Funded Projects
| Project Title | Overview of the Project |
|---|---|
| From Methods to Applications: A Proposal for Redesigning a Course Providing an Interdisciplinary Educational Experience for the Modern Quantitative Epidemiologist Sung Kyun Park Public Health Bhramar Mukherjee Public Health $6000.00 |
The present curriculum for doctoral students in epidemiology does not offer the option of in-depth learning of statistical models and methods in various contemporary topics that arise frequently in the present scientific context, such as modern techniques for model building and variable selection and methods for causal inference. Present doctoral students in epidemiology are still challenged when asked to explain or interpret the analysis they carried out using a software module in actual statistical terms or write down the models governing/underlying their analysis. In addition, courses designed for biostatistics majors are too technical for epidemiology students. On the other hand, the present curriculum for biostatistics students is not sufficient enough to cover modeling epidemiologic data and communications with epidemiologists. The need for such a “fusion” course that bridges the gap between the technicality of modern statistical methods with the broader application context for non-majors (especially doctoral students in epidemiology) have been felt for a number of years in the School of Public Health. In order to make the course accessible, useful and interesting to the applied scientist, a unique format is needed that blends statistical theory with compelling and relevant datasets. The proposal and the course will be developed primarily by a collaborative team of two faculty members, one from Biostatistics and one from Epidemiology, with expertise in the statistical theory and knowledge of the applications context. The course will equip the new generation epidemiologists with state of the art statistical methods, and teach them the craft of translating a practical problem to mathematical equations. |
| Middlebrook: an anthology web series about campus life $9500.00 |
"Middlebrook: an anthology web series about campus life" is an innovative independent media production project comprised of three classes: SAC404-The Indie Film and Web Series, SAC404-Advanced Editing, and PAT 441-Image, Sound and Story. Each year, students will produce a season of a web series set on the fictional Middlebrook University campus. Each season will deal with an important issue related to campus life. Gilbert Whitaker funding will be used to support the production of season one in which a sexual misconduct complaint serves as a springboard for a complex story about the issues surrounding campus rape. |
| Online Version Modern Language Aptitude Test Maria Dorantes LSA - Romance Languages and Literatures $6000.00 |
The University of Michigan offers the MLAT (Modern Language Aptitude Test) to students who are requesting language waivers for the LSA college language requirement. The test is a four section test including a current tape recording listening component. This test, along with other information such as student grades in their language classes, the instructor’s comments, and other criteria are used by the Academic Standards Board’s Language Waiver Subcommittee to determine whether or not to grant a waiver from the LSA language requirement to students who petition. So far this Scantron test is only given in paper format twice a semester. In the last two years we have seen an increase in the number of students who are applying for a waiver from the requirement at a rather late point in their academic career. We have also seen a growing number of students who are experiencing learning disabilities petitioning for the waiver. An online version of the test means that it can be taken at any point during the semester, thus benefitting the undergraduate cohort and advisers alike, to guide the students through their studies. We also hope that the online access to data will allow us in the future to compare these student profiles and backgrounds to the scores of other students. Hopefully, we will then be able to use this data to address some of the needs of students with learning disabilities and other students in the foreign language classroom. |
| Toward flipping the classroom: developing an online learning module for introductory biology Gyorgyi Csankovszki LSA - Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Laury Wood LSA $6000.00 |
The teaching team of Biology 172 (Introduction to Biology—Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology) will develop an online learning and assessment tool. The goals of this tool are to bridge the gap between students of diverse levels of preparation and to provide a superior learning experience by providing more opportunities to practice higher level cognitive skills. Students will have to complete a two-part online quiz before each class. Part 1 will ensure that students come to class prepared, having acquired some of the basic concepts on their own. Class time will then be spent discussing more difficult concepts and developing critical thinking skills. In the second part of the quiz, students' critical thinking skills will be tested on concepts already discussed in class. Students will be able to take the quiz multiple times, each time receiving feedback on which concepts they need to review. On each try, they will receive a new set of questions testing the same concepts. To successfully implement this system, we need a large question pool covering all important concepts taught in the course. The main goal of this project is to generate this question pool. BIO 172 instructors from all terms are involved in the project. This team effort will not only benefit a large number of students, but it will also even out the introductory biology experience across all terms. |
| ENHANCING UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT ENGAGEMENT IN GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING BEYOND THE CLASSROOM USING ONLINE APPLICATIONS Dimitrios Zekkos Engineering $6000.00 |
