Center for the Advancement of Teaching & Learning Annual Report

FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

If we were to take a qualitative approach to identifying the themes of this annual report, they would be collaborative leadership, strategic planning, and rebranding. What follows is an account of our collective innovation, influence, and impact. This report represents a snapshot of the work we have done from July 1st, 2023 through June 30th, 2024, and is symbolic in many ways.

This report marks my first year as Executive Director. I inherited a remarkable team from my predecessor, Dr. Mary Mauldin, who served MUSC for almost three decades. It has been a joy to serve MUSC with such an outstanding group. Watching the Boston Celtics celebrate their NBA win, I felt the same exhilaration that comes from achieving a goal as a team. My motto is “Yes, we can, and together we will,” and this annual report embodies that spirit.

This report reflects our rebranding and embracing of our identity as the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning (CATL). Our core services and mission position us as a hub for educational growth and excellence, whether through our partnerships with spaces and technologies for learning, academic media, instructional design and technology, or our educational development offerings.

This report showcases the outcomes of one of our strategic goals: to be an accomplished and exemplary center according to the ACE-POD Teaching Center Matrix.

I am grateful for the support of MUSC’s leadership, particularly Dr. Lisa Saladin, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, and Dr. Gigi Smith, Associate Provost, who endorsed and approved our name change from Instructional Technology and Faculty Resources (ITFR) to the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning. They have both supported our holistic approach to educational development and the creation of a more visible infrastructure and pathway for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, among many other new strategic initiatives you will read about.

Our journey to this point involved listening to our key stakeholders—learners and educators—and partnering with colleges and key administrative units. I am proud that we embody the ONEMUSC strategy and can truly say we are committed to the collective good.

Below is a word cloud we generated at the end of our planning retreat as we responded to “how are you leaving?”

We are CATL, we are always ready to lead and partner in driving innovation and health transformation, empowering healthy communities, and reshaping the future workforce.

Cheers to ONEMUSC, and here's to another year of growth and success as we continue to thrive as learners and educators, changing what’s possible.

Our Highlights

Outstanding Service to Interprofessional Education (2024)

Each year, the Office of Interprofessional Initiatives presents the Outstanding Service to Interprofessional Education Award. This year, we were honored to receive this award for our extensive support of interprofessional education (IP) initiatives, beyond merely facilitating educational activities. Our contributions include:

• Administration and logistics for IP educational programs
• Development of educational media for IP coursework
• Support and training for educational technology and audiovisuals in both virtual and classroom settings

Teaching & Learning in the Age of AI Conference

In support with the Office of Education Innovation and Student Life, our office held our annual spring conference. The conference attracted over 200 attendees. Survey data revealed overwhelmingly positive feedback:

• 95% of respondents felt the conference met their expectations.
• 92% affirmed its efficiency in fostering professional growth.
• 91% expressed a strong willingness to attend similar events in the future.
• Overall recommendation rating averaged 4.31 out of 5.

Mack Altman with MUSC Catalyst News highlighted our conference in an article, “Conference explores the transformative impact of AI on education” published in May 2024.

Expanded Partnership with EdTech Community

Over the past year, we have strengthened our partnership with the university’s EdTech community through strategic collaboration and communication. In the fall, we held our inaugural EdTech Luncheon, fostering fellowship and connection within the community. We are excited to continue enhancing this partnership in the coming year.

Autism News Network (ANN) Film Project

Clinical program at the Institute of Psychiatry that teaches adults with autism social and technical skills for digital content production. Provides MUSC students from multiple colleges with a unique opportunity to interact with autistic patients. The 60-minute film “The ANN Experience” was screened on April 25, 2024, at the Institute of Psychiatry auditorium.

Commencement

As members of the Commencement Committee, our team is vital in the event’s sucess. We were responsible for organizing a 4-camera setup and livestreaming the event to the MUSC YouTube Channel. We directed and managed the entire event for both livestream and recorded video. We played the student video on the jumbotron and managed the music before the event and during the recession. Our team engineered audio-video feeds to the coliseum sound system and jumbotron and tested the Marching Order software. CATL staff acted as the camera crew during the ceremony, and we set up a sole camera for the ADA signer for Picture in Picture broadcast. We procured an ADA live transcription service accessible on smart devices and hired the AV company responsible for equipment rental and technical staff. We coordinated with Local IATSE for rapid camera setups and cable running and assisted with on-stage setup with coliseum staff. We communicated with the coliseum audio engineer for any audio alterations before and during the event. Additionally, we conducted pre, during, and post-event candid photography and arranged for the event video to be captioned post-event.

 

By the Numbers

Innovation & Growth

Quality Improvement

• Redesigned our website to be more user-friendly, comprehensive and modern allowing easy access for both students and faculty to our services and educational resources.
• Aligned our core services with the education mission of MUSC by using the standards set by the National Centers for Teaching benchmarks.
• Renamed our department to the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning to reflect our mission.

