Academic Technologies’ Active Learning Fellows Initiative (ALFI)

ALF (a.k.a. Gordon Shumway, a friendly extraterrestrial nicknamed ALF, an acronym for "Alien Life Form")
ALF (a.k.a. Gordon Shumway, a friendly extraterrestrial nicknamed ALF, an acronym for “Alien Life Form”)

Ha ha, ALFI, not ALF! ALFI stands for the Active Learning Fellows Initiative.

Academic Technologies is thrilled to support faculty interested in building their repertoire of active learning techniques by providing an opportunity to explore and reflect on active learning pedagogy with like-minded colleagues who also wish to examine the use of classroom space and share their teaching practices.

Professors selected to participate will receive a $1,000 stipend and must be able to meet the following requirements:

  1. As part of the cohort, the professor agrees to read and discuss the recommended articles on Active Learning prior to meetings.
  2. The professor will incorporate active learning elements into a Fall 2019 course. (The professor should have taught the course at least two times previously so that the content is very familiar.)
  3. The professor will identify at least one module in the course that can be reworked using Active Learning techniques.
  4. Cohort members will attend up to four meetings over the summer with Academic Technologies staff and/or other cohort members to work through the process of planning and building the active learning module, and one meeting in the fall to discuss progress. (If you’re planning on being away/abroad for most of the summer, this program may not be for you.)
  5. Professors will provide feedback to Academic Technologies on what worked, what needs improvement, and give suggestions on how to improve the program in the future.
  6. Participate in a Fall or Winter Academy panel session on Active Learning, sharing results of the program.
  7. Participate in future active learning fellows cohort meetings/luncheons, when new participants are ready to discuss how to rework modules, and other sessions, when available.

If you’re looking to try novel teaching practices and experiment with new technologies to better meet the ever-changing needs of today’s students, apply now to be an Active Learning Fellow next summer.