FACULTY INNOVATION CENTER ANNUAL REPORT

JUNE 2017

FIC ANNUAL REPORT 2016-2017

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YEAR ONE The Faculty Innovation Center has undertaken ambitious goals and made significant progress during our first year.

As part of Project 2021, we spearheaded the University’s initiative to redesign degree programs, partnering with 16

departments and Colleges/Schools to support the examination and reconfiguration of what and how their students

learn (more on page 4).

We are building strong working relationships with other administrative offices and personnel critical to navigating—

and changing—the policies that hinder bold curriculum redesign.

During the academic year, we engaged directly with 1362 unique members of the UT Austin instructional

community, providing both support for experimentation with new teaching techniques and course design, as well as

venues for discussing mutual challenges and successes (more about this on page 6).

We strengthened long-term programs and partnerships such as our Graduate Student Development program and

the Provost’s Teaching Fellows, and developed new programs, such as a package of Faculty Innovation Grants that

supports instructors all over campus who have ideas and energy to improve teaching and learning.

We developed a suite of digital resources to extend our reach and meet faculty where they are with quick teaching

tips, deep dives into thoughtful design of learning experiences—rich with local examples of great work—and tools to

visualize and analyze the content of entire curricula (more about our digital resources on page 7).

THE FIC: A LONG HISTORY AND A COMPELLING NEW STORY Born out of the 40-year-old Center for Teaching and Learning, The Faculty Innovation Center was established in the

summer of 2016 as the front door to Project 2021, a major University initiative that works with faculty, staff and

students to provide evidence-based support for teaching and learning and for thoughtful redesign of degree programs

across campus. We owe a debt to the efforts of faculty who took part in the Campus Conversation and proposed

solutions for supporting instructional innovation, interdisciplinary collaborations, and increased opportunities for

experiential learning. We also inherit a distinguished legacy of support for instructors at all stages of their careers

seeking to improve the quality of their teaching and students’ learning.

Our mission has always been to catalyze transformative learning experiences in partnership with instructors and

academic units. In 2016-17, we provided this support via four initiatives:

Curriculum Redesign. We work closely with teams of faculty in departments to rethink and redesign their

degree programs through the lens of student needs and alumni outcomes. We funnel thorny problems of policy

and infrastructure back to Project 2021 to tackle centrally.

Instructional Practice. We develop and deliver diverse opportunities for faculty to improve the quality of their

instruction, though a portfolio of offerings that meet faculty where they are.

Graduate Student Development. We curate communities and offer training aligned with graduate students’

needs in instructional design and delivery. We prepare future faculty, providing opportunities to advance

graduate students’ pedagogical, academic, and professional progress.

Faculty Partnerships. We support individuals and groups seeking to experiment with new teaching techniques

and collaborate with colleagues across disciplinary boundaries. Our signature programs include the Provost’s

Teaching Fellows and a new portfolio of Faculty Innovation Grants, issued annually.

FIC ANNUAL REPORT 2016-2017

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FIC INITIATIVES

As the chart suggests, our four major initiatives have distinct operations and tactics but also significant overlap. Many

faculty innovators are engaged in work linked to curriculum redesign efforts or development of instructional practice;

particular curriculum redesign initiatives within departments may also involve tailored training in new instructional

methods. These initiatives necessitate significant engagement and partnership with other Project 2021 organizations,

faculty groups, and administrative structures on campus. Cutting across all initiatives, the FIC aims to serve as a

clearinghouse for information and opportunities related to innovative education on campus.

OUR REACH Through these initiatives, via events, partnerships, and engagements both digital and face-to-face, we reached 1362

members of the UT Austin instructional community this academic year (2016-17). Among these are instructors

representing 11 of the 11 colleges/schools with undergraduate degree programs and 80% of University departments,

serving 84% of undergraduate students.

