Slate Pilot Program

November 29th, 2011

We have launched a new pilot slate program here at Bryant.  More than 20 faculty members are participating. Each has been given a Lenovo slate with which to experiment.  We are conducting a series of workshops to familiarize the faculty with various ways in which they can use the slates.   This week, I'll be talking about some interesting applications including Edmodo - a social networking platform for teachers to use with their students.  According to Edmodo:

 "We help teachers make their classroom a community.  Edmodo provides a safe and easy way for your class to connect and collaborate, share content, and access homework, grades and school notices. Our goal is to help educators harness the power of social media to customize the classroom for each and every learner."


 

Workshop on Design Thinking

November 29th, 2011

We have postponed today's workshop on design thinking until early next semester.  We are sorry for the inconvenience.
 

Next Workshop: How Design Thinking Can Transform Business Education

October 20th, 2011

Professor Elaine Notarantonio and MBA student Derek Charello will be presenting a seminar titled, "Using the Deep Dive to Teach Consumer Behavior."  The Deep Dive, of course, refers to IDEO's process for innovation.  This seminar will take people inside that process and will offer insights as to how design thinking can transform our method for teaching a variety of subjects.  This seminar, in particular, presents an active learning project that offers students a unique opportunity to generate strategic insights into the consumer experience. It is achieved through a mix of doing, asking and observing.  The project requirements will be discussed along with how it can be adapted to other courses.  A  sample project will be discussed by a 2011 MBA graduate.  

The date for this seminar is Tuesday, November 29th @ 3:00pm in Room 270 of the Teaching and Learning Center.


 

Peter Thiel: The Value of College

October 20th, 2011

Vivek Wadhwa wrote a terrific column recently in the Washington Post in response to Peter Thiel's criticisms of undergraduate education in the United States.   Peter Thiel, co-founder of Paypal, has established an interesting foundation.  That foundation has provided 20 grants of $100,000 each to young people under the age of 20 who will NOT go to college, but instead, pursue entrepreneurial ventures.  The first members of the 20 Under 20 Thiel Fellowship will work for two years to pursue ventures in fields ranging from robotics to energy, and they will be mentored by a network of tech entrepreneurs and innovators.    Wadhwa disagrees with many of Thiel's critiques of American higher education, and he challenges Thiel to put some of his know-how and money into transforming higher education for the better, rather than simply encouraging the most talented young people to forego college.
 

Why education without creativity is not enough

October 19th, 2011

Anya Kamenetz has a terrific article about American education and its effect on competitiveness over at Fast Company.  Kamenetz argues (rightfully, I believe) that a focus on simply cranking out more and better STEM graduates (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) is not the way to compete more effectively with China and India.  She offers the perspective of one leading executive in the Indian outsourcing industry - Phaneesh Murthy, CEO of iGate Patni.  Here is an excerpt from Kamenetz's article: If we could just tighten standards and lean harder on the STEM disciplines–science, technology, engineering, mathematics–we'd better our rigorous rivals in India and China, and get our economy firing on all cylinders. As with much conventional wisdom, this is conventional in the worst sense of that word.  If you want the truth, talk to the competition. Phaneesh Murthy is CEO of iGate Patni, a top-10 Indian outsourcing company. Murthy oversees 26,000 employees–not the ones snapping SIM chips into cell phones or nagging you about your unpaid AmEx bill, but the ones writing iPhone apps, processing mortgage applications, and redesigning supply chains–in jobs that would be handled in the U.S. by highly paid, college-educated workers. In other words, you. Yet Murthy, a regular bogeyman of outsourcing, believes American education is by far the best in the world. "The U.S. education system is much more geared to innovation and practical application," says Murthy. "It's really good from high school onward." To compete long term, we need more brainstorming, not memorization; more individuality, not standardization.
 

Backward Design

September 6th, 2011

The Chronicle of Higher Education has a good column (click here) about designing courses with the goals/outcomes in mind first.
 

The Paper Chase & The Socratic Method

September 5th, 2011

"You teach yourselves the law, but I train your minds."  - Professor Kingsfield, The Paper Chase 

Click here for that wonderful scene from the movie, in which Kingsfield explains the power of the Socratic Method.


 

Flipping the Classroom Workshop

September 5th, 2011

For those faculty and staff who could not attend the "Flipping the Classroom" workshop held last week, click here for a link to the video of the session.  We hope that many people will try these techniques, and that you will keep us informed as you implement the approach.
 

The Value of a Liberal Arts Education

August 31st, 2011

Here's a great little video clip from Wellesley College, featuring Harvard Business School Professor Clay Christensen. 
 

Daniel Willingham’s Excellent Book

August 29th, 2011

Daniel Willingham is a cognitive scientist on the faculty at University of Virginia.  I highly recommend his book, Why Don't Kids Like School.  You can find more information about the book by clicking here.