Eight individuals have received fellowships focused on innovations in digital pedagogy under a new program sponsored jointly by the Dean of Faculty and the Library Information Technology Services (LITS). The recipients represent a range of departments; they are Assistant Professor of Physics Viva Horowitz, General Director of the Hamilton Adirondack Program Janelle Schwartz, Visiting Assistant Professor of History Peter Simons, Professors of Art Ella Gant and Katharine Kuharic, Assistant Professor of Math Jose Ceniceros, Director of the Quantitative and Symbolic Reasoning Center Ben Smith, and Visiting Assistant Professor of Math Branden Stone.
Digital technologies and modes of thinking continue to change the world. Hamilton is responding by instilling among its students the skills to communicate and work effectively in this environment.
Their “…very diverse and engaging curricular projects … will undoubtedly have positive research and long-term real-life repercussions for the students beyond Hamilton. In all of these courses, the proposed and unique digital course assignments will enable students to acquire a myriad of digital literacies; in turn, these digital assignments will only enhance and elucidate students’ learning of the course material in-depth and with new critically focused, intellectually stimulating, and creative approaches,” said Associate Director for Digital Learning and Research Nhora Serrano.
Faculty applicants met with the members of LITS research and instructional design team a few times throughout the application process. These early meetings proved fruitful to their curricular digital projects. After submitting their applications, recipients were recommended by to the committee on LITS that made the final decision and notified the fellowship recipients.
The goals of these two-year projects are to:
- innovate with technology-enabled pedagogies,
- infuse digital competencies into new and existing courses, and
- explore the impact of technology through classroom instruction, assignments, and co-curricular experiences.
Projects will be implemented in the 2020-2021 academic year.
Cultivating Digital Pedagogy Fellowships:
Adirondack Program: Janelle Schwartz
This is a digital community engagement that offers the opportunity to bring Digital Hamilton off the hill to the Hamilton Adirondack Program. Students will create a community health interactive map that will benefit the local area.
Art: Ella Gant
Students will gain skills in creating their own digital identity while gaining an understanding of website and blog creation along with important design skills that directly tie into to the student learning objective of “aesthetic discernment.” This class will provide a prototype for future e-portfolio creation for the Art department.
Art: Katharine Kuharic
An exciting application of 3D printing will support students understanding of 2D drawing, for example, by students using digital tools to alter scans and proportions of handmade models for their use in drawing sessions.
History: Peter Simons
The use of ArcGIS, a mapping and analytical platform will allow students to explore in-depth the creation of maps and virtual reality technology and ultimately to create a Digital Atlas Hamilton.]
Math & QSR: Jose Ceniceros (Math), Branden Stone (Math), and Ben Smith (QSR)
Students will be able to visualize mathematical concepts in calculus courses with the aid of new software.
Physics: Viva Horowitz
To bring the programming language Python directly to students to permit them to interact with the quantum computer in new ways.
