Innovation Academy Spring 2024

Fostering Holistic Learning Environments

Course Description

The Innovation Academy offers faculty an opportunity to enhance their teaching skills, promote belonging, and create innovative learning environments.

This program encourages educators to reflect on their teaching methods and collaborate with peers to discover new ways to engage and empower students.

Discover the intricate relationships between cultivating a strong sense of belonging, effectively utilizing technology, implementing experiential learning, and creating student-centered classrooms.

Faculty Facilitator

Luca Pozzi, Ph.D.

Associate Professor COLFA

Areas of research interest:

  • Committed to an Interdisciplinary approach
  • Promote biodiversity and conservation
  • Rapid environmental and climatic changes induced by human activity

Course Information

  • No prerequisites
  • Course Modality: 4 Live interactive sessions and self-paced asynchronous learning activities.

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, faculty will be able to:

  • Recognize the relationship between building a sense of belonging, utilizing technology, implementing experiential learning, and creating student-centered classrooms.
  • Apply inclusive teaching practices that leverage technology to enhance belonging and engagement.
  • Incorporate experiential learning opportunities to build connections between the classroom and careers.
  • Develop a cohesive teaching approach to create an enriched educational experience for students.

Session Agreements

  • Listen attentively (listening without thinking how you will respond).
  • Speak your truth.
  • Recognize the perspective you are bringing and validate differing perspectives.
  • Take risks outside of your comfort zone and lean into your own discomfort.

Learning Activities

Let's GROW together. This course follows a framework using the acronym GROW:

Goals | We will share the course and module objectives. And how they connect with the module activities and major projects.

Resources | We will share evidence-based practices supporting the module goals.

Opportunities for connections | We will provide you opportunities to discuss with your peers to build connections.

Wellbeing | We will share resources for centering wellbeing for yourself and the learning communities you are part of.

Learning Modules

  • Module 1: Building a Sense of Belonging
  • Module 2: Teaching with Technology
  • Module 3: Experiential Learning and Building Classroom to Career Opportunities
  • Module 4: Student-Centered Design

Certificate of Completion and Incentive

For each cohort, there are 50 seats available. Participants are eligible to receive a Certificate of Completion and a one-time incentive of $500 upon successful completion of the following requirements:

  • Complete the 4 self-paced modules in Canvas.
  • Submit Innovation Project.

Teaching and Learning Consultants are available to support your learning journey.

Thank You!