CEE345 "Geotechnical Engineering" is a heavily-loaded 4-credit required course of the undergraduate civil engineering curriculum in the Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) Department taught to 80-100 students per year. It introduces students to the fundamentals of soil mechanics and their application in design of civil infrastructure. The instructors struggle to keep a balance in the course content between the need to solve example exercises and actively engaging students on a discussion of the applications in engineering practice of the fundamental concepts presented in the classroom. To address this instructional dilemma, the PI proposes to develop engaging online exercises that the students will use in their own time and at their own pace. Transferring this class component from the chalk-and-blackboard to an online platform will not only allow more time for active student participation in the classroom, but also will improve the effectiveness of the exercise-solving component of the course. Through the proposed platform, exercises will become more appealing by incorporating audiovisual effects. Students will be able to choose which and how many exercises to solve. Exercises can be solved in "passive" mode (students just view the solution) or "active" mode, where the platform guides the student step-by-step requiring active student participation. Key assessment data will be collected and correlated to student performance to assess how students truly learn. The proposed resources will be valuable not only in CEE345, but to similar sources in other Universities. They can also serve as "proof-of-concept" for other courses in CEE and beyond. |
| Development of Environmental/Aqueous Geochemistry Laboratory Classes Udo Becker LSA Rose Cory LSA $10000.00 |
Environmental Geochemistry (EARTH 325) is a course on fundamental geochemistry concepts as they relate to our environment. The curriculum focuses on the geochemistry of the lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere and the ways in which they affect the biosphere. An important goal of the class is to grasp the present-day implications of these interactions mostly through the discussion of problems in environmental geochemistry. Earth 478 is a more advanced class on the behavior of chemicals in the environment and also on the relation of chemistry-climate-biology in the Earth's history. While the lectures introduce students to the concepts of environmental geochemistry and the homework to assignments to quantitative exercises on the subject matter, additional hands-on environmental sampling and geochemical analyses are central to an all-around understanding of environmental chemistry. The proposal is to add a field/laboratory component to the class, which not only gives students hands-on experiments on the intricacies of sampling and water analysis, it also makes them alert of some of the problems of environmental sampling and evaluations of sample analyses that are performed by professional laboratories. In addition, this experience will be an invaluable experience for students to prepare them for their own research in graduate school. |
| Algorithms and Quality in Collaborative Writing: Extending MediaWiki Tools for Assessing Upper Level Writing Paul Conway Information $5557.00 |
This project will make substantive modifications and improvements to the assessment model and techniques for SI 410 Ethics and Information Technology. The modifications include introducing new quality assessment analytics from the Wikimedia Foundation into the course and applying the analytics by and with students to evaluate the quality of collaborative writing in MediaWiki, which serves as the writing platform for the course. The project seeks to explore the extent to which quantitative metrics of MediaWiki contributions (new writing and editorial work) can serve as proxies for quality and, with the help of an "expert panel," to engage students in the application of algorithm-guided assessment. The project is a recursive exploration of the ethics of collaborative writing and peer grading, combined with a potential technical advance in the assessment of wiki-based writing assignments. The project will also feature an invitational workshop for UM faculty who are using wikis in classroom assignments, in order to connect the project as widely as possible with campus instruction. |
| Novel pedagogical approach for Ophthalmic Knowledge and Skills Development through Direct Ophthalmoscopy Simulation Shahzad Mian Medical School $6000.00 |
Ophthalmoscopy is an essential part of a complete clinical examination; however, specific formal instruction in and practice during clinical rotations of ophthalmic fundus examination is limited in undergraduate medical education. Currently, most trainees acquire ocular examination skills through practice on patients or other trainees. These experiences are limited, often unsupervised, and may not provide trainees with the opportunity to visualize true pathology. An additional challenge is that instructors observing a trainee performing direct ophthalmoscopy cannot accurately determine how well the student can see the fundus, leaving little opportunity for feedback. We propose to fill these educational gaps in two ways: with quality simulation and with posterior segment imaging in real time. The Eyesi Direct Ophthalmoscope Simulator (VRmagic) presents trainees with virtual retinas that show realistic pathology. The simulator tracks student positioning and visualization of pathology in a series of modules and provides immediate feedback, creating an objective competency-based assessment. In addition, the Eyequick digital ophthalmoscopy camera is a handheld camera the same size and shape as a direct ophthalmoscope and has to be held and positioned the same way as a direct ophthalmoscope, allowing a trainee to demonstrate to an instructor the ability to locate and identify pathology and view it simultaneously, again allowing for immediate feedback. Simulation and direct ophthalmoscopy imaging used together in a training curriculum can ultimately give trainees the competence and confidence to utilize these skills in the clinical setting, a necessity to provide quality care to our patients. |
| Impact of Including a 2D Virtual USP Chapter <797> Cleanroom Experience on Pharmacy Student Knowledge and Perceptions of Learning Related to Preparation of Compounded Sterile Products (CSP) Kimberly Redic Pharmacy Michael Kraft Pharmacy Bruce Mueller Pharmacy $5995.00 |