The FIC engages instructors in a variety of ways throughout the year, including face to face. Many of our programs

(represented in Appendix A) highlight our close partnership with the Provost’s Teaching Fellows, with whom we work to

host events that reach a broad audience, e.g. New Faculty events, Eyes on Teaching, and regular “Think Tank” meetings.

We believe it is first and foremost the academic department where instructional culture is created and change is

sustained, so our critical measure of reach describes the departments where we have engaged instructors in a significant

way. In the following chart, each circle represents a department, sized by the number of undergraduate degrees

awarded in 2016. This emphasis reflects our ultimate goal to improve student learning and success.

Curriculum Redesign

Improving Instructional

Practice

Graduate Student

Development Faculty

Partnerships

FIC ANNUAL REPORT 2016-2017

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The FIC served faculty in departments* representing 84% of UT Austin

2016 undergraduate degree recipients across campus.**

*Departments that do not award bachelors’ degrees

are excluded.

**Location is plotted by the GPS coordinates of their

main office. Circle size reflects the number of

graduates in 2016.

N

See Appendix B for more detail

about the nature of departments'

engagement with the FIC.

FIC ANNUAL REPORT 2016-2017

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SIGNATURE ACHIEVEMENTS

CURRICULUM REDESIGN We have developed partnerships with 16 departments interested in rethinking their undergraduate curricula to provide

more flexibility for students and a more robust preparation for a career. The FIC meets departments wherever they are

in the process of curriculum redesign, offering consultation and services tailored to each and connecting them with

other Project 2021 resources. We welcome conversations with any department interested in a potential partnership.

DATA GATHERING/INITIAL CONVERSATIONS

PLANNING

IMPLEMENTING

American Studies Psychology French and Italian History

Electrical and Computer Engineering* Journalism* Pharmacy* Educational Psychology* Arts and Entertainment Technology* Rhetoric and Writing* Mechanical Engineering* Nursing*

Advertising and Public Relations* English* Government* Radio-Television-Film (Development Studio)

HOW WE WORK We have developed an innovative, flexible process for working with and encouraging departmental faculty to revise

their curricula. While there is a small body of research on organizational change of this nature (see Appendix C for

references), there are few models for how to achieve the President’s goal that by 2021 over half of undergraduates at

our R-1 University are enrolled in a redesigned degree program. The process of redesigning curricula involves identifying

the “pain points” for students—from too many requirements to lack of experiential learning opportunities to

redundancy in courses.

Because we do not believe that a top-down approach will work at UT Austin’s decentralized campus, we have refined a

process that includes these steps:

1. Initiation. FIC Director and Executive Director of Project 2021 visit Deans, then Chairs, to assess interests of

departments in redesigning their curricula. Interested departments gather a Curriculum Action Team (CAT) that

includes broad representation, ideally including the undergraduate advisor and student representation.

2. Analysis. The FIC appoints a departmental coordinator who will support the CAT throughout the redesign process.

The team, with data from FIC on alumni workplace outcomes, develops a Vision Statement outlining what needs

changing and how student success could be enhanced.

3. Planning. FIC supports departments’ continued conversations and its use of a web-based Curriculum Visualization

tool to clarify key characteristics of the curriculum and its alignment with department-developed program

outcomes, to provoke challenging questions and conversations about curriculum (see more on page 8).

4. Advocacy. FIC works with 2021, the Registrar, and other academic units and administrative offices to lobby for

reducing existing barriers to change: e.g. the catalog is published only every two years, courses of less than 15

weeks have trouble getting classroom space, etc. Until institutional changes can be made, FIC helps identify work-

arounds for departments.

5. Implementation. The FIC department coordinator remains “on call” for the duration of the rollout of changes to

each curriculum. For departments who want to develop online courses, FIC works with the Project 2021

Development Studio and the teaching faculty.

*Current active

engagement with FIC.

