Funded Projects
| Project Title | Overview of the Project |
|---|---|
| Deliberative learning: Connecting urban planning theory and practice using case studies and peer-learning Lesli Hoey Architecture and Urban Planning Harley Etienne Architecture and Urban Planning $10000.00 |
One of the key challenges for urban planning courses is the difficulty connecting classroom learning to the realities of professional practice. This project combines peer-learning with a rich set of case studies created by planning professionals for use in graduate instruction. The methodology will allow students to apply abstract planning theories and concepts to real scenarios and projects, debate alternative planning approaches with their peers, enable creative and critical group thinking, expand their geographic and institutional knowledge base, and better prepare them for their capstone and professional experiences. For the instructor, the methodology will allow them to connect theory to practice and to quickly identify which concepts students are struggling to understand or put into practice. Our much larger goals are to establish Michigan's Urban and Regional Planning program as an innovator in planning education and to create a library of planning-specific cases that may serve our program and others. Professionals with detailed and long-standing knowledge of planning practice will draft cases studies in collaboration with faculty based on actual scenarios where practitioners faced a difficult planning decision. Ultimately, we hope that the integration of peer-based learning and practice-based case studies throughout urban planning education will foster more insightful professional judgment and bring forth more creative solutions to today's toughest planning challenges. |
| 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. |
| Using Film to teach Language and Culture: Punjabi Pinderjeet Gill LSA - Asian Languages and Cultures $5395.00 |
The proposed project aims to create modules based on Punjabi films for teaching Punjabi language, sociolinguistic nuances and South Asian culture. As Indian films cover a wide range of topics and varied and authentic language, I will experiment with carefully chosen clips to use as a teaching resource. The idea of using film in teaching a language is not new and I am currently using some films in my teaching, but it is not integrated to the degree that I would like and I want to create a consistent and systematic approach to take advantage of the rich content that films have to offer. I plan to incorporate films in my teaching material in the classroom and for homework assignments. Films are very useful in teaching language, communicating cultural values, and teaching attitudes and behaviors. It is my belief that film will prove to be very effective in bringing the outside world into my classroom. Film topics will stimulate interactive, motivating discussion and creative classroom applications. The students will have ample opportunity to watch the clips at home and learn and practice the language in appropriate contexts and situations. Activities targeting observation and reflection will also guide them to learn and develop an understanding of the target culture. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| Course on interdisciplinary approaches to the Mediterranean Megan Holmes LSA $10000.00 |
This project involves the launching of a co-taught interdisciplinary undergraduate course in Winter 2015 by the four faculty members of the inter-departmental cluster "The Mediterranean Perspective on Global History and Culture." This introductory course on the Mediterranean will be a principal anchor of the cluster that was formed through the President's Interdisciplinary Faculty Initiative Program. The course will be developed over the next year by the cluster Steering Committee and the three cluster faculty recently hired: Paroma Chatterjee (History of Art), Mayte Green-Mercado (Romance Languages and Literatures), and Jessica Marglin (the Frankel Center for Judaic Studies). A fourth new hire will join the team next fall. Offered at the 200 level and aimed at sophomores, the course will reflect the cluster commitment to giving undergraduates an interdisciplinary and cross-cultural experience. The structure of the course will combine group lectures and smaller seminar discussion, with special features designed to enhance the interdisciplinary encounter, including "dialogues" staged between the faculty members, guest lectures by innovative scholars in Mediterranean studies, and a final "faculty panel" to discuss interdisciplinarity and field questions from the students. CRLT will be asked to work with the faculty on effective co-teaching, to provide feedback at mid-semester, and to help assess end-of-term student evaluations as we look forward to the following year. |
| Course Portals and Automated Problem System Yaoyun Shi Engineering Essl Georg Engineering Don Winsor Engineering $10000.00 |
The objective of this project is to develop a set of elearning technologies that are scalable and extensible, together with two integrated applications of those technologies: Course Portals and Automated Assessment System. The initial focus will be on undergraduate computer science courses, for which there is still much room and a great need for developing such technologies. The design seeks to maximize adoptability, through easy-to-use interfaces and building blocks that are easy to customize and extend. The technologies are expected to be scalable to many other courses, with the benefit of substantial financial savings and significant improvement in instruction quality. Some preliminary work has been done through the KnoAtom Project (KnoAtom.eecs.umich.edu) led by the Director. |
| Bridging the gap between Biostatistical methods and epidemiologic investigation: A proposal for the development of a new course providing an interdisciplinary educational experience for the modern quantitative epidemiologist Bhramar Mukherjee Public Health Veronica Berrocal Public Health Carlos Mendes de Leon Medical School $10000.00 |
The goal of this proposal is to create an interdisciplinary educational experience for Ph.D. students in Epidemiology (and also available as an optional elective for Masters students in Biostatistics) through a uniquely designed course that contains lectures on advanced biostatistical methods, but places them in the context of applications that fall broadly under four special topics. The present curriculum for doctoral students in epidemiology does not offer the option of in-depth learning of statistical models and methods in these four contemporary topics that arise frequently in the present scientific context. These four topics are: (1) Spatial data analysis; (2) Methods for studies of interaction, in particular gene-environment interaction; (3) Advanced methods for longitudinal data; (4) Modern techniques for model building and variable selection. The course will equip the new generation epidemiologists with state of the art statistical methods in these domains, and teach them the craft of translating a practical problem to mathematical equations. Students will be competent in constructing and describing the assumptions and models at a preliminary level in each of these four topics. However, the entire theoretical learning process will be placed in the context of sophisticated modeling of data from large complex studies. If funded in Stage I, a Stage II proposal on a sequel course on advanced statistical methods for the analysis of high through put data and "omics" data in modern epidemiologic studies will be developed. |