There has been a heightened awareness and scrutiny surrounding patient safety related to preparation of compounded sterile products (CSP) following the meningitis outbreak and subsequent patient deaths resulting from CSP prepared by the New England Compounding Center in 2012. In accordance with accreditation standards and in light of the heightened need for enhancing patient safety, pharmacy curricula must develop student competence related to CSP preparation. A survey of preceptors at APPE sites has revealed that 21% of sites did not allow pharmacy students to prepare CSPs, citing liability concerns, and the cost and time associated with training. Effective didactic education and training within colleges of pharmacy can be challenging due to the requirement of adequate laboratory space, faculty requirements, and supplies. Clinical simulation using a virtual reality application has been shown to be a viable alternative to classroom or laboratory learning in healthcare education. This project will be a collaborative effort with the faculty at Purdue University, and will evaluate the impact of using simulated CSP preparation via the 2D application of the Purdue University Virtual Cleanroom© integrated into the UM COP P422: Health-system Pharmacy Practice and Leadership laboratory sections. The specific aim will be to determine whether the 2D virtual cleanroom (2D-VIRT) experience alone or in combination with traditional hands-on CSP preparation (TRAD) improves both pharmacy student knowledge of CSP preparation procedures and techniques as well as student perceptions of learning. |
| Teaching Matters: Understanding the Experience of International GSIs in LSA Pamela Bogart LSA - English Language and Literature $10000.00 |
International GSIs are integral to the instructional mission of the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. As classroom instructors and laboratory or discussion section leaders, they touch the lives of most LSA undergraduates. While contact with world-class scholars from around the globe enables multiple perspectives on course content and opportunities for intercultural exchange, the conversation about international GSIs often focuses on their perceived language deficiencies and culturally-inappropriate academic expectations. Usually lacking from these discussions are the voices of international GSIs themselves. Twelve years after the Provost's Task Force on GSI Testing and Training recommended expanded support for international GSIs, the ELI proposes to conduct a comprehensive needs assessment to hear from international GSIs in LSA how they assess the resources available to them and the climate in which they teach. The ELI currently plays a lead role in providing language and teacher-training support for international GSIs in LSA and is thus well-positioned to conduct such a needs assessment. We plan to survey international GSIs in order to solicit their assessment of the language, academic, cultural, and professional support currently available to them and to explore their experience of the campus climate in which they are asked to teach. We will also seek the perspective of GSIs' faculty advisors and mentors. Our ultimate goal is to confirm which types of support are working well and to identify areas in which the College and the University could better support international GSIs in their teaching and thus enhance undergraduate education in LSA. |
| Development, Implementation and Assessment of a new degree program in AOSS Mark Moldwin Engineering $10000.00 |
The goal of the Whitaker Grant funding is to help develop, implement and assess the new AOSS curriculum. The goal and motivation of the new curriculum are to prepare students well for graduate studies or careers in space science, space engineering, atmospheric and climate science, and climate impact engineering. The two engineering tracks are designed to better connect to the mission of the College to prepare engineers. Specifically, the grant will support all of the faculty that teach undergraduates in space science and engineering and the atmospheric and climate faculty involved with the curriculum revision efforts to jointly develop several new courses and revise several existing courses that play significant parts of the new undergraduate curriculum. The curriculum revision was begun in the 2013/2014 AY and continues this year. The new curriculum calls for significant modifications of our lab courses and the creation of a new track focused on Space Engineering. In addition to the development of new course descriptions, outlines and syllabus, the Whitaker grant will support the implementation and assessment of the new courses during AY 2015/2016. We will work with CRLT-in-Engineering on designing an assessment protocol and use modified Mid-Term Evaluations during and at the end of the course to gather data on the effectiveness of the lab and course designs. The framework developed will be used to follow a cohort through the new curriculum and will be used for both formative assessment as well as play a significant role in our ABET accreditation efforts. |
| Sun & Shadows- A Guatemalan Tale Projected on North Campus Christianne Myers Music, Theatre & Dance $6000.00 |
There are several goals in the development of Sun and Shadows. This initial phase is to develop a performance experience that breaks down historical theatrical boundaries and present a timeless, universal tale. It offers a non-traditional design and performance opportunity for students aligned with evolving contemporary performance practices in the professional world. In collaboration with three Department of Theatre & Drama courses, as well as Performing Arts Technology, and Performing Arts Management, we wish to create the groundwork for future iterations of performance in this space, and turn this beautiful glowing fixture of North Campus into a feature and destination. In the years to come, our goal is to establish a template that encourages curricular performance opportunities outside of the MainStage productions. We will work in concert with a variety of departments by engaging in the scholarship of different cultures outside of the United States, adapting fables and mythologies from those cultures. Additionally, it is easy to imagine other performance areas, particularly dance and film, utilizing the space, if the infrastructure were in place. With this funding, we will be able to secure equipment and materials necessary to make this a repeatable practice. For this first production, our desire is to cultivate a deeper understanding of puppetry, devised performance, and audience engagement. |