FIC ANNUAL REPORT 2016-2017

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CURRICULUM REDESIGN SUCCESS STORIES

SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM. Faculty understand the challenge: the field of journalism is changing rapidly, and students

who choose journalism degrees need a much wider range of continuously evolving skills. Creating a “Vision” document,

with the help of the FIC in Fall 2016, prompted them to articulate those pain points clearly. Department Chair RB

Brenner and Curriculum Action Team (CAT) leader Kathleen McElroy worked over the winter break to develop a

framework for broad changes to address those challenges, which they shared with the CAT in January. Consensus

established, they turned to gathering better information on the student perspective. With support from Project 2021’s

research group, the department surveyed freshmen on their motivations for choosing the major, their interests, and

their challenges. Focus groups of senior students also illuminated the student perspective of the whole program. The

CAT developed a timeline for creating a comprehensive plan, and Project 2021 supported the lead faculty with small

planning grants to do the work. In May, faculty and advisors, using the data collected, devoted a week to establishing

the concepts, competencies and characteristics that graduates of UT’s School of Journalism should exhibit (e.g. the

ability to accurately incorporate numbers to tell stories) and examined their current curriculum through that lens.

“Forcing us to think about what we are ultimately trying to do is so valuable,” said Dr. McElroy at the end of the week.

“Thinking about those things matters.”

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING. ECE is committed. Approximately fifteen faculty

members of the Curriculum Action Team (CAT) and the FIC department coordinator convene at least weekly to tackle

tough questions about how well their curriculum serves students. Last fall, under the leadership of Professors Christine

Julien and Mattan Erez, they examined different pathways students take to meet degree requirements and, with help

from Project 2021’s research group, surveyed alumni and employers to understand graduates’ experiences. Armed with

FEATURED: DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL AND

COMPUTER ENGINEERING

FEATURED: SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM

FIC ANNUAL REPORT 2016-2017

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this information, the team created a vision document in January that outlined significant challenges and what it would

look like to successfully address them. Faculty approved two changes to the curriculum almost immediately: 1-hour

pass/fail “bites” courses on technical topics (e.g. Python programming) to boost students’ skills, and redefining 14 credit

hours of the “required ECE core” to allow for more student flexibility while maintaining rigor. They’ve also analyzed all

required courses in the first two years, including topic areas and the depth at which they are covered, and are

identifying connections and alignment between courses. As faculty have raised questions—how do we integrate

disciplinary writing and teach teamwork? How do we incorporate divergent thinking?—the FIC has helped identify

strategies and models to address them. The conversations have not been easy, and the solutions will not be simple, but

the outcome will be a curriculum that is cohesive, efficient, and prepares students for the jobs of the future.

CHANGING EDUCATION SYMPOSIUM On March 30, 2017, the FIC and Project 2021 hosted the

Changing Education Symposium to explore new

approaches to redesigning undergraduate education and

to better meet the needs of a digital, mobile, and

continually-evolving society. The primary intended

audience was the University community, but a number of

representatives from the UT System and from other Texas

universities attended also. The keynote and plenary

speakers came from various universities outside of Texas.

The organizing themes were intended to connect high-

level concepts and developments with institutional

decisions and instructional practice:

Leveraging technology: How to engage faculty in adopting digital teaching tools and delivery platforms that can

educate at scale and provide flexibility without sacrificing quality.

Using evidence-based assessments and analytics: Collecting and analyzing data to guide change.

Redesigning Curricula and Scaling Innovation: Methods for redesigning students’ degree pathways, incorporating

experiential learning, and changing the infrastructure of the 21st century public research university.

24%

27%

8%5%

36%

Changing Education Symposium March 30, 2017

TOTAL Attendees = 148

UT T/TT Faculty

UT N-T-T Faculty

External Visitors

System

UT Staff

FIC ANNUAL REPORT 2016-2017

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Many of the speakers were interviewed and video-recorded. The videos are currently on the Symposium webpage

(https://facultyinnovate.utexas.edu/opportunities/changing-education) and will be edited and interspersed throughout

the redesigned website, where their perspectives can continue to push boundaries and advance the conversation.