| Incorporating Technology into Advanced Health Assessment Through the use of a Digital Standardized Patient Nicole Boucher Nursing April Bigelow Nursing Michelle Pardee Nursing $10000.00 |
The ultimate goal of this project is to enhance the advanced health assessment skills of nurse practitioner students using innovative simulated patient technology. Tina, the digital standardized patient allows students to practice communication, advanced assessment, diagnostic reasoning, clinical decision-making, and basic procedural skills on complicated patients that better mimic real-world experience. The digital standardized patient allows the faculty to vary the complexity of information to range from common abnormal findings to rare abnormal anomalies. Additionally, the encounters with Tina facilitates students in developing diagnostic reasoning skills over the term by engaging students in a question and answer session focused on clinical assessment problem-solving and diagnostic reasoning. The digital standardized patient also allows the student time for self-reflection about the interaction. The digital standardized patient program tracks each individual student's progress throughout the term. Additionally, the class as a whole is tracked to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the class. These tracking methods will aid faculty in modifying the classroom and laboratory content to help facilitate students learning. Additionally, the tracking methods can be utilized to facilitate small group discussion during the small group clinical time. |
| Neuroscience Graduate Program Curriculum: From Fundamental Knowledge & Skills to Integrative, Critical Thinking Rachael Seidler Kinesiology Audrey Seasholtz Medical School Edward Stuenkel Medical School $10000.00 |
Several years ago we created and charged our curriculum committee with reviewing our existing Neuroscience didactic classroom approach. In addition to other coursework outside of the program, we have students take a "boot camp" laboratory class during two weeks in August (Neurosci 623), followed by a year-long sequence of courses which survey the current state of knowledge in various areas of Neuroscience (Neurosci 601 (fall), 602 (winter)), accompanied by Neuroanatomy lecture and lab (Neurosci 570, 571) in the winter semester. The curriculum committee came up with a specific plan to reorganize this sequence, with the overall vision of: a) Building upon and taking advantage of best teaching practices, such as problem-based and active learning approaches, and becoming a world-wide leader in graduate Neuroscience education (Neurosci 623). b) Providing our students with an initial foundation of knowledge in the broad, multidisciplinary field of Neuroscience (Neurosci 601, 570, 571). c) Promoting transition to integrative and critical thinking skills which will help students to create and evaluate new knowledge in this rapidly expanding field (Neurosci 602). This will leave them well poised to begin their scientific careers as they settle on their home laboratory at the end of their first year in the program. Achieving this vision required our efforts and attention in three areas: curricular reform, faculty development, and assessment of the effectiveness of our changes. |
| Rethinking Media and Communication Research Methods Amanda Lotz LSA $10000.00 |
The Communication Studies department is preparing for the implementation of a massive undergraduate curriculum revision in the Fall of 2013. The cornerstone of this revision involves the expansion of the existing required course Comm 211 Evaluating Information, which covers the basic features of quantitative social scientific analysis into a two-semester, sequential, team-taught course Comm 121/122 Evaluating Information and Analyzing Media I and II that places quantitative and analytical ways of knowing in conversation. These courses must service roughly 400 students a year and are taught in two 80 minute blocks with a 2 hour weekly lab. This Whitaker Fund application requests the funds to hire a graduate student during the summer of 2013 to work with instructors to develop the labs for the these courses and to aid the instructors in preparing lectures that "flip" the large class dynamic. |
| Developing an Integrated Approach to Teaching Legal Writing to Upper-Level Law Students $10000.00 |
This project is an attempt to improve the teaching of legal writing to upper-level law students. The project involved a new clinic for appellate advocacy, offered in the fall of 2013. The course was scheduled to launch under a single clinical professor, and the grant funds were used to add a second professor from the legal practice program. The two professors co-taught the class. This type of collaboration has never occurred at the law school. The project had three specific goals: 1) to create a new learning experience for students utilizing the skills of professors from two distinct departments; 2) to improve the teaching in the clinical law program by learning new techniques on how to teach legal writing to upper level students and 3) to improve the teaching in the legal practice program by providing legal practice professors evidence of how students research and write in the context of actual case work which will inform future developments of the first year legal research and writing curriculum. |
| Transforming Technical Communication in Large Laboratory Courses: Creating a More Engaging Learning Environment Mary Northrop Engineering Elaine Wisniewski Engineering $9450.00 |
Large engineering laboratory courses, such as the Laboratory I course in Chemical Engineering, offer invaluable hands-on experiences to engineering students at the University of Michigan. Further, the technical communication (TC) component embedded in such courses provides a real-world context to the projects and provides practice in the type of engineering communication typical of professional situations. However, the size of these classes, generally 50 to 90 students, the teamwork aspect of the laboratory work, and the small percentage of the total course devoted to TC (generally 25% or less), creates an environment in which it is easier to lecture to large groups and grade team-written reports and presentations with little time devoted to individual, or team, interactions and even less time available to address communication issues with individuals. |
