Teaching Hub

2019 System Scholars Institute Recap

Dr. Charles Nash opens the 2019 system scholars institute
Dr. Charles Nash opens the 2019 System Scholars Institute

by Nathan Loewen, Department of Religious Studies

The University of Alabama at Huntsville hosted the 12th annual System Scholars’ Institute, established by the Academic and Student Affairs department of the UA System office.

UAH kindly posted all the available contents of the 15 presentations, keynote and plenary address. Here are five worth reviewing in-depth:

  1. Alabama’s demographics – With The Changing Economy and its Impact on Higher Education, Dr. Jim Purcell used demographic data on Alabama’s K-12 schools to argue for bold, strategic initiatives in response to the conditions of the current generations who stand at our schoolhouse doors.
  2. In-class collaboration with librarians – In The Power of Collaboration in Building a Culture of Innovation, James Gilbreath and Dr. George L. Daniels explain how faculty need not “go it alone” to learn technologies and resources. Modeling collaboration with librarians to students is a powerful way to empower undergraduate research and promote academic integrity.
  3. Video exam proctoring – Samira Laouzai and Pam Paustian discussed the evolution of off-campus proctoring at UAB with Assessment Beyond Classroom Walls: The Trials and Success of Implementation.
  4. How might you take an on-campus course or resource online and keep its quality and integrity? The answer for the Student Success Center at UAH was to expand, not reduce, its staffing and resources, as Kristen Martin explains in Using Collaborative Learning Online to Increase Student Support.
  5. Rethinking Built Digital Environments for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion was how Heather Pleasants and Nathan Loewen explained the discussions on teaching with digital tools during the 2018-2019 “Critical Digital Pedagogy” workgroup at the Inclusive Campus Breakfasts, hosted by UA’s Crossroads Community Engagement Center.