Register here for this Brown Bag Seminar: https://crlt.umich.edu/node/94493

Abstract: In an era in which active learning, student engagement, and transformative education is increasingly discussed, it is crucial that educators understand the factors that foster greater student engagement and what is broadly referred to as student-centered learning. We then need to be able to effectively apply that knowledge to our work in the classroom. For the past 5 years, I have been engaged in a collaborative effort leading a course transformation program at a large research intensive university. The transformations were guided by the motivational framework of self-determination theory. I will share the motivational principles underlying successful transformations in higher education as well as the associated research evidence. An extension of this project is currently funded by the Department of Education as part of the First-in-the-World federal initiative.


REBUILD and the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching are talking to administrators, faculty, staff and students across the University about foundational courses. Our goal is to generate a shared vision and agenda for a program of collaborative course design to advance teaching and learning in foundational courses at the University of Michigan.

The Foundational Course Initiative Seminar Series features high-profile speakers who have extensive experience leading the transformation of foundational courses to incorporate innovative technologies, research-based pedagogies, systematic assessment strategies, and novel approaches to supporting the success of diverse students at scale.