Ideas to Action (i2a) and Speed School: Recent Activities and Implementation Plans 2010-2011

1. Ideas to Action (i2a) and Speed School: Recent Activities and Implementation Plans 2010-2011 Speed School: Gerald Evans, Ph.D. Patricia Ralston, Ph.D. November 17, 2009 Ideas to Action: Patricia Payette, Ph.D. Cathy Bays, Ph.D. 1

2. Ideas to Action (i2a): Overview • i2a goes to the heart of our institutional mission to foster educational excellence and meets the expectations of our accrediting body: SACS-COC. Interim report due to SACS in March, 2013. • UofL’s quality enhancement plan (QEP), a multi-year initiative to guide our sustained and shared focus on continuous improvement of teaching and learning across the undergraduate experience • UofL formed Task Group in 2005 to lay the groundwork for the QEP • In 2007, SACS approved i2a as our QEP and the Task Group hired an i2a staff team to lead the i2a campus initiative • Twin themes of i2a : critical thinking and culminating experiences • In addition to discipline-specific accreditation planning (e.g. ABET), units are also aligning their planning with U.-wide accreditation efforts such as i2a www.louisville.edu/ideastoaction

3. Ideas to Action (i2a): Overview (cont’d) • In 2007, the i2a Task Group adopted the Paul-Elder framework for university-wide implementation of i2a • Since 2008, faculty and staff have been infusing the concepts of critical thinking more explicitly into courses, programs, projects, etc. to enhance undergraduate students’ critical thinking abilities • In 2009, units and programs began curricular planning so that students integrate and apply new skills in an emerging culminating experience prior to graduation • In 2009-2010, all undergraduate units developed an i2a implementation plan • In 2009-2010, pilot of i2a evaluation plan and related tools and structures (https://louisville.edu/ideastoaction/what/assessment)

4. i2a Task Group • i2a Task Group: made up of unit facilitators (faculty, assoc. deans and deans) and departmental, student and faculty reps • Joe Hagerty: participated in original QEP planning group “Call for Big Ideas” in 2005 and served on i2a Task Group until Spring 2009 • Jerry Evans: serving as i2a Co-Facilitator from Speed School since 2007 • Jim Graham: serving as i2a Co-Facilitator from Speed Speed beginning Spring 2010

5. i2a program and services • Faculty Learning Communities (critical thinking and culminating experiences) • Collaborative Learning Community (academic staff, student affairs staff, student services) • Annual SUN Grant program for faculty/staff • Ongoing workshops and Information Sessions • Campus-wide i2a Institute and i2a showcase events • National network on critical thinking initiatives • Individual and group consultations on curricular design, assessment, etc. • Sharing faculty/staff exemplars of i2a infusion (https://louisville.edu/ideastoaction/resources)

6. Speed Faculty & Staff Participation in i2a Programming • Continuous involvement and participation since inception in Spring 2008 • Faculty • 16 faculty • 5 departments • Diverse participation: FLC, SUN grants, Presentations • Staff • 4 staff • Advising pilot program

7. Second Place Paul Weber Award 2009 • Speed developed a multi-level CT program that spans from culminating experiences to elementary school programs • Designed a 4-year project to incorporate the Paul-Elder framework across the undergraduate curriculum

9. Papers published by faculty in EF • Lewis, J.E.; Hieb, J.L.; Hardin, T., invited presentation "Engineering critical thinking: Faculty exemplars on course redesign and assessment from U of L's Speed School of Engineering", presented at the 29th International Conference on Critical Thinking, Berkley, CA, July 20-23, 2009. • Lewis, J.E.; Hieb, J.L.; Graham, J.H.; Hardin, T., invited panel discussion titled "Engineering. critical thinking", presented at the Inaugural i2a Institute: Developing Critical Thinkers, Louisville, KY, May 27-29, 2009. • Lewis, J.E.; Hieb, J.L.; Wheatley, D., "Explicit Teaching of Critical Thinking in ENGR 100 - "Introduction to Engineering”. 116th Annual American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), Austin, TX, June 14-17, 2009. • Hieb, J.E., and Ralston, P.A., “Tablet PCs in Engineering Mathematics Courses at the J. B. Speed School of Engineering”, accepted for International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology • Others in progress in many departments

10. Proposal for i2a Implementation at Speed • Background and Motivation:substantial progress with respect to incorporation of CT concepts in its Introduction to Engineering course, and is making a good start in its capstone design (i.e., culminating experience) courses and co-op courses, efforts with respect to the remainder of the undergraduate curriculum need to commence. • Project Activities: • Review all Speed Undergrad Courses • Identify courses (and associated faculty) which would benefit from increased emphasis of CT concepts • Develop and give one-day workshop on CT for Engineering Education for identified faculty. • Perform pre- and post-reviews • Time Frame: 2010-2011