NEW DIGITAL RESOURCES In 2016-17, we prioritized developing digital resources that would support innovation and insight, and reach a larger and

more diverse audience. Three stand out:

Curriculum Visualization tool: As we began work with departments redesigning their curricula, it became clear we

needed a way to visualize the connections and characteristics of the curriculum content. We worked with the

Development Studio to create a robust, user-friendly way to capture, analyze, manipulate, and visualize the data.

Quick FIC Solutions Toolkit (Quick FICS): A web-based set of accessible, relevant, supporting resources includes

tutorials on various technologies, teaching tips, and comparison tables to serve as decision guides.

Deeper Dive Instructional Guides (DDIGs): Users who are interested in exploring more information regarding the

rationale behind, references for, and the best practices that we champion and highlight can enroll in these brief but

rich Canvas Courses. Featuring faculty in the School of Architecture and elsewhere, we developed and launched our

first DDIG on Architecting Online Courses this spring.

Appendix A presents the analytics for these and other digital resources, from 15 August 2016-31 May 2017.

To round out our suite of online resources, we are redesigning our FIC website, based on analytics of the current site,

faculty input, and a scan of other resource sites. Coming this August, the revamped site will offer relevant, timely, and

compelling information to all instructors.

OTHER NEW OFFERINGS Faculty Innovation Grants: A new grant opportunity invites instructors to experiment with new tools or scale up

techniques that work. The call for proposals yielded 57 strong proposals, and our first round of awards includes 9

projects from 7 Schools/Colleges that incorporate technology and experiential learning opportunities into UT

classes.

International TA support: We have broadened our services for graduate students to include workshops and

mentoring for international TAs. A pilot program this spring paired TAs from seven departments with undergraduate

“teaching ambassadors,” who facilitated small group discussions, planned and conducted small group outings, and

served as a resource on questions about the UT undergraduate learning experience.

The Catalyst Lab: A video and audio “pocket studio” is open to any instructor interested in developing high-quality

digital resources. (Opens officially in Summer 2017.)

FIC ANNUAL REPORT 2016-2017

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WHAT’S NEXT? We have ambitious goals for the coming academic year, organized around four themes.

FIC GOALS FOR 2017-18

CURRICULUM REDESIGN. We support Project 2021’s and the University’s goal to redesign and streamline curricula to

improve students’ undergraduate experience and better prepare them for life after graduation. We have spun up strong

systems and laid a strong foundation for increasing our reach and impact across campus. In addition to continuing the

work with our 16 partner departments, in 2017-18 we will:

Reach out to all departments with at least 150 graduates, with the goal of increasing the number of partner

departments by 50%.

Capture and integrate the student voice as departments redesign courses and curricula. Use a combination of

surveys and focus groups of current students, as well as surveys of alumni.

DIGITAL ECOSYSTEM. We build and maintain a curated ecosystem of digital resources that support instructional practice

and curriculum design. Following the launch of our redesigned website in August, in 2017-18 we will:

Develop additional digital material that meets a variety of demonstrated faculty needs and interests, and is

sensitive to the time crunch under which faculty work.

Increase local access of key resource pages, as measured by web analytics, every semester.

INSTRUCTIONAL SERVICES. We offer high-impact services to the entire UT instructional community to promote effective

teaching. Our programming reaches diverse faculty audiences and helps them teach today’s students. In 2017-18, we

will:

Develop resources and models for inclusive and globally-connected teaching. Leverage our proven practices in

training graduate-student instructors to test these models.

Use the rebuilt Catalyst Lab (pocket studio) to enable faculty to experiment with technological resources that

can better engage student learning. Proactively invite faculty to participate in how-to sessions.

