Teaching & Learning Initiatives, Spring 2008

TLC in the Classroom:
Faculty Initiatives Elevate Importance of Teaching & Learning

As the university of Maryland strives to enter the top echelon of U.S. research universities, there is simultaneously a renewed emphasis on the importance of teaching excellence, student engagement, and “learning outcomes.” The College’s Teaching and Learning Center (TLC) , led by Dr. Gili Marbach-Ad, has been ahead of the curve in encouraging strategies to improve classroom learning. Several faculty-led initiatives, including the Host Pathogen Interaction Teaching Group and the "MathBench" modules, are attracting notice, both on campus and off.
Read more about the Teaching & Learning Center initiatives >>

Undergraduate Apprentice Program Primes Students to Wield Technology Tools

The College’s Undergraduate Technology Apprentice Program (UTAP) continues to receive accolades for its role in training students to use technology to improve teaching and learning experiences. UTAP received the 2006-2007 Departmental Award for Excellence and Innovation in Undergraduate Teaching from the Center for Teaching Excellence. This award was established in 1994 to recognize notable improvements in undergraduate education at the department, program, or university level, and provides a $5,000 award to advance the program. This is the second time the  UTAP program has received this CTE award (also won in 2005-2006) in its 9 year history.    

Dr. William Higgins, Professor of Biology, and Mike Landavere, Director of Information Technology, in the College of Chemical and Life Sciences created UTAP in 1999 after they identified that faculty needed assistance with teaching technologies. "Technology often comes with baggage," Landavere says. "We wanted to capture the energy and expertise of our students to help carry the load." The College went on to grow the program by partnering with OIT and the College of Arts and Humanities to train students in the use of various hardware and software technologies that can be integrated into the classroom to enhance the teaching and learning experience.

Sophomores and Juniors who take this 3-credit technology training course in our college develop practical  skills in programs like HTML, Dreamweaver, PowerPoint and WebCT.  These students are then paired with faculty members to act as apprentices in the development of web-based learning modules and the best-use application of technologies that will enhance the teaching and learning experience.   

The most impressive outcome of UTAP was the least expected. Faculty are better supported for sure, but the mentoring relationships that emerged between faculty and students were an unexpected side benefit. One student, Sara Low, said “UTAP has been great.  The two most meaningful things I'll take away are the skills and the relationship with a professor.  The three-credit class taught me a ton, and I now feel competent in many technology areas that I'd hardly been exposed to before.”

To date, over 100 students have completed the program and served 25-30 faculty members.  The work of UTAP students has impacted approximately 30 courses in the disciplines of both colleges that support it.  Many faculty members support the expansion of the program, noting the valuable support that UTAP students provide to faculty members and their courses.