| Experiential Learning in a Class with Diverse Audience Victor Li Engineering Kathy Velikov Architecture and Urban Planning Daniel Soltan Engineering $6000.00 |
This proposal aims at using an action-based learning approach to develop new teaching/learning modules that address the challenges experienced by student groups with widely different backgrounds in a cross-listed Engineering/Architecture course. The ambition is to develop innovative techniques by which to advance high quality interdisciplinary course opportunities for students in both programs. The pedagogical approach developed could be transferred to any interdisciplinary class with disparity in background and preparation among student groups and will contribute to the advancement of interdisciplinary teaching practices at U of M and other institutions. |
| Flipping Foundations Marianetta Porter Art & Design Carl Rodemer Art & Design $6000.00 |
We propose to create a resource of online video demonstrations/lectures to support a "flipped classroom" approach to the teaching of 1st year Foundations courses in the Stamps School of Art and Design, increasing the quality of instruction across multiple sections and maximizing valuable interaction between instructors and students. |
| Developing SecondLook Computer Tablet Applications – Interactive Self Evaluation Tools for Learning the Anatomical Sciences Michael Hortsch Medical School Kelli Sullivan Medical School John Stribley Medical School $10000.00 |
Based on the successful concept of the eHistology SecondLook iPad application our multi-departmental team proposes to generate new computer tablet-based self-evaluation tools that will benefit both University of Michigan and students at other universities. We plan to create one series for Gross Anatomy and one series for Neuroanatomy. The initial step will be the generation of SecondLook PowerPoint files that subsequently in collaboration with the UM Office of Enabling Technologies will be translated into computer tablet apps. The SecondLook resource is based on a very simple concept and can easily be applied to other fields. It represents a quick and easy review tool for students to test their knowledge after studying and before taking quizzes and exams. |
| Increasing and assessing technical argument integration into Mechanical Engineering ME395 laboratory 1 via writing workshops and report review Kenn Oldham Engineering Thomas Bowden Engineering Kelly Rohan Engineering $6000.00 |
This work would assess the impact of changes to the teaching of technical arguments and communication in Mechanical Engineering's core junior laboratory course, ME395. Two primary instructional changes would be incorporated: first, the conversion of a substantial portion of technical communications lectures to a writing workshop format; second, the introduction of laboratory reviews by mechanical engineering technical faculty. The goal of these changes is to improve student's communication skills and argument structure, particularly within the context of interpreting and presenting results in a "big picture" context. The writing workshop format provides greater opportunities for hands-on instruction on technical communications elements, while instructor feedback on dealing with laboratory uncertainty and on reporting progression of technical findings should improve student report structure and coherence. Success of these changes would be assessed through a review of student lab reports from semesters before and after instructional changes were made. The assessment would categorize the type and frequency of errors in student writing and the coherence and completeness of students' technical argument. This would be used to measure changes student writing quality under the new instructional format, and provide an opportunity to evaluate which aspects of student writing are most and least affected by ME395 activities. The proposed work has the potential to impact all undergraduate students in mechanical engineering. |
| Instructional Technology Tools for Strengthening Listening, Speaking, and Writing Skills in Second-Year Chinese Haiqing Yin LSA $9915.00 |
Providing each student in Second-year Chinese with adequate speaking opportunities and writing instruction is critical for language acquisition, but the goal is made difficult by the limited in-class time and high teacher-student ratio. The proposed project will dramatically improve students' language skills by using innovative, multimedia technology tools in out-of-class practices. The four components in my proposed project are: • Viddler is a web-based video platform that allows students to upload speaking assignments and instructors to provide text or video feedback directly in student videos at any desired point. These assignments will focus students attention on speak accurately, and develop students' presentation skills. • Chinese Bridge pairs our students with master students of TCFL (Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language) at Xi'an International Studies University (XISU). Tutors and tutees will interact using Skype. Our students will develop one-on-one spontaneous communication skills and receive instant feedback from a native speaker with teaching experience. • Chinese Character Trainer is an interactive mobile app that teaches Chinese character writing skills. The software provides step-by-step instructions on the touchscreen, enabling students to master the correct structure and stroke order of required characters. • Chinese Audiotext Reader is a web-based resource that helps students practice reading and listening skills with assigned texts. It includes dictionary look-up functionality for unfamiliar words, as well as sentence-by-sentence audio playback Each component supplements different aspects of conventional teaching. They also harness our students' familiarity with mobile touchscreen devices and interactive video. The goal is to make learning Chinese efficient and fun. |