COMMUNICATION. We aim to be the hub for information and scholarship related to our major initiatives. We foster

regular conversations among stakeholders critical to redesigning curricula -- including academic units, administrative

offices, task forces and committees, faculty, and students. In 2017-18, we will:

Disseminate our rigorous assessments of instructional practices and curriculum redesign, as they become

available.

Leverage our redesigned website to proactively and strategically communicate with a greater variety of

audiences. Deliver relevant, compelling, and actionable information in channels they use.

Contribute to research design, data collection, analysis, and write-up of results for at least two promising

projects from PTF or FIG portfolios, and submit results for publication.

FIC ANNUAL REPORT 2016-2017

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APPENDICES A: HOW FIC ENGAGES INSTRUCTORS The FIC consults with individuals and supports groups and events that represent over 100 direct interactions with

instructors* every month.

Reaching more instructors with useful digital resources is an increasing focus of our work. Here are analytics for our key

web-based resources. Please note the time spans differ for these resources; some were launched later in the spring.

*Totals represent number of interactions.

Individuals are counted multiple times in

multiple categories if they engaged with the

FIC more than once.

FIC BLOG: SPARK

http://spark.facultyinnovate.utexas.edu

(DEC – MAY)

VISITORS: 430

PAGE VIEWS: 1,125

QUICK FIC SOLUTIONS (QUICK FICS)

https://quickfics.facultyinnovate.utexas.edu

(APR – MAY)

VISITORS: 294

PAGE VIEWS: 1,927

FIC ANNUAL REPORT 2016-2017

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DEEPER DIVE INSTRUCTIONAL GUIDE

(DDIG): ARCHITECTING ONLINE COURSES

https://utexas.instructure.com/courses/1183550

(JAN – MAY)

VISITORS: 52 enrolled in Canvas course

PAGE VIEWS: n/a

FIC WEBSITE

https://facultyinnovate.utexas.edu

(SEP-MAY)

VISITORS: 394,525

PAGE VIEWS: 659,105

MOST VISITED PAGES:

1. Multiple Choice Questions

2. Methods of Assessment Overview

3. Events Page

4. Experiential Learning

5. True-False Questions

6. FIC Homepage

7. Collaborative Learning

8. Flipped Classroom Overview

9. Creating Assignments

10. Multimedia Tools

FIC VIMEO CHANNEL

https://vimeo.com/facultyinnovate

(SEP - MAY)

PLAYS: 22,000 (12,190 from FIC Website)

FINISHES: 9,463

MOST VIEWED VIDEOS:

1. What is the Flipped Classroom

2. Team Based Learning

3. Semester by the Sea

4. Flipping Your Class: Roles and

Expectations

5. First Day of Class

6. Flipping Your Class: Begin with End in

Mind

7. Flipping Your Class: Out of Class

Structure

8. Critical Thinking Introduction

9. Student Judicial Services

10. HLW: Activate Prior Knowledge

FIC ANNUAL REPORT 2016-2017

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B: FIC INVOLVEMENT BY DEPARTMENT This table indicates the manner(s) in which we are involved in a department. Only departments who award

undergraduate degrees are included in this table. (Omitted, therefore, are the College of Pharmacy and the Educational

Psychology department, with whom we have significant Curriculum Redesign partnerships.)

To qualify as “engaged,” departments may be:

A partner in Curriculum Redesign (column A);

The home department of a Provost’s Fellow or a Faculty Innovation Grant awardee (column C);

A department in which a faculty member (column B) or graduate student instructor (column D) has engaged

with the FIC on at least 10 occasions, including attending events, workshops, or in individual consultations. This

could reflect 10 individuals engaging 1 time each, 1 individual engaging 10 times, or some combination that

totals at least 10 interactions.

