Learning Innovation partners with Duke faculty to support new approaches to student-centered and active learning.
Faculty Programs
We believe learning happens in networks of colleagues, cohorts, peers. That is why we offer faculty development programs that bring together instructors from across Duke to learn about effective, evidence-based teaching practices.
Through programs like our Active Learning Fellowship and Course Design Institute, faculty from across the disciplines work with Learning Innovation staff and each other in collaborative, supportive cohorts. Our participants tell us these experiences not only transform the way they teach; they also provide a community with colleagues they find rare and valuable.
8 Active Learning Fellows explored new methods of deepening student engagement and learning through active classroom techniques over an eight-month program, May – December 2018.
19 Course Design Institute (CDI) participants spent three days learning how to design dynamic, student-centered courses in any discipline.
43 faculty participated in our second Duke Kunshan University Learning Innovation Fellowship. In this hybrid online/in-person program, instructors design courses specifically tailored for Duke Kunshan’s unique undergraduate curriculum. As part of this program, in May 2019, two Learning Innovation staff members traveled to China to lead workshops at Duke Kunshan.
9 participants in our Hybrid Fellows program redesigned courses in French, Spanish, Turkish, Hindi and Persian for the 2018-2019 academic year to incorporate online components with in-person instruction.
Learning Innovation designed a Population Health Sciences Fellowship to prepare clinical faculty to teach in Duke’s new Population Health Sciences Masters program. 15 faculty members attended a series of 8 interactive workshops on topics such as creating learning goals and assessments, syllabus design and active learning techniques
5 Computer Science faculty members worked to design (or redesign) three courses through a customized “mini fellowship.”
On-Demand Teaching Support
Learning Innovation’s consulting program provides on-demand, individualized support on any teaching-related topic for any instructor at Duke. This year, our team of teaching consultants responded to 642 direct requests for teaching support and information (plus an additional 860 requests that came to Learning Innovation via Duke Service Now).
In addition, we staffed over 200 office hours for drop-in consultations on two campuses and visited 35 faculty offices for on-site consultations. We hosted 20 workshops on best uses of Duke teaching tools such as Sakai, Gradescope and PebblePad.
Building a Network of Education Innovators
In addition to faculty programs and one-on-one support, Learning Innovation seeks to enhance coordination and strengthen network ties among those across the university working to advance teaching and learning. This year, we worked to convene groups, share information, and build alliances to achieve university-wide goals.
Learning Innovation collaborated with Psychology faculty member Bridgette Hard on BRITE Ideas, a new monthly presentation and discussion series focused on teaching and learning research. Over 150 faculty, staff and graduate students attended BRITE Ideas sessions during the 2018-2019 academic year.
Learning Innovation co-sponsored the Duke Online Learning Collaborative, a group for Duke faculty and staff to share ideas, best practices and trends in online teaching and learning.
Our staff hosted two open book discussions for faculty around What the Best College Teachers Do by Ken Bain. This book was distributed to new faculty by the Office of Faculty Advancement, and Learning Innovation provided a free copy to anyone who pre-registered for a book discussion.
We rounded out the academic year with a Faculty Showcase featuring four lightning round faculty panels sharing innovative teaching practices at Duke.
In addition, LI cross-promoted pedagogy-related events from partners across campus including the Trinity Office of Assessment, the Thompson Writing Program, the Faculty Write Program, the Duke Graduate School, +DS, the Office of Faculty Advancement and the Office of Information Technology.