National Institute forResources
Liberal arts colleges are engaging students in learning and finding effective ways to integrate inquiry, pedagogy, and technology. At NITLE, we believe that the stories and details behind these efforts should be shared, especially where they point to models and practices that advance liberal education.
Case Studies
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With SmartChoices, a Web-based map and data sorting application, parents in the metropolitan Hartford, CT region can navigate a myriad of school choices for their children. Developed through collaborative work between Jack Dougherty, a professor at Trinity College, students enrolled Dougherty’s course, and a local community partner, the site illustrates the power of community-connected teaching and learning. Read the full case study on Academic Commons » -
How do you help students visualize the what a landscape looked like over 13,000 years ago? Biology professor Chris Fastie found some help using Google Earth and simple animation tools. With these tools, Fastie’s students can better recognize the landforms of the past in the shape of the landscape today. Read the full case study on Academic Commons » -
A simple statement about the numbers of students studying abroad led Jeff Howarth, a geography professor at Middlebury College, to design an innovative cartography assignment: how to represent that data visually on a map. This project-based approach to learning lets students put their theoretical learning into practice and explore the creative side of problem solving. Read the full case study on Academic Commons » -
Librarians and faculty often think they know how students conduct research, but when a group of five college and university libraries used anthropologists to observe and interview students at work, there were some interesting observations about what happens in the course of an assignment. In this article, the authors discuss the project rationale, the scope of the research and the instructive findings that will guide efforts on their campuses to strengthen students’ information literacy skills and facility with academic research tools. Read the full case study on Academic Commons » -
Does simulated reality help students think more deeply about their work? That’s the question at the center of a fascinating experiment by Jack Green Musselman, who teaches philosophy. Working with technologist Jason Rosenblum, he has created Plato’s Cave in Second Life. In addition to the classroom discussion of the allegory, some students in his ethics course will also participate in the Second Life experience. Will this virtual experience generate deeper understanding of the text? Read the full case study on Academic Commons »