WisCEL invites faculty and staff to collaborate on active-learning courses
Students work on an in-class assignment in an electrical and computer engineering course taught by faculty associate Michael Morrow in the WisCEL center on the fourth floor of Wendt Library.
The Wisconsin Collaboratory for Enhanced Learning (WisCEL) is inviting faculty and staff interested in teaching active learning and technology-enhanced courses to apply for space during the fall 2015 semester by December 1.
Since WisCEL launched in spring 2012, it has grown to serve 55 courses and more than 4,500 undergraduate students this academic year.
Staff at WisCEL’s two learning centers, located in College Library and Wendt Commons, work closely with instructors to not only incorporate technology into curricula, but also to rethink how course architectures and instructional strategies can allow for innovative approaches to learning.
“There’s a lot of interest in blended-learning and active-learning instructional models on campus, and this is one of the few places where instructors can do it,” says Sarah Mason, WisCEL’s associate director. “We also serve instructors from across campus. We’re currently supporting courses from 21 departments.”
WisCEL offers a variety of tools and resources for faculty and staff, including:
- Classrooms: WisCEL learning spaces can accommodate up to 114 and include circular tables with computers for each student and dedicated monitors for group work, smaller rooms for seminars and discussion sections with movable furniture and instructional technology.
- Technology-enhanced instruction: A number of WisCEL instructors have adopted “flipped” course structures and make use of university curriculum-management software and other online learning modules.
- Instructional communities: WisCEL provides online resources and workshops to help instructors collaborate on strategies and best practices.
- Improved student outcomes: Mason says several WisCEL courses, particularly those related to engineering and pre-calculus, have improved the likelihood that students will earn B-level or higher grades, while reducing the rates of Ds, Fs and drops.
Those interested in learning more about WisCEL can attend its three-year anniversary reception on Friday, Nov. 14. At the event, former Provost Paul DeLuca, Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration Darrell Bazzell, and additional campus partners who were instrumental in establishing the collaboratory will receive awards. The reception begins at 4:30 p.m. in Wendt Commons.
