Informal Learning at State is a new blog series by Dr. Ellie Louson that will explore the spaces for informal learning at MSU. While several definitions of informal learning exist, this series will include learning experiences that are non-curricular and accessible to the public. In other words, these are spaces for learning that admit everyone and that don’t require enrolment in courses.
Last October, the Hub launched the Catalyst Innovation Program, providing small amounts of funding to facilitate MSU faculty trying something new with digital tools and teaching approaches “for the purposes of allowing experimentation in spaces with the potential to enhance student learning experiences on a digitally-immersed, global campus.”
Ten projects were ultimately accepted in the inaugural 2018-2019 Catalyst Innovation Program,
A few weeks ago I was a panelist at a Science Communication event organized by MSU SciComm for the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center’s Summer Undergraduate Research Program. The REU participants, visiting STEM undergrads at MSU for the summer, were there to hear about science communication,
One of the most important functions of the Hub is connecting people and ideas to opportunities to share and grow (and meet more people and generate more ideas!). To that end, I’m writing to share an opportunity that came through 2018 Hub Fellow (and 2019 College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Excellence in Teaching New Teacher Award winner) Aaron McKim.
“People love to say, ‘Give a man a fish, and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he’ll eat for a lifetime.’ What they don’t say is, ‘And it would be nice if you gave him a fishing rod.
One of the questions we get a lot is “what is the Hub?”
“Can you help me figure out how to make a video for my class?” Yes, we can connect you to people who are very good at this.
“I need to re-design the curriculum for my program to draw more students.”
These are two development cases we’ve recently encountered with faculty creating online courses, and we wanted to share different considerations for approaching an online course or program development. The infographic below breaks down themes we frequently encounter in our work helping faculty design courses, curriculum, and experiences.
Lessons Learned:
One thing we’ve noticed is that very few folks have taken D2L training,
I recently attended the 3rd annual Spring Conference on Student Learning and Success at MSU. The first year it ran, it was a joining of a couple of similar events across campus that previously had been taking place simultaneously. This year, there were more added to the party.
“Why would any human being anywhere in the world come to East Lansing, Michigan (of all places), for their education and spend lots of money to do so?”
We ask this a lot, because in order to serve the needs of students and create a culture of care,
I’m tired. In the best way.
Since mid-February I have attended the Educause Learning Initiative (ELI) conference in Anaheim, an invited NSF work group on creating inclusive STEM studio learning environments, interned at an amazing design firm in Chicago for a week, and was the virtual engagement co-chair of the OLC Innovate conference.