Teaching and learning faculty investigate the practice of teaching as a scholarly pursuit. We examine pedagogy practices, student learning outcomes, and strategies for collecting and analyzing data related to teaching Informatics, Computer Science, Library Science, and Engineering. Members of this research group participate in on-going dialogs about these topics with other researchers in these fields.
Teaching and Learning at Luddy
Subareas
Active & visible learning
Improving the practice of teaching: the word practice, and not science, is deliberately chosen since there is no fixed recipe for ensuring that teaching has the maximum possible effect on student learning. But there are practices that we know are effective and practices that we know are not. Visible learning occurs when teachers see learning through the eyes of students and teach them how to become their own teachers.
Computer curriculum for all
Increasingly, undergraduate computing programs are being called upon to prepare larger and more diverse student populations for careers in scientific and non-scientific disciplines. We work with faculty on the Bloomington campus and at other institutions of higher education in re-envisioning the role of computing in interdisciplinary collaboration. Our activities span the K-12 through undergraduate research spectrum.
Diversity/inclusion in the classroom
Students are inherently motivated to learn but learn to be unmotivated when they repeatedly fail. All students have the basic need to belong, to be competent, and to influence what happens to them. Studies continue to confirm the positive impact of open and inclusive classroom environments and the enhanced learning that come with it.
Collaborative learning
Transition to become an effective professional requires awareness and an investment of time to identify and develop key skills necessary for success in a career path (soft skills). These are personal competencies that improve performance, facilitate effective interactions, and complement the technical requirements necessary to acquire and maintain employment.
Precollege Summer Program
The program provides students an opportunity to explore various aspects of technology. Hands-on activities and a conference-style experience help students to explore different aspects of information and systems science. Robotics, virtual reality, philosophy and ethics of technology, data science, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and human computer interaction have been studied in the past.