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Teaching and Learning innovation award winners named

May 15, 2014 By Käri Knutson

Two teams have been selected to receive the inaugural UW–Madison Teaching and Learning Innovation Awards for their work to promote educational innovation on campus.

The awards, $10,000 each, are intended to recognize collaborative teams of two or more persons who are developing and inspiring new teaching and learning methodologies, technologies or practices that empower students to pursue and create knowledge in thoughtful, creative ways.

In an effort to recognize the strength of the applicant pool, the selection committee also decided to present three honorable mention awards in the amount of $2,000 each.

Award recipients will be honored at the annual Teaching and Learning Symposium on May 19.

The awards are part of the greater, campuswide initiative Educational Innovation (EI), which is now in its third year and continues to enhance student learning, build capacity to reach more learners, create cross-campus partnerships and generate new resources. The projects and award recipients are:

Teaching and Learning Innovation Awards

Wisconsin Collaboratory for Enhanced Learning (WisCEL)

Team lead: John Booske, director, WisCEL and department chair, electrical and computer engineering, College of Engineering. Team members: Sarah Mason, associate director, WisCEL; Deborah Helman, director, Wendt Commons, College of Engineering; Carrie Kruse, director, College Library, General Library System.

Originating from the Madison Initiative for Undergraduates (MIU), WisCEL is a collaborative initiative that works in partnership with faculty from across the institution to challenge traditional ideas about effective instructional models, course design and learning spaces. It combines innovative pedagogy and course design, faculty support and program evaluation with technology-enhanced, collaboration-friendly learning spaces to achieve efficiencies while increasing student success.

Team Origin: An undergraduate program to integrate research and undergraduate education missions

Team lead: Catherine A. Fox, professor, biomolecular chemistry, School of Medicine and Public Health. Team members: Timothy Hoggard, Ph.D., research associate, biomolecular chemistry; Antoinette Dummer, research assistant, biomolecular chemistry.

Team Origin was established based on a desire to integrate undergraduate science majors in biomolecular chemistry laboratories to enhance student learning and develop student research expertise. The project establishes a new paradigm for more effectively incorporating undergraduates, particularly women and underrepresented minorities, into on-campus research laboratories. The project aims to create a full immersion experience for students while helping the campus advance important research.

Honorable Mention Awards

E-Learning in the Service of Text Interpretation

Team lead: Jan Miernowski, professor of French, Department of French and Italian, College of Letters & Science.

Journalism 202: Mass Communication Practices

Team lead: Kathleen Bartzen Culver, assistant professor, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, College of Letters & Science.

School of Education Qualitative Research Methods Committee

Team lead: Nancy Kendall, associate professor, educational policy studies, School of Education.