Innovation in Teaching Series
The Innovation in Teaching brownbag series is sponsored by CALS Instructional Improvement Committee and the Center for Biology Education at the UW-Madison.
1997-2000 Novel Approaches to Knotty Problems
Spotlight on Departments: Novel Approaches to Knotty Problems was held 4-5 times per semester from 1997-2000. Each brownbag featured a single UW-Madison department in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences or in the biological sciences from other colleges across campus. At the spotlight, 4 faculty/staff presented a "knotty problem" in learning/teaching and their innovation or solution to that problem. The series highlighted the creativity and reflection used to promote learning in the classroom. The program was designed to initiate and inspire conversations and provide a forum for sharing of ideas and stories. A listserv for UW-Madison faculty/staff/students involved in instruction posted email summaries and was available for follow-up discussion. Summaries for individual brownbag sessions are available at this location and can be searched by department, teaching/learning problem, or solution.
2001 Developing Teamwork and Interpersonal Skills!
Developing Teamwork and Interpersonal Skills! featured department "spokespersons" chosen by each department to briefly summarize the way the departments develop teamwork and interpersonal skills in the courses and the out-of-classroom opportunities they provide. The focus of the talks was on how the student experience is designed to develop the skill and assess the skill.
2002 Experiential Learning
Experiential Learning featured department "spokespersons" chosen by each department to briefly summarize the way the departments provide experiential learning opportunities for students. As a guideline, each department was given a template for experiential learning which include opportunities such as applied class projects with "real world" outcomes, internships (for credit or $$), club activities, research experiences, service learning. Tables that summarize experiential learning opportunities offered by each department are included on this site.