Ideation Event inspires ideas for teaching and learning at OHIO

Photographer: Rachel AndrewsDr. David Descutner, interim executive vice president and provost, provides opening remarks at the 2017 Ideation Event.

On Friday, October 20, the Ideation Event launched the second cycle of the Academic Innovation Accelerator (AIA). Approximately 70 attendees gathered at this year’s event to discuss their ideas for the future of teaching and learning at Ohio University.

“It’s inspiring to see so many of our campus community members gather in one place to seek feedback, inspiration, and collaboration in pursuit of academic innovation,” said Brad Cohen, senior vice provost for instructional innovation. “I am eager to see the ideas that emerge from this event.”

The event opened with remarks from Cohen, Interim Executive Vice President and Provost David Descutner, and Linda Rice, professor and chair in the College of Arts and Sciences. Members of the AIA Advisory and Champions groups then helped participants polish their ideas into more formal proposals for possible support during open discussion time.

“I’m always interested in taking ideas back to my faculty members at the Zanesville Campus, and the table that I sat with at the event had wonderful ideas for student retention,” said Mary Beth Robinson, faculty support/OULN manager at the Zanesville Campus. “It was a great opportunity to interact with other people from the other campuses and Athens Campus and I think sharing ideas is always beneficial.”

For those interested in the AIA process, the next step is to submit a 500-word proposal of an idea for academic innovation at OHIO. Friday, November 3 is the deadline for proposal submissions. OII will still accept ideas through the website after that date. Find the details and the submission form here: www.ohio.edu/instructional-innovation/aia-submit.

Once collected, the proposals will go through a review process for potential support. The Advisory and Champions groups will help shape the ideas, identify barriers and risks, and ensure access to the expertise that would be needed to implement the idea. OII will strive to support every idea that is proposed; a number of 2016 proposed projects were advanced through the AIA or other University channels.

The AIA was created out of a grant through Ohio University’s Innovation Strategy program, which supports creative, interdisciplinary approaches to issues in research, creative activity, teaching and institutional operations.

Read through a recap of tweets about the event. For updates related to the AIA, follow the Office of Instructional Innovation on Twitter at @OHIOinstr_innov or Facebook @OII.OHIO.

The Office of Instructional Innovation (OII) serves as a catalyst to spark bold experimentation and sustainable discovery of innovative instructional models that fulfill the University’s promise of a transformative educational experience. OII provides a variety of services to faculty, staff, and students in support of academic units and online programs, as well as to advance initiatives to further the institution’s mission. Visit www.ohio.edu/instructional-innovation for more information.

Photographer: Rachel AndrewsLinda Rice joins an open discussion about community engagement and partnerships during the 2017 Ideation Event.

Photographer: Rachel AndrewsBrad Cohen helps facilitate conversation about student engagement, retention, and learning during the 2017 Ideation Event.