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July 19, 1999 - MnSCU Receives Bush Grant to Improve Learning
Educators know that students learn more and remember more of what they
learn when they are actively doing something, rather than simply sitting
and listening.
To promote the use of active learning in the classroom, the 36 institutions
of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system this week received
a $1.6 million Bush Foundation grant that will help faculty develop more
active teaching and learning strategies. The grant was the largest of
79 grants approved by the foundation in July.
Developing expertise in teaching methods that foster critical thinking
and problem-solving skills was the most compelling faculty development
need identified in a 1997 survey of faculty at all 36 Minnesota State
Colleges and Universities.
"We do not take excellent teaching and learning for granted,"
said Linda Baer, MnSCU senior vice chancellor for academic affairs. "It
is an art and a science that we need to continue to invest in to do the
very best for our students."
Baer said a three-year program called "Learning by Doing" will
provide training and funding to support innovative instructional projects
at all 36 MnSCU institutions. The program was developed on the basis of
several pilot projects conducted last year. These projects involved such
things as river monitoring at Southwest State University, screenwriting
at Minneapolis Community and Technical College, and urban planning at
Minnesota State University, Mankato.
The Learning by Doing program has four goals:
- Increase faculty skills in using active learning strategies in their
classrooms.
- Increase the use of educational technology as a strategy to involve
students in their own learning.
- Provide training in active learning principles and techniques for
faculty development leaders on every MnSCU campus.
- Increase student satisfaction and involvement in their own learning.
The program will be directed by Jane Miller, MnSCU system director for
the Center for Teaching and Learning.
"We believe that this initiative will not only enhance student learning,
but build a greater sense of cohesion and cooperation among faculty and
institutions across the MnSCU system," said Morris J. Anderson, chancellor
of Minnesota State Colleges and Universities.
The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system is made up of 36
state universities, community and technical colleges and a campus in Japan.
The system serves approximately 230,000 students a year with a fall 1998
enrollment of about 140,000.
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