Home » Stories » Event Recaps » Teaching Innovation Symposium Sparks Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration

Teaching Innovation Symposium Sparks Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration

Event Recaps Gabelli100 | Dec 02, 2019 |

The Gabelli School’s inaugural Teaching Innovation Symposium held Nov. 15, brought together faculty, researchers, administrators, information technologists, and instructional designers from around the country to discuss ways to apply learning and design theories in practical classroom and online teaching.

According to the Symposium organizer, Zixin Mao, Gabelli School associate director of information and faculty technology, the goals of the event were to present learning and design theories to faculty; demonstrate how learning and design theories are applied in teaching through case studies; discuss ideas to innovate existing course content and delivery, and build community among faculty, researchers, and practitioners.

Likely to be the first of many in the near future, the event opened a dialogue for new approaches to online curriculum, in-person lectures, and more.

“The Symposium acknowledged the benefits of collaboration among faculty, learning researchers, and instructional designers and the need to grow the support to faculty on course design and delivery,” said Mao.

Keynote speaker Anne Fernald, Ph.D., professor and special advisor to the provost for faculty development, said innovation is a way of keeping professors fresh, engaged, and ahead of trends to keep students feeling motivated.

“Students want to understand the why of what they are learning more than any other student before,” she said.

Fordham University professors Su-Je Cho, Ph.D., Dana Marlowe, Ph.D., and Gabelli School professor John Fortunato, Ph.D., were featured in a panel on online course design and delivery moderated by Steven D’Agustino, Ph.D. Gabelli School professor Bozena Mierzjewska, Ph.D., Gabelli Graduate Enrichment Programs Manager Elizabeth Ostler and information and instructional technologists Shawn Hill, Lindsay Karp, Guillermo Gomez Mendez, Maribette Ramirez, Kristen Treglia, and Nicole Zeidan delivered presentations and technology demonstrations.   

Gabelli School Dean Donna Rapaccioli, Ph.D., addressed the attendees by acknowledging how much the rapid pace of change calls for a need to continuously innovate.

“As educators, we have a responsibility to motivate, challenge, and educate our students so they can be lifelong learners,” said Rapaccioli. “Today is designed to give you multiple ideas about how to change. We are all here to learn from each other and recognize there is no ‘one way.’”

Connect with the Gabelli School of Business

© 2024 Gabelli School of Business

GabelliConnect is the news site of the Gabelli School of Business at Fordham University. Read about career opportunities, campus events, student and alumni success stories, and more.