UNF faculty/staff create “Teaching Innovations and Exemplars” website
The University of North Florida’s department of Art, Art History, and Design, in collaboration with the Office of Faculty Enhancement (OFE) and the Center for Instruction and Research Technology (CIRT), has launched the “Teaching Innovations and Exemplars” website that shares the imaginative teaching innovations developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic by UNF faculty.
The featured innovations are intended to help spark curiosity and inspire fellow educators to adopt creative teaching methods and practices – not just during COVID, but beyond. Below are some innovative teaching methods:
“Hands-on” Virtual Lab Experience
Dr. Fatima K. Rehman, biology lecturer, explores the transition of a biology major core course wet lab into an investigative virtual lab experience.
Global Food Markets and Disease
Dr. Amber Barnes, public health assistant professor, utilized the CDC’s One Health, a collaborative, multisectoral and transdisciplinary approach, to discuss global food markets and disease.
Dr. Ryan Shamet, civil engineering assistant professor, created informative and entertaining laboratory videos when physical laboratory work was not possible.
Amy Bennion, art and design assistant professor, amplified her teaching techniques and rediscovered connection through the Zoom screen to help give her art students a communal learning experience.
An Opportunity to Learn Together
Dr. Jen Kilpatrick, deaf education assistant professor, prioritized accessibility and inclusion and maintaining/building community in an online learning setting.
Applied Learning while Social Distancing
Lance Vickery, art and design assistant professor, developed and refined many tools and techniques to improve the hybrid online learning approach and enhance remote instruction methods for information dissemination to create an engaging and informative environment that also allows for spatial curiosity and exploration.
Dr. Rick Phillips, sociology and religious studies associate professor, altered his existing curriculum to accommodate students and an impromptu “sociology of the pandemic” class emerged from the stress and turmoil students brought with them into the room.
Patricia Richards, nursing assistant professor, utilized gaming for mid-term and final exam test review.
Turning the Kitchen into a Studio
Sheila Goloborotko, art and design associate professor, designed printmaking courses utilizing everyday kitchen materials and cooking analogies to teach students how to make prints in a low-tech, sustainable and non-toxic rudimentary studio.
Creating an Environment of Care
Dr. Jenny Stuber, sociology associate professor, believed during the pandemic, constant communication and a personalized touch with students are more important than ever.
The Use of an Online Escape Room
Dr. Jen Ross, nutrition assistant professor, along with Dr. Lauri Wright, assistant professor and chair of nutrition & dietetics, transitioned an in-person, hands-on nutrition “escape room” to a fully online experience.
Making Connection with Students
Dr. Hope (Bess) Wilson, teaching, learning & curriculum associate professor, focused on making connections with her students, even during a global pandemic.
Art in the Age of Distance Learning
Andrew Kozlowski, art and design assistant professor, discovered what worked, what didn’t, and what the future of these tools might look like when teaching studio art online.