Many labs at Duke are stocked with beakers and test tubes, but Learning Innovation & Lifetime Education (LILE) is launching a new “lab” filled with ideas, questions, and the potential to change education for learners of all ages: the Center for Applied Research and Design in Transformative Education (CARADITE) is Duke’s new think-tank and living laboratory for innovative research and design about transformative education.
CARADITE envisions broadly accessible, transformative education that enables all learners to design self-determined and flourishing lives. In pursuit of this vision, CARADITE will:
- Explore critical questions across lifetime learning journeys, spanning pre-college through post-career through iterative research.
- Design human(e)-centered and equity-directed solutions for next-generation learning and development.
- Serve as a hub to connect and grow a Duke community engaged in research and public discourse about transformative education.
Under the leadership of Yakut Gazi, Vice Provost for Learning Innovation and Digital Education, CARADITE is led by Aria Chernik, CARADITE’s inaugural Faculty Director and LILE’s Assistant Vice Provost for Faculty Development and Applied Research in Learning Innovation, and Remi Kalir, CARADITE’s Associate Director and LILE’s Associate Director for Faculty Development and Applied Research.
CARADITE was founded with generous support from the Social Science Research Institute, the Office of the Vice Provost for the Libraries, and the Office of the Vice Provost for Interdisciplinary Studies.
“The work of this new Center is truly central to the transformative teaching practices and educational offerings that I have dedicated my life to,” said Gazi. “This collaboration with SSRI, the Libraries, and Interdisciplinary Studies will open up so many new possibilities at Duke for research and support – and it is our commitment to be true collaborators, innovators, and change agents alongside Duke’s instructors.”
LILE has long supported pedagogical innovation and research at Duke, and CARADITE’s position within LILE is designed to extend the impact of this work, weaving together innovative teaching practices and applied research in an iterative and collaborative model that supports faculty teaching and research.
CARADITE will advance new pedagogies through events and grants, co-design equity-oriented research and teaching practices, and foster collaboration among Duke faculty, departments and initiatives as well as with cross-sector partners. This work will be openly shared with instructors at Duke and far beyond, through published research but also resources like events, open access publications, and communities of practice.
“I have been a long-time advocate for open access and transparency in education, and I’d like to emphasize that CARADITE leadership is committed to the open sharing of knowledge – in terms of what we learn about larger trends in teaching and learning, and the knowledge that we generate in our research, our collaborations, and our communities of practice,” said Chernik.
A critical component of CARADITE’s work is collaboration, and an early partner is the Center for Research and Engineering of AI in Technology in Education (CREATE) within the Pratt School of Engineering. Current collaborators also include the first cohort of Emerging Pedagogies Seed Grant Recipients and Fellows, who are conducting early-stage research about emerging pedagogies, innovative instructional designs and student learning practices. The call for proposals for the second round of Emerging Pedagogies Seed Grants is now open for Duke faculty who wish to join CARADITE in exploring transformative approaches to pedagogy.
“I hope you will bring to CARADITE your ideas about how we can support your work or collaborate with you,” said Chernik. “This crucial work can only be done together.”
Visit lile.duke.edu/caradite to learn more. The CARADITE team welcomes questions, conversation, and ideas for collaboration; if you’re ready to connect, email them at caradite@duke.edu.