Chair Talk 3.13 Learning Initiatives

Chair Talk 3.13   Learning Initiatives

In the last few years, a number of initiatives have focused on the improvement of teaching and learning at UA, including:
·         A project funded through the Association of American Universities to improve teaching in foundation STEM classes 
·         Faculty Learning Communities focused on evidence-based teaching strategies
·         A Task Force on Teaching Quality (see http://academicaffairs.arizona.edu/sites/academicaffairs/files/task_force_teaching_quality_gb_final_1.pdf)
·         the Faculty Senate project to define quality teaching
·         ABOR request for indicators of quality, particularly in general education. 

Given this commitment to quality education, UA proposed to the Higher Learning Commission (our institutional accreditor) the University of Arizona Learning Initiative.  This was approved in June 2016 with the following comment from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) reviewers:

“…what distinguishes this project is the realization that learning is a two-way street -- both faculty and students must be involved in the process for learning to occur. The combination of changing classroom approaches by faculty and students’ improved ability to study and retain the material has the promise to demonstrate significant gains in student outcomes.”

The UA Learning Initiative (http://academicaffairs.arizona.edu/uali) is designed to enhance and support student learning through integrated initiatives for faculty and students. These initiatives are focused on helping faculty and students understand and use effective strategies that improve student learning and enhance retention of learned content and concepts.

As part of this initiative, a group of UA faculty will launch a six-part series this month, titled Learning to Learn, intended to help UA students become better learners. Research shows that many strategies commonly used by students are inefficient and result in less durable learning than the recommended evidence-based strategies. Each part of the Learning to Learn series will focus on one evidence-based strategy and will provide useful information about what the strategy is, why it works and how faculty can incorporate simple exercises to teach their students to use the strategies and become better learners. A Learning to Learn Blog will provide an opportunity for faculty to share their success stories and learn from one another.

I encourage you to participate in the UA Learning Initiative, to discuss the learning strategies in these brief communications with your students and with faculty and TA colleagues and to apply these strategies to your teaching. Please share these communications widely.

Programs like this can help make the UA an institution where faculty are focused on student learning, and where we bring the latest evidence-based approaches to our effort. 

Lynn Nadel
Chair of the Faculty