Welcome toInnovative Learning

April 29 TLCoP: Conceptualizing, structuring, managing group work assignments

Purdue instructors in West Lafayette and Indianapolis are invited to the final session of the Teaching and Learning Community of Practice (TLCoP) for spring 2024 featuring a showcase of three instructional approaches to group assignments, Mon., April 29, noon-1 p.m. The Zoom session will explore how group work is conceptualized, structured, and managed in Purdue courses, particularly those with large enrollment. Please pre-register to receive connection information.

Collaborative learning strategies like group work are supported by theories and research across curricula, particularly with advances in active learning classroom design, educational technologies, and both onsite and remote connectivity. Recent developments in artificial intelligence may add another affordance to students working together. This session will use several core considerations to guide the conversation:

• Conceptualization – What are the affordances that group work provides in your course? Are they strategies to achieve learning outcomes or embedded directly into those outcomes? How is “group work” defined in your course and assignments? How do you generate new ideas for group work; does artificial intelligence play a role?
• Structuring – How do you make groups? What are the learning outcomes and deliverables of some of your group activities? What are your expectations of the work generated?
• Managing – How do you organize and support your students’ group work? What tools/technologies do you use to facilitate these activities?

Following are invited speakers. Please bring your ideas and questions for discussion.

Beatriz Castro, lecturer in the Department of Biological Sciences, supervises the recitation component of BIOL203 and 204, Human Anatomy and Physiology I and II, respectively, with more than 1,000 students. Students work in groups of four to five to answer applied questions about the lecture content. She will share the multiple steps in her process, which provides opportunities for discussion of cases and submission of answers to a quiz as a group.

Kate Zipay, assistant professor in the Organizational Behavior and Human Resources area at the Mitchell E. Daniels School of Business, will share how she uses group work starting with the first few weeks of class to help develop a class culture of connection, trust, and support. This includes relying on each other for “What did I miss?”-type questions. Students also work in class in groups on module assessments, completing the assessments as a group to facilitate conversation, healthy disagreement, social responsibility, and coordination.

Lindsay Hamm, assistant teaching professor in the Department of Sociology and the College of Liberal Arts Cornerstone program, will talk about technology she uses to facilitate student interactions and multiple check-ins. She is continually exploring how to form and support teams in her large courses.

All members of Purdue West Lafayette and Indianapolis instructional communities are encouraged to pre-register to receive the Zoom connection information.

TLCoP is a program of Innovative Learning, Purdue West Lafayette’s hub approach to connect instructors in West Lafayette and Indianapolis to the resources they need to engage students, develop courses in any instructional modality, and enhance learning across the University. Members include the Center for Instructional Excellence, Libraries and the School of Information Studies and Purdue University Online. To learn more, visit www.purdue.edu/innovativelearning or email InnovativeLearningTeam@purdue.edu.

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April 2 workshop offers research findings, applications in engaging students with GenAI

Faculty and instructors from Purdue’s West Lafayette and Indianapolis campuses are invited to register for an onsite workshop Tues., April 2, 1-2 p.m., during which members of the Innovation Hub Artificial Intelligence (AI) research project will present their results and provide applications for working with generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) and large language models (LLM) in Purdue classrooms. The session will be held in the Krannert Center (KCTR 100).

Activities of the workshop are based on the results of the Innovation Hub grant that explored student and faculty perceptions of GenAI tools from 11 different colleges at Purdue. Lakshmy Mohandas, principal investigator, and her project team will share insights from surveys and interviews. The team also includes Lindsay Hamm, artificial intelligence innovation fellow, and members of Innovative Learning.

These results will be applied to hands-on demonstrations and interactive opportunities for participants to experience the capabilities of GenAI and LLMs like ChatGPT and Purdue’s new Copilot with Data Protection in a controlled environment. Participants are also welcome to share their instructional strategies and experiences with AI tools. The objective of the workshop is to better equip faculty and instructors to navigate the challenges and opportunities presented by these tools in the classroom and consider how they might be effectively integrated into teaching practices to support student achievement of learning outcomes. 

Participants are encouraged to bring devices to practice with the featured AI tools. Refreshments will be provided.

Among the topics to be addressed are:
-Prompting strategies to get acceptable output from GenAI tools.
-Creating prompts, practice questions, and examples for students
-Ideas for active engagement with students regarding GenAI
-Considerations for assignments, lectures and syllabi

For more information on the grant or the workshop, contact Lakshmy Mohandas at lmohanda@purdue.edu.

Register at: https://purdue.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6fddnlGWjvppp1c or by scanning the QR code below. 

Innovative Learning is Purdue West Lafayette’s hub approach to connect Purdue West Lafayette and Purdue in Indianapolis instructors to the resources they need to engage students, develop courses in any instructional modality, and enhance learning across the University. Other members include Libraries and the School of Information Studies, Purdue Online, and Teaching and Learning Technologies. To learn more, visit www.purdue.edu/innovativelearning or email InnovativeLearningTeam@purdue.edu.
For questions and support at your campus, contact:
Purdue Global: Direct teaching-related questions to askctl@purdueglobal.edu. Technical support questions should be directed to TechSupport@purdueglobal.edu or 866-522-7747 (toll-free).
Purdue Fort Wayne: Teaching-related questions should be directed to PFW’s Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching (CELT) at celt@pfw.edu, 260-481-6354, or CELT’s website for resources and to request one on one consultations. Technical support questions should be directed to PFW’s IT Services Help Desk helpdesk@pfw.edu or 260-481-6030.
Purdue Northwest: Direct teaching-related questions to the Center for Faculty Excellence at cfe@pnw.edu, 219-989-8328, or CFE’s website. Technical support questions should be directed to The Customer Service Center (CSC) at csc@pnw.edu, 219-989-2888, or CSC’s website.

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Purdue Teaching Academy & Innovative Learning host Purdue in Indianapolis open house, Mar. 1

Purdue in Indianapolis faculty and instructors are invited to join representatives of the Purdue Teaching Academy and Innovative Learning over coffee and pastries, Fri., March 1, 10-11:30 a.m. in University Library 1126, 755 W Michigan St,. Indianapolis.

During the informal session, representatives from Innovative Learning’s Teaching and Learning Technologies (TLT) and the Center for Instructional Excellence (CIE), including Tracey Birdwell, CIE’s new assistant director for Purdue in Indianapolis, will share current and future opportunities for teaching and learning support. Additionally, members of Purdue’s Teaching Academy will be in attendance to share information about applying for membership as well as award opportunities. Participants are encouraged to explore offerings one-on-one with staff and faculty during our informal session. Please register here.

The Teaching Academy at Purdue strives to bring together the best teaching faculty and graduate students across Purdue West Lafayette and Purdue in Indianapolis to create a collective voice for teaching excellence. Members are nominated and selected by their peers. In partnership with the Office of the Provost and the CIE, the Teaching Academy sponsors a variety of programs and activities fostering educational creativity, innovation, and effectiveness both in- and outside the classroom. Additionally, the Teaching Academy supports and encourages teaching faculty and graduate students to apply for teaching awards honoring and recognizing excellence in teaching.

Innovative Learning is a hub approach to connect faculty and instructors to the resources they need to engage students, develop courses in any instructional modality and enhance learning across the University. Innovative Learning members include CIE, TLT, Libraries and the School of Information Studies and Purdue University Online. 

If you have questions about the open house or Innovative Learning and the Teaching Academy, please email InnovativeLearningTeam@purdue.edu or tbirdwel@purdue.edu.

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