our seventh meeting of the Instructional Innovation Fellowship (IIF) on a bright and sunny Wednesday morning on April 26, three fellows presented their innovative tech tools and teaching ideas. Li Hou presented on using Kahoot and Quizlet for language learning, Brokk Toggerson demonstrated the use of analog tools in teaching, and Susan Boyer shared…
In the sixth meeting of the Instructional Innovation Fellows (IIF) this March, Li Hou and Kelsey Whipple presented on the topics of using Tik Tok in Chinese language learning to make language learning more relevant and connected to students and the importance of collaboratively creating classroom standards to promote safe and inclusive learning communities respectively.…
On a bright and crisp morning on March 8th, 2023, the 5th meeting of the Instructional Innovative Fellows convened at Bartlett Hall. Three innovative fellows shared their unique approaches to teaching, centered around promoting learners’ agency and co-creating educational resources for 21st-century learning. Kelsey Whipple proposed utilizing the University Museum of Contemporary Art (UMCA) to…
This Spring, the Instructional Innovation Fellowship (IIF) meetings resumed with exciting discussions on how to embrace technology, including A.I. tools and social media, to give students agency in their learning, and promote critical thinking skills and professional readiness. In our fourth meeting since the fellowship launched in the Fall 2022 semester, Elizabeth Mikesch showcased her…
As we get ready for the Spring 2023 semester here at IDEAS, we are reflecting on last year’s programs. In this blog, we look back at the Instructional Innovation Fellowship (IIF) launched in Fall 2022, and the various projects that fellows implemented in their classrooms to engage students in creative ways and promote learning. We…
Interested in learning about student engagement and collaborative tools or ways to make your classroom projects meaningful and impactful? The UMass Amherst instructors shared what they do during the third meeting of the Instructional Innovation Fellowship (IIF).
From FlipGrid to ScreenToGif to ‘ungrading’, three Innovation Fellows presented their ideas of creative teaching methods through exploring new technologies at the second meeting of the Instructional Innovation Fellowship.
The Instructional Design, Engagement and Support (IDEAS) team launched the Instructional Innovation Fellowship (IIF) in October 2022. The fellowship opportunity is offered to all UMass instructors who are engaging in innovative teaching practices to share their ideas with (and learn from) other UMass instructors. Ten instructors from departments across campus are meeting monthly to share resources and ideas. We will extend these innovative ideas to the wider university community through the Instruct at UMass Blog