International Conference on Improving University Teaching

International Conference on Improving University Teaching (IUT) 37th Annual Conference

The International Conference on Improving University Teaching (IUT) offers the opportunity for participants from across the globe to share practices, discoveries, and challenges in improving the effectiveness of postsecondary teaching and learning. The IUT Conference examines topics relevant to students, faculty, and staff in higher education as well as to representatives of business and organizations concerned with higher education.

IUT emphasizes dialogue and sharing among conference participants through provocative keynote addresses, interactive theme sessions, workshops, concurrent sessions, poster presentation, and expert panel discussions. The conference offers further opportunities for international exchanges during the coffee breaks, lunches, and evening social events.

Conference Theme

Students success in transferring what they know to their activities in the real world ia a key test of higher education. What matters most is not how well students do in school, but how they are prepared for what awaits them afterwards. This year's IUT theme explores how innovative teaching and assessment can better assist students to meet the realities of a changing work environment. Four sub-themes underlie the overall topic. They included: the latest research on knowledge transfer; case method teaching; evidence-based learning; and assessment outside the box.

One promising approach is to build more practical experience into classroom instruction. Techniques such as the case method, evidence-based learning, and projects undertaken in conjunction with specific courses are all means to this end, as are internships and research projects. Assessing student performance on concrete tasks and frequent feedback are also critical tools.

Thoughts from Dr. Pamela Louderback

My experience at the IUT 2012 Conference
The international conference on university teaching offered exciting keynote addresses, interactive theme sessions, workshops, concurrent sessions, poster presentations, and expert panel discussions over a three day period. IUT offered opportunities to share research on knowledge transfer and practical suggestions on techniques that work to deepen student understanding and hence their ability to put what they know to work.

On the first day, I attended the opening plenary entitled International Perspective on Building Collaborative Frameworks where a panel of experienced educators from institutions around the globe addressed how collaborations that promote student learning are facilitated in their classrooms. The dialogue provided both a framework for adapting collaborations in the classroom and specific examples of how to incorporate the use for collaborative activities into the classroom. I also attended several sessions that focused on changing practices in improving teaching. And on new lessons learned about what key strategies really work today. In one sessions entitled Faculty Development / Academic Staff Development (ASD): A trigger for the Shift from Teaching to Learning the session presented data that In Germany the shift from teaching to learning is the focus of innovative teaching (e.g., output orientation, employability, mobility). A summary of factors contributing to the present boom in Faculty Development ASD was also discussed.

On day two, I attended several paper sessions that reported the reflective habits of students in a problem-based learning environment Factors the Promote or Inhibit Reflective Habits in my Students , an interactive session that explored various ideas for how to embrace online forums as a means of encouraging and building students critical reflection skills, Building a Community of Reflective Learners with Online Threaded Discussion Forums , and a paper that described a self-reinforcing knowledge and skills transfer framework in a blended-learning business communication class, Multi-level and Multi-Directional Knowledge Transfer in a Blended Learning Environment

On the final day, Rick and I presented a 60 minute workshop based on the IMLS grant, Using Blackboard Collaborate to Create Cultural Connections where we explored how innovative teaching and learning tools can better assist graduate library students to meet the realities of a changing work environment. This workshop offered opportunities to share practical suggestions on the transfer of knowledge on the techniques that work to deepen student understanding from a cultural context. Additionally, I attended a session on how faculty must first engage students and then make learning relevant by using realistic case studies, innovative activities, and technology tools to help transfer academic knowledge into life-long, career applications, entitled 50 Ways to Leave Your Lectern: Teaching Strategies to Engage Today's New Student in Knowledge Transfer .

Attending this conference gave me an opportunity to learn a variety of ways to explore grounded, creative, and practical teaching strategies that facilitate and foster knowledge transfer while providing an opportunity to exchange information on the IMLS project.

Thoughts from Mr. Rick Shelton

Traveling to the Otzidorf cultural village was a wonderful experience. The open-air archaeological park in Umhausen, Austria gave me the chance to compare the two open air museums, the Cherokee Heritage Center and Otzidorf, and experience the similar cultural aspects found in each village. I was surprised at just how similar the two villages were in regard to the exhibits and presentation. With the two villages an ocean and centuries apart in time, the way that Otzidorf was set up, paralleled the Cherokee center in many ways. Each presents the everyday living village of the people with everything from tool making, living quarters, cooking, hunting and culture. From the flint knapping to the bow construction and bakery, the guided tour we experienced allowed us to look into the historical and cultural lives of the Neolithic people living in the area.

I was truly amazed in the similar tools used for hunting, fishing and everyday life found in each exhibit. While the techniques in constructing the tools might be different in each village the basics were very much the same and this allowed me to see how the two cultures separated by centuries and an ocean, developed along parallel paths. At both villages I was able to look at the construction of the bows used by the two cultures and even shoot them at the archery range. Each of the bows were similar with the Otzidorf bow having a bit of a recurve shape to it compared to the self-bows at the Cherokee village. The techniques presented for the dugout canoe were very close and the housing was similar. While the Cherokee Village housing was much more modern in design, the basic layouts and construction from logs remained the same with the Cherokee houses having fixed chimneys while the Otzidorf houses used open fire pits.

As a cultural experience it was wonderful to experience the two cultures and be able to picture them side-by-side in my mind.