COLLEGE DEPARTMENT CU

RR

ICU

LUM

R

EDES

IGN

INST

RU

CTI

ON

AL

PR

AC

TIC

E

FAC

ULT

Y F

ELLO

W

OR

GR

AN

TEE

GR

AD

STU

DEN

T D

EVEL

OP

MEN

T

NU

MB

ER O

F 2

01

6

BA

CH

ELO

RS

DEG

REE

S IS

SUED

ARCHITECTURE Architecture

y

47

Interior Design

9

ENGINEERING Aerospace Engineering

y

y 110

Biomedical Engineering

y 87

Chemical Engineering

y 156

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering

y

y 172

Electrical and Computer Engineering y y

y 263

Mechanical Engineering y y y y 291

Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering

y

140

COMMUNICATION Advertising and Public Relations y y y

411

Communication Sciences and Disorders

y y

132

Communication Studies

y y y 272

Journalism y y

y 155

Radio-Television-Film y y

298

EDUCATION Curriculum and Instruction

y

294

Kinesiology and Health Education

y y

351

FINE ARTS Art and Art History

y 120

Butler School of Music

y y

71

Theatre and Dance

y y y 111

GEOSCIENCES Jackson School

y y y 63

LIBERAL ARTS African and African Diaspora Studies

13

American Studies y

y

22

Anthropology

73

Asian Studies

33

Classics

y y

17

FIC ANNUAL REPORT 2016-2017

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Economics

484

English y y y y 230

European Studies

4

French and Italian y y

26

Geography and the Environment

y 110

Germanic Studies

y

14

Government y y y y 329

Health and Society

y

7

History

y y

171

Humanities

14

International Relations and Global Studies

214

Linguistics

36

Mexican American and Latina/o Studies

y

27

Middle Eastern Studies

y y 16

Philosophy

y 41

Plan II

138

Psychology y y

339

Religious Studies

15

Rhetoric and Writing y

52

Slavic and Eurasian Studies

y y

7

Sociology

y

130

Spanish and Portuguese

y 66

Women and Gender Studies

y 7

BUSINESS Accounting

y

250

Business Honors

139

Finance

y

348

IROM

y

258

Management

y

30

Marketing

149

NATURAL SCIENCES Astronomy

18

Chemistry

y y

154

Computer Science

y y y 456

Human Development and Family Sciences

y

216

Human Ecology

y

11

Integrative Biology

y y y 616

Marine Science

y 9

Mathematics

y y

285

Molecular Biosciences

y y

330

Neuroscience

137

Nutritional Science

y y y 96

Physics

y

235

Public Health

79

Textiles and Apparel

57

NURSING Nursing y y y

132

SOCIAL WORK Social Work

y y

97 10290

FIC ANNUAL REPORT 2016-2017

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C: RESOURCES/MODELS FOR CURRICULUM REDESIGN

Arum, R., Roksa, J., & Cook, A. (2016). Improving Quality in American Higher Education: Learning Outcomes and

Assessments for the 21st Century. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Adelman, C., Ewell, P., Gaston, P., & Scheider, C.G. (2014). The Degree Qualifications Profile. Lumina Foundation:

Indianapolis, IN. (see http://degreeprofile.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/DQP-web-download.pdf)

Beckman, S. and Barry, M. (2007). Innovation as a Learning Process: Embedding Design Thinking. California Management

Review, 70 (1): 25-56.

Fowler, D., Masick, M., Sandoval, C. L., Bakenhus, C., MacWillie, S. (2016). Program (Re)Design Model: A Sustainable,

System-Level Approach to Faculty Development. Journal of Faculty Development, 30 (2): 17-24.

Fowler, D., Maccik, M., Turner, J., Hohenstein, J. (2015). Facilitating program, faculty, and student transformation: A

framework for curriculum redesign. Journal of Transformational Learning. 3(1), 59-73.

Jankowski, N. A., & Giffin, L. (2016). Using the Degree Qualifications Profile to foster meaningful change. Urbana, IL:

National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA).

Kezar, A. (2014). How Colleges Change: Understanding, Leading, and Enacting Change. New York: Routledge.