Innovation Institute

Innovation Fellows will conduct a pedagogical experiment and help develop a culture of pedagogical innovation at St. Edward’s University.  To prepare them for these activities, all fellows are required to participate in the Innovation Institute, May 16-25, 2016. See the Schedule page for more details.

The goals of the Institute are:

  • to create a community of pedagogical innovation at St. Edward’s University among Innovation Fellows;
  • to prepare Innovation Fellows to be innovation leaders on campus;
  • to prepare Innovation Fellows to begin work on their course redesign;
  • to introduce a variety of pedagogical approaches.

The Institute will consist of three components:

  • individual project planning time
  • 15-18 hours spent in on-campus seminars and workshops with other fellows.
    • half days with leisurely start and lunch provided: 10 am – 2 pm
    • there will be a choice of workshops
    • session towards end of week 2 to share progress on project so far with campus
  • individual consultations with instructional designers, CTE director, instructional technology director, librarians, etc.

Seminar and Workshop Topics and Formats

These interactive sessions will usually run from 10 am – 2 pm and will take place roughly every other day for the duration of the two-week institute.  Lunch will be provided and will offer an opportunity for conversation and networking among fellows and staff.

Innovators’ Toolkits

All fellows will attend four workshops on topics relevant to innovation:

  • Designing Pedagogical Experiments
  • Risk-Taking and Managing Student Expectations
  • Building a Culture of Innovation
  • Evaluating your Students Learning and Whether Your Project is Succeeding

Choice of 3 additional workshops

Fellows will also have the opportunity to select 3 additional workshops (2-3 hours) from a list of topic choices.  These workshops will provide more focused resources related to the fellow’s project. Workshop Choices Include:

  • Designing Collaborative Learning Activities and Projects
  • Approaches to Discovery, Inquiry-guided, and Problem-based Learning
  • Course Design Strategies for Increasing Student Engagement in Activities Outside of Class
  • Gathering Digital Resources & Using Digital Tools for Research, Collaboration, and Projects
  • Scaffolding Student Learning In (and Across) Projects

End-of-Institute Presentations and Report Postings

The final day of the Institute will consist of progress reports on fellows’ project plans, including work accomplished and work remaining before their course is taught. These short (8-minute) presentations will be open to the broader university community.

The fellows will also post a brief written report (the text of their presentation) to the Innovation Fellowship website.

Individual Project Planning Time

Innovation fellows will also have individual work time to begin development of their innovation project either by planning, by consulting with staff from the CTE, Instructional Technology, or the Library, developing assessment plans with staff from assessment or IRB, or by working with colleagues. Some fellows, however, may find it more productive to work independently or off campus during these hours.

By the end of the Innovation Institute, fellows should have a project plan for completing their course redesign.

**Please note that the goal of the Institute is to develop a project plan to develop a redesigned course. Fellows will need to spend additional time over the summer (or in the fall for Spring 2016 courses) to complete their course redesign.**

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *