Classroom-Based Innovation
Teaching methods and curricular designs that engage students deeply and enhance learning outcomes
About this approach
Faculty play a central role in student formation, beyond just the transference of knowledge. Classroom-based innovation includes the design of new courses and the reimagining of existing ones to promote deeper learning, human development and flourishing. This can involve pedagogical approaches like “reverse classrooms,” project-based learning, and inter-disciplinary teaching; or infusing courses with reflective practices, integrating purpose exploration, wellbeing education, or character development, into the classroom.
LearningWell Magazine Articles
Learning Together at Florida Atlantic University
Improving student engagement and performance through peer coaching and group work with Florida Atlantic University's Learning Assistant Program
Formative Education at Boston College
Teaching “whole-person” education across multiple disciplines with BC’s Department of Formative Education
The Art and Science of Formative Education
Advancing holistic education through grants, professional development, conferences at Boston College’s interdisciplinary research hub
Shifting Gears
Combatting stress culture and reconnecting students with purpose through self-regulation exercises at USC's Viterbi School of Engineering
Bucknell on Purpose
Asking critical questions about life after graduation through discussion, reflection activities with Bucknell’s senior seminars
Welcoming Wellbeing into the Classroom
Integrating student wellbeing into academic courses across disciplines with Georgetown’s Engelhardt Project
UF Quest Hits Its Stride
Exploring "wicked questions" in faculty-driven, discussion-based general education courses at University of Florida
Rethinking Work, Meaning, and Education
Integrating vocational reflection throughout all years of undergraduate curriculum with The University of St. Thomas’s Purpose Project
LearningWell Radio Episodes
Invented Here | Angela Lindner, University of Florida
How University of Florida’s four-year signature course provides interactive learning communities within the general education program
Invented Here | John Volin, University of Maine
How University of Maine is introducing research experiences to first-year students to enhance belonging, wellbeing, and retention
Videos
Teaching Wellbeing with Engelhard Project
Georgetown University
Keynote: Peer Instruction with Eric Mazur
Harvard University
Ignite Talk: Purpose & Belonging
Bucknell University
Best Practices
Research Learning Experiences (RLE)
The UMS TRANSFORMS Student Success and Retention Initiative, with funding from a grant provided by the Harold Alfond Foundation, supports a developmental pathway based upon three sub-initiatives: Research Learning Experiences (RLEs), Gateways to Success (GTS), and Pathways to Careers (PTC). The Research Learning Experiences (RLE) program is a signature sub-initiative of the University of Maine […]
University of Maine System