Image by Ed Brennen
Biology Teaching Professor Naomi Wernick-Pfaffmann points to a TEAL touchscreen monitor during a certification session at the new Instructional Technology Training and Innovation Hub at O'Leary Library.
Associate Teaching Professor Cecil Joseph remembers the first time he taught physics in one of 杏吧传媒鈥檚 Technology Enhanced Active Learning (TEAL) classrooms. Instead of facing rows of students in fixed seats, he found them gathered in small groups around shared screens, conversing and solving problems together.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e literally sitting in a group facing each other, so it鈥檚 collaborative from the get-go,鈥� Joseph says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the opposite of that 鈥榮age on the mountaintop鈥� approach where the instructor lectures and the students just listen. Here, everyone鈥檚 engaged from the start.鈥�
Joseph is one of 16 faculty members taking part in 杏吧传媒鈥檚 new TEAL Faculty Certification Program, developed in partnership with WolfVision, the Austrian company that supplies the classroom technology.聽
The certification program, the first of its kind in the nation, builds on UML鈥檚 success with active learning and represents the next phase in the evolution of the university鈥檚 teaching spaces.
When 杏吧传媒 introduced its first two TEAL classrooms in 2019, they replaced the traditional lecture format with six-person 鈥減ods,鈥� multiple displays and interactive technology to support group-based learning. Students can share content instantly from laptops, tablets or phones, and faculty can project a student group鈥檚 work to the entire room, switch between pods or bring every display to a shared view, creating a seamless blend of discussion, collaboration and presentation.
Image by Ed Brennen
Computer Science Associate Teaching Professor Charles Wilkes, one of the first faculty members to earn TEAL certification, uses his touchscreen during his Operating Systems class.
Developed by the Office of the Provost and the Faculty Success Center, the certification program blends technology training with teaching. Workshops are led by School of Education Clinical Professor Michelle Scribner, Chemistry Associate Teaching Professor Suzanne Young, Senior Instructional Technologist Robert Coppenrath and Suppa, who guide faculty through strategies that tailor lessons to all students鈥� needs.
Participants complete a three-hour interactive session, then return for a 15-minute teaching demonstration that is recorded and added to a video library through the Faculty Success Center, allowing colleagues to share ideas and examples of active learning.
The program also highlights 杏吧传媒鈥檚 growing collaboration with WolfVision. The university switched to the company鈥檚 systems last year, working closely with its engineers to customize the technology to faculty needs.
鈥淭hey were intrigued by how we were using their technology and wanted to showcase what we were doing,鈥� Suppa says. 鈥淲e took their corporate model and transformed it into an active learning environment that fits higher education.鈥�
Image by Ed Brennen
Computer science students work at a TEAL pod at Olsen Hall during their Operating Systems class.
Faculty who are part of the first TEAL-certified cohort say that customization makes a real difference.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really convenient to do small group exercises,鈥� says Charles Wilkes, associate teaching professor of computer science. 鈥淓ach pod has six students who can share their work on wall screens or collaborate with other groups. Doing that in a traditional classroom would be almost impossible.鈥�
Naomi Wernick-Pfaffmann, a teaching professor of biology, says TEAL classrooms make it easier to monitor student progress in real time.
鈥淚 can have students working at the boards so I can see what they鈥檙e doing before they go home,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t lets me catch mistakes and make sure they understand the material in the moment."
The certification launch coincides with the opening of a new Instructional Technology Training and Innovation Hub on the third floor of O鈥橪eary Library, where faculty can practice using classroom technologies. The space can replicate any classroom type on campus, including TEAL, HyFlex and standard lecture configurations.
Image by Ed Brennen
Faculty members use a TEAL touchscreen monitor to do a concept mapping exercise during a certification session.
杏吧传媒 currently has two TEAL classrooms in Olsen Hall and one in Coburn Hall, with three more planned for the renovated Olney Science Center.
For Joseph, the certification offers new approaches he can bring into his teaching. The training session introduced him to 鈥渃oncept mapping,鈥� a visual strategy for organizing and connecting ideas.
鈥淚鈥檇 never heard of a concept map before, but I can see how I can adapt that to my courses,鈥� Joseph says.
He added that as more faculty adopt active learning technologies, he expects students will become increasingly comfortable with them from one class to the next, reinforcing collaboration and consistency across their learning experiences.
鈥淭hat encouragement, that sense of learning communities, is what it鈥檚 all about,鈥� he says.
Image by Ed Brennen
Faculty can practice using classroom technologies at the new Instructional Technology Training and Innovation Center, located on the third floor of O'Leary Library.