Feb 1, 2021 | Home Page
Penn State’s Teaching and Learning with Technology (TLT) is making a continuous effort to understand how remote teaching and learning through the coronavirus pandemic has impacted our University community.
A new survey, published today by TLT, aims to gather feedback from faculty and students about their respective experiences with remote and hybrid education. With two versions tailored to each specific audience, the survey has the potential to gather valuable feedback from those who have been impacted most by remote and hybrid instruction.
“Everyone who takes part in this survey will contribute to improving the teaching and learning experience at Penn State,” said Crystal Ramsay, assistant director of innovation with TLT. “By sharing results with academic departments, administrative units, and support units in the spring semester, we’ll still have time to make adjustments.”
“We’re encouraging students and faculty across all Penn State campuses to take part in the specific survey that applies to their role,” added Ramsay.
The student survey aims to assess, among other things, the best way for the University to share resources related to remote learning, what has helped them most with remote learning, what device(s) they use to complete most of their coursework, and what has been challenging about remote learning.
Meanwhile, faculty will be able to provide feedback on items such as challenges in adapting course design, teaching tools and resources they would like to explore further, and their biggest concerns related to remote teaching.
Both faculty and students can expect to spend fewer than 15 minutes completing the survey. The window for responses will be open from February 1, 2021, to February 12, 2021.
Penn State students should take this version of the survey and faculty should take this version of the survey.
Nov 9, 2020 | Home Page
From May 11 to 13, the Penn State community will come together in a virtual format to take part in the annual Symposium for Teaching and Learning with Technology. The free event offers an abundance of programming to share ideas and methods with the power to transform education.
“We chose to hold this year’s TLT Symposium virtually out of an abundance of caution, and with the safety of presenters and attendees as the top priority,” said Jennifer Sparrow, associate vice president for Teaching and Learning with Technology. “Also, the later date for the event will fit well into our adjusted academic calendar and allow interested presenters additional time to submit their proposals.”
Katherine Milkman, an award-winning researcher and Evan C. Thompson Endowed Term Chair for Excellence in Teaching at the University of Pennsylvania, will present the keynote address for the 2021 Symposium on May 11.
“Katherine was scheduled to join us for the 2020 TLT Symposium, but many circumstances resulted in her presentation being postponed to this year,” said Sparrow. “It will be worth the wait to hear her speak because her expertise in researching ways to change consequential behaviors is so relevant to our current circumstances.”
Along with her work at U Penn, Milkman has published articles in journals such as The Journal of Finance, Management Science, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. She has penned a number of columns for The Washington Post on the behavioral economics of everyday life, and hosts a Charles Schwab podcast titled, “Choiceology with Katy Milkman.”
Additionally, Milkman co-directs the Behavior Change for Good Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania. That program’s work is being chronicled by former Symposium speaker Stephen Dubner’s podcast, “Freakonomics Radio.”
Registration for the 2021 Symposium is now open, and the event is free for all Penn State faculty, students, and staff.
Sep 10, 2020 | Home Page
Teaching and Learning with Technology (TLT) is searching for Penn State faculty who work at the intersection of technology and pedagogy to improve teaching and learning. Those who do can be nominated for the 2021 TLT Impact Award.
The call for nominations for the 2021 TLT Impact Award is open now through Friday, October 16. Given annually, the TLT Impact Award recognizes excellence in teaching and learning at Penn State and celebrates cross-disciplinary projects, courses, and collaborations that have positively enhanced teaching, learning, and the use of learning spaces across the University and beyond.
Penn State tenure-line faculty or non-tenure-line teaching faculty are eligible for nomination. University faculty, staff, and students can submit nominations, and self-nominations also are welcome.
The TLT Impact Award includes a commemorative medal, a $3,000 cash award, an invitation to serve as a TLT ambassador, and additional support to extend the impact of the recipient’s work.
Last year, Pierce Salguero, associate professor of Asian history and religious studies at Penn State Abington, received the TLT Impact Award.
More information can be viewed on the Impact Award’s webpage.
Jun 3, 2020 | Home Page
Modern circumstances put a great emphasis on tackling issues around how teaching and learning happen. This July, for the fifteenth consecutive year, Learning Design Summer Camp (LDSC) will bring together the Penn State community to work on those issues.
In 2020, LDSC is scheduled for two half-day virtual format sessions on July 20 and 21. As in years past, the camp will be an informal, University-wide effort to explore innovative and creative ways to improve teaching and learning at Penn State. Registration for LDSC is free, open now, and will be available until July 14.
The University’s learning design community, including instructional designers, instructional production specialists, librarians, educational technologists, educational web and multimedia developers, and faculty, are cordially invited to register for this year’s online version of LDSC.
LDSC 2020 is a community partnership across the University including Teaching and Learning with Technology (TLT), John A. Dutton e-Education Institute, Smeal College of Business e-Learning Design Innovation Group (eLDIG), Center for Teaching Excellence at Penn State Harrisburg, World Campus Learning Design, College of Agricultural Science’s Digital Education group, College of Arts and Architecture’s Office of Digital Learning, College of IST Learning Design, Office of the Vice President for Commonwealth Campuses, and University Libraries.
Apr 15, 2020 | Home Page
Teaching and Learning with Technology (TLT) will continue to support Faculty Learning Communities (FLCs) at Penn State for the 2020-21 academic year. This program allows tenure and teaching faculty to explore topics like learning spaces, immersive experiences, data science, and more in peer-led groups.
Leaders are needed for the upcoming year, and applications are now being accepted until May 15, 2020. Proposals selected for support will be announced the week of June 8, 2020.
Applications can be submitted on any topic related to teaching, learning, and technology. Communities that form around these topics will be cross-college, cross-campus, and cross-discipline. Leadership for the FLCs will come from a full-time faculty and receive support from TLT.
Virtual office hours will be held on April 23 from 2:00-3:00, April 27, from 12:00-1:00 May 6 from 12:00-1:00 or on Zoom. Send TLT an email for more information on these sessions, or on applications for 2020-21 FLCs.
