The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will host a Mobile Summer Institute on Scientific Teaching (MoSI) for all faculty from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. May 18-21 at UA Little Rock Downtown. Registration is required by Friday, Feb. 28.

The workshop is designed to maximize teaching capabilities with evidence-based approaches such as active learning and inclusive teaching practices. Workshops will be facilitated by national science education experts and UA Little Rock faculty.

The techniques covered at MoSI will help improve student learning without watering down course goals, so more students learn the material and progress toward their degrees. Overwhelming evidence shows that students perform better in active learning classrooms. Students in these environments are 1.5 times more likely to pass compared to students in sections that only use traditional lectures.

Last year, faculty members indicated they attended the workshop in search of new tools and ideas that will help them restructure courses to utilize active teaching methods, measure active learning, and evaluate teaching effectiveness. Small group sessions guided participants through the process of backward design to develop courses that help students feel empowered and take ownership of their learning.

“When I reflect on my time as a student, the times where I learned the most, were when I was actively engaging with complex topics,” said 2019 participant Chris Etheridge, assistant professor of mass communication. “Thanks to MoSI, I now have a lot more tools as an educator to create those opportunities for my students.”

Several ideas for increasing student success that were proposed by faculty during MoSI brainstorming sessions in 2019 have already contributed toward positive changes on campus during the 2019-2020 academic year, including establishing programs and activities that foster a sense of community on campus, increasing opportunities for professional development and mentoring for faculty members, and implementing new innovative practices in the classroom.

“MoSI was phenomenal,” said 2019 participant Kirk Leach, assistant professor of public affairs. “I learned how to develop a more engaged classroom where students are empowered and have ownership in their learning.”

MoSI is sponsored by the UA Little Rock Office of the Provost and the STEM Education Center with support from the Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence. All faculty are encouraged to register. To learn more, visit ualr.edu/provost/mosi, and contact Dr. Mark Baillie at mtbaillie@ualr.edu.