In the Faculty Innovation Center we support instructional innovation by providing media and instructional development services. Our summer was productive and we’d like to share with you a few highlights and opportunities:

• Nuclear Engineering Teaching Lab - this site provides a virtual tour of the nuclear reactor and facilities at Pickle Research Center. Currently the site is in the final testing phase and will be launched in a couple of weeks are underway.

• New Faculty Orientation - the FIC’s Kathy Schmidt and Mary Crawford, along with Sherry Woods, Director of Special Projects, coordinated and delivered the first engineering track for the University’s new faculty orientation. Fifteen new faculty participated and will continue as a cohort group for this next year. They toured the FIC and several have already contacted the FIC for course tool support, curriculum evaluation, and media development.

• Interactive Teaching Tools - the FIC has a set of e-instruction, classroom performance tools available. By using these electronic classroom communication tools, faculty can gather and display student responses in order to stimulate student participation, gauge student understanding, and encourage class discussion. See: www.einstruction.com for more on e-instruction, and if you are interested in using these valuable devices, please contact the FIC.

As we move into this fall, our first event was a Faculty Innovation Seminar. Dr. Matt Campbell, Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering, is leading Mechanical Engineering’s effort, with funding from Ford Motor Company, to create an electronic portfolio in hopes of encouraging both teachers and students to focus more on projects as a means to foster active experimentation. To see his presentation and a list of upcoming seminars click here.

We look to seeing you in the Faculty Innovation Center.