Source: IU Today
The Mosaic Active Learning Initiative, a leading program for advancing active learning at Indiana University, is welcoming a new cohort of faculty fellows this fall. This year’s group of 20 educators from IU Bloomington, IU East and IU Southeast marks a significant milestone as the first cohort to intentionally bring together faculty from across multiple campuses in a hybrid format.
“The mission of the Mosaic Active Learning Faculty Fellows program remains the same: preparing faculty to teach in active learning environments, building a community, promoting evidence-based teaching, and creating faculty leaders,” said Zach Carnagey, co-director of the initiative. “However, this specific cohort is significant because it is a cross-campus cohort focused on active learning everywhere, creating unique opportunities for faculty across IU to truly collaborate and explore what learning spaces mean across all of IU, regardless of physical campus or online campus.”
The fellows will explore the concept of flexible teaching and what active learning looks like in a variety of spaces — from a tight, inflexible, in-person room to a purposefully designed active-learning classroom, and even to an online environment that can feel overly distant.
This focus on the nuances of different learning spaces is a cornerstone of the program. At the recent Mosaic Institute, a full day where fellows explore active learning technologies and get to know the other fellows, faculty explored what it looks like to check in on students working in groups, whether they are in-person, in a technology-rich room or online.
“No one wants to be the instructor that pops into a breakout room or walks up to a collaborating group of students and all conversation stops,” said Kelly Scholl, program co-director. “We talk about creating spaces for collaboration that allows the instructor to help when they are needed, while staying out of the way when students are being successful on their own.”
What unites this diverse group is a shared commitment to student-centered learning and a desire to create more engaging, inclusive and effective learning environments.
“I am particularly drawn to the Mosaic Active Learning Initiative’s commitment to evidence-based teaching and interdisciplinary collaboration,” said Hope Zeller, a fellow from the IU School of Public Health-Bloomington. “I look forward to learning from the innovative strategies of faculty across IU and contributing to a community that values creativity, reflection and continued improvement in teaching practice.”
This sentiment is shared by fellow Felix Burgos of IU East.
“I’m interested in exploring whether these strategies help students make stronger cultural and professional connections through course content,” he said. “This could involve analyzing reflective assignments that articulate how classroom experiences relate to students’ lives beyond the university.”
This year’s cohort of Mosaic Active Learning Faculty Fellows are:
- Anne Guernsey Allen, professor of fine arts in the School of Arts and Letters, IU Southeast.
- Felix Burgos, assistant professor of world languages and cultures in the School of Humanities & Social Sciences, IU East.
- Julia Calderón, lecturer of Spanish and Portuguese in the College of Arts and Sciences, IU Bloomington.
- Jim Davis, assistant professor in the School of Medicine, IU Bloomington.
- Stacey Dunham, lecturer in the School of Medicine, IU Bloomington.
- Lindsay Giacomino, lecturer of Spanish and Portuguese in the College of Arts and Sciences, IU Bloomington.
- Will Kanyi, lecturer in the Kelley School of Business, IU Bloomington.
- Garim Lee, assistant professor in the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design, IU Bloomington.
- Robert Lipinski, lecturer of psychology in the School of Social Sciences, IU Southeast.
- Sara Mayeth Mata, lecturer of chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences, IU Bloomington.
- Sapna Mehta, senior lecturer of biology in the College of Arts and Sciences, IU Bloomington.
- Angela Perry, senior lecturer in the Kelley School of Business, IU Bloomington.
- Tim Scales, senior lecturer in the School of Business and Economics, IU East.
- Susanne Schwibs, senior lecturer in The Media School, IU Bloomington.
- Bongeka Selepe, lecturer in the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, IU Bloomington.
- Deborah Snaddon, senior lecturer of chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences, IU Bloomington.
- Karen Sweeny, lecturer in the Kelley School of Business, IU Bloomington.
- Margaret Wallen, assistant professor of biology in the School of Natural Sciences, IU Southeast.
- Angie Wong, senior lecturer in the School of Public Health, IU Bloomington.
- Hope Zeller, adjunct instructor in School of Public Health, IU Bloomington.
Complementing the Mosaic Active Learning Initiative is the new Active Learning Classroom of Valuable Experiences, or ALCOVE Faculty Fellows Initiative, at IU Bloomington. Launched this semester, the ALCOVE is a unique space designed to explore emerging classroom technologies in a focused and controlled atmosphere. Six faculty fellows are dedicated to teaching in this space, using it as a living laboratory to continuously gather instructor and student feedback that will drive the design of future classrooms across IU.
“ALCOVE fellows form a community who share ideas and explore new strategies and technologies in a space designed for experimentation and collaboration,” said Megan DeMoss, director of the ALCOVE Fellows Initiative. “By supporting one another as they take risks, they model a culture of innovation.”
Lori Burch, an ALCOVE fellow from the IU School of Education in Bloomington, shared what her experience has meant for her students.
“The interactive screens in the ALCOVE classroom mimic the kinds of technology my students will use as future teachers,” she said. “Developing a comfort and proficiency with this kind of technology has lessened one common point of anxiety for pre-service teachers entering the classroom: ‘How do I use this board?’”
The six inaugural ALCOVE Faculty Fellows at IU Bloomington, are:
- Beatrix Burghardt, lecturer of second language studies.
- Jacob Miller, lecturer of sociology.
- Kimberly Arnold, senior lecturer of chemistry.
- Lori Burch, visiting clinical assistant professor of curriculum and instruction.
- Meghan Porter, senior lecturer of chemistry.
- Robin Reeves, senior lecturer of Spanish and Portuguese.
“At the heart of Mosaic Active Learning and ALCOVE Initiatives is student success,” said Anne Leftwich, associate vice president for learning technologies. “These initiatives empower faculty to design engaging, evidence-based learning experiences across classrooms, labs and online environments. By fostering more inclusive and adaptable teaching practices, we’re not only improving day-to-day learning but also equipping IU students with the skills, confidence and resilience they need to thrive in their future careers and communities.”
These initiatives directly align with the IU 2030 strategic plan, which is built on three foundational pillars: Student Success and Opportunity, Transformative Research and Creativity, and Service to our State and Beyond. By developing faculty leaders and creating innovative learning environments, the Mosaic Active Learning and ALCOVE Initiatives are key to ensuring that Indiana University remains at the forefront of educational excellence.