New Programs & Initiatives

• Students as Producers: Collaborated with faculty on multimedia assessment projects, including assisting PhD students in designing research posters.
• Learning Circles Jigsaw: Conducted lightning sessions where faculty and staff shared strategies to enhance teaching and learning. These sessions were well-attended, including an in-person event with over 30 participants during Innovation Week.
• Book Club: Launched a book club series based on Susan Hrach’s book “Minding Bodies,” exploring how physical space, sensation, and movement affect learning. We have ongoing work with faculty and the Hollings Cancer Center for High School Outreach. Additionally, Susan Hrach was a keynote speaker at our AI Conference in April 2024 to build upon our book club learning.

Explore Tech:

• Began a semesterly immersive classroom technology and pedagogy experience for teaching faculty. In the fall, we highlighted the Wacom Tablet and Collaborative Classrooms. In the spring, we received positive feedback about our Mersive solstice sessions. Our upcoming focus for Explore Tech will be introducing classroom technology to new faculty.

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL):

• Established a university-wide infrastructure to actively support SoTL in response to educational needs assessment results,
• Launched the inaugural SoTL Learning Community in Spring 2024 with nearly 40 participants.
• Partnered with Education Innovation Advocates Jennifer Wisniewski and Christine Andresen for this initiative.

OneHE Partnership:

• Addressed faculty demand for on-demand learning by partnering with OneHE to offer microlearning and credentialing through OneMUSC grant funding.

Alchemy and Online Presence Institute Collaboration:

• Addressed inconsistencies in Brightspace course design based on the 2023 student survey. The Online Presence Institute will discuss strategic positioning in the competitive online education market. We received OneMUSC funding to work with consulting company Alchemy on Brightspace templates and a style guide for consistent high-quality course design.

Classroom Upgrades

• BSB502 and BSB402: Updated our classroom technology and space to facilitate engaging collaborative learning.
• BSB130 Auditorium: Upgraded with an AV booth at the back of the room, enhancing the ability to host large events.

Programs & Events

Teaching & Learning in the Age of AI

Our annual conference focused on leveraging technology and artificial intelligence for humanity, learning, and equity. The event featured a full schedule of guest speakers, MUSC leaders, and teaching faculty.

Keynote speakers, C. Eddie Watson and Susan Hrach, were selected for their impact on our educational development initiatives. Hrach’s book, Minding Bodies, was our Fall Book Club selection, enhancing the experience for attendees. Eddie Watson’s insights on AI will drive a workshop we’re hosting in summer 2024.

The conference enabled teaching faculty and our EdTech community to grow, connect, and delve into artificial intelligence with support and enthusiasm. Our center looks forward to assisting the university as the world of AI continues to evolve.

Summer Series ‘23

In July, we hosted our annual educational development series centered on the theme of engagement. We held five sessions and implemented a series Kick-Off event for the first time. Our sessions covered the topics of connection, feedback, and artificial intelligence while demonstrating instructional technologies to support these initiatives.

• Five sessions with over 150 attendees from all colleges and academic programs.
• Evaluations indicated 100% agreement that the series provided an opportunity for self-reflection and improvement in teaching practice.

Course Offerings

Fundamentals of Digital Accessibility:

Offered the course four times throughout the year with more than 50 official MUSC digital badges awarded to 86 total participants.

Foundations in Quality Online Instruction:

Held our annual cohort with 17 participants. Five participants completed the required work to earn an MUSC certificate.

Foundations in Teaching and Learning:

Completed a re-design of the course. We had 20 participants in our cohort and award 13 official MUSC certificates to those who completed the required work.

Special Projects

Implementation of New Educational Technologies

FeedbackFruits Pilot:

• Launched with faculty champions representing all colleges and academic programs. Integrates with Brightspace for authentic assessment, feedback, collaboration, social annotation, self-assessment, and team-based learning.

New Classroom Technology (Mersive Solstice):

• Implemented a cutting-edge technology for active learning and wireless sharing of any device in the classroom, transforming the teaching and learning experience.

VR Anatomy Lab Support:

• Assisted with the new VR Anatomy lab as Tier 2 support and computer maintenance.
• Set up stations on 25Live for easy student scheduling and capturing usage data.
• Collaborated with Toltech’s Technical support team to ensure smooth setup and maintenance.

Wellness Center Photos:

• Student athlete portraits displayed in the Wellness Center, showcasing actual MUSC students. A powerful way to inspire and motivate!

Healthcare Professionals Video Library:

• We created multiple videos for the Office of Interprofessional Initiatives. These videos serve as valuable educational resources, teaching students how different healthcare professionals collaborate in teams.

Innovation Week Digital Posters:

• We collaborated with the Office of Innovation to digitize video posters for Innovation Week. Over 100 videos were created, enhancing accessibility and engagement during the event.