Collaborative inter-institutional
teaching
Venkatesh Merwade and David Maidment,
University of Texas at Austin
Interdisciplinary aquatic modeling workshop, July 21, 2005
Overview
• Collaborative inter-institutional teaching
(CIIT)
• Benefits to faculty members and students
• Effective Inter-institutional collaboration
• Collaborative teaching techniques
• Collaborative teaching examples from UT,
Austin
– GIS and Water Resources
– Hydrology
Inter-institutional collaborative teaching
• What is collaboration?
– Common goal by sharing responsibility,
authority and accountability
• What is collaborative teaching?
– Teachers collaborate in setting instructional
goals and designing instructional activities
• Inter-institutional collaborative teaching
– Teachers across campuses/institutions
participate in collaborative teaching
Reasons for collaboration
• Helps fulfill institutional mission
– Commitment to the overall improvement of human
education
• Respond to external competition
– Advanced course offerings, increased enrollment
• Put in place practices and programs that are
benefit to the college, faculty and students.
– Outreach, professional development, strategic
alliance
Faculty benefits
• Professional development
– Negotiation, communication, leadership
• Stimulates creativity
– Curriculum development, new ideas
• Increase productivity while maximizing resources
– Collaborative efforts expand course offerings to a
greater audience
• Learning from group
– Teaching styles, ideas, perspectives
Students benefits
• Access to specialized courses
– Expanded course offerings, advanced topics
• Broad exposure
– to approaches and specializations
• Easy access to resources
– Online presentations, notes, reading material
• Motivation
– Ownership, active participation, new skills
Effective Collaboration
An effective collaboration is one that:
•
•
•
•
Is sustainable
Is viewed positively
Generates positive outcomes
Creates opportunities for open and equal
communication
• Provides mechanism to achieve common
purposes
From Russell and Flynn (2000)
Factors contributing to effective
collaboration
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Willingness to listen to other partners
Mutual respect
Long-term commitment
Frequent communication
Flexibility in working styles
Selection of partners
From Russell and Flynn (2000)
Teaching Styles
• Instructor-Centered
Teaching
Instructor
Student
• Community-Centered
Teaching
University Without Walls
Traditional Classroom
Community
Inside and Outside
the Classroom
Collaborative Teaching Models
• Lead/Supplemental Instructor
– Lead instructor designs the course, supplemental
instructors only teach in few sessions
• Multiple Instructors
– Instructors collaborate in all aspects of the course
• Guest Lectures
– The main instructor is responsible for all aspects of
the course. Invites guests to lecture on special topics
Lead/Supplemental Instructor Model
Lead instructor
Supplemental instructor
Multiple Instructor
Model
Guest Lecture Model
Examples from UT, Austin
• GIS and Water Resources
• Surface Water Hydrology
Faculty Innovation Center at UT
General purpose distance
learning class-room with
remotely controlled
cameras and microphones
State-of-the-art distance
learning class-room
FIC studio for faculty
meetings, videoconferencing, etc.
The FIC provides media, instructional, and faculty development services to
support faculty in enhancing their teaching, both with and without technology.
Classroom set-up at UT
For Faculty
1.
Crestron
control
system
2.
Electronic
white board
3.
Wireless
microphone
For Students
a)
Multiple
whiteboards
b) TV Screens
c)
Microphone
The state-of-the-art classroom seats 40 students, and also has
DVD/VCR facilities
Control room
Controls cameras, speaker phones, and computers. Provide
general help with technological issues during the class.
GIS and Water Resources
• Course Objectives
– To teach the principles and operation of geographic
information systems, focusing on ArcGIS and its
Spatial Analyst and 3D Analyst extensions.
– To develop a geospatial description of the water
resource features of the landscape using the Arc
Hydro data model
– To link Arc Hydro to engineering analysis of flooding,
water pollution and water supply.
– To develop individual experience in the use of GIS in
Water Resources through execution of a term project.
Collaboration with USU
Dr David Tarboton –students at Utah State University
Other
Universities
Other
Universities
Dr David Maidment –students at UT Austin
Dr Tarboton presents lectures on
on spatial and terrain analysis with grids
Teaching Model
(Multiple Instructor)
University of Texas
Utah State University
Six Basic Course Elements
• Lectures
– Power point slides
– Video streaming
• Readings
– “Arc Hydro: GIS in
Water Resources”
• Homework
– Computer exercises
– Hand exercises
• Term Project
– Oral presentation
– HTML report
• Class Interaction
– Email
– Chat room
• Examinations
– Midterm, final
Lectures
• Class meets two days a week
– Tuesday (presentation) and Thursday (exercise)
• Timing
– 12:30 PM to 2:00 PM (Central Time)
• Class exercises
– Point and click type of exercises
• Working groups
– For class exercises and term projects
• Class exercises
– All programs are loaded in advance on all computers in the lab
– Students interact via chat room /emails to resolve issues
Course Syllabus
Class Videos
Term projects
Term Project Website
Participating Groups
University of Texas
Utah State University
• Environmental and Water
resources engineering
• Geology
• Geography
• Marine Science
• Architecture
• Transportation
Engineering
• Civil and Environmental
engineering
• Utah Water Research
Lab
• Plants, soils and
biometeorology
Class Enrollment at UT
Water Resources
Transportation
Environmental
Other
Geology/Groundwater
35
No. of Students
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
2000
2001
2002
Year
2003
2004
Examples from UT, Austin
• GIS and Water Resources
• Surface Water Hydrology
Surface Water Hydrology
• Objective
– Study the movement of water in a watershed
– Construction of water balances for the various
components of the hydrologic cycle.
• Topics
– Atmospheric Water
– Surface Water
– Sub-surface Water
Course Elements
• Lectures
– Power point slides
– Video recording
• Readings
– Applied Hydrology
– Handbook of Hydrology
• Homework
– Computer exercises
– Hand exercises
• Term Project
– Oral presentation
– HTML report
• Class Interaction
– Email
– Chat room
• Examinations
– Midterm, final
Teaching Model (Guest Lecture)
Guest Lecturers
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Dr. Joanna Curran (Geography, Texas Tech)
Dr. Marcy Litvak (Biological Sciences)
Dr. Liang Yang (Geological Sciences)
Dr. Venkatesh Merwade (Civil Engineering)
Dr. John Sharp Jr. (Geological Sciences)
Dr. Jay Banner (Geological Sciences)
Dr. Michael Goodchild (Geography, UC Santa
Barbara)
Instructor Contribution
Dr. Liang Yang
Dr. David Maidment
Dr. John Sharp Jr.
Dr. Marcy Litvak
Dr. Joanna Curran
Dr. Jay Banner
Dr. Venkatesh Merwade
Term Projects
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Groundwater balance for Barton Springs
Residence times in Texas Bays
Bacterial Loadings to Copano Bay
Comparison of Evaporation data with NARR
Comparison of NEXRAD and gage data
Water transport in jet stream winds
Impact of urbanization
Base flow in San Marcos basin
Surface water and ground water interactions
Other studies related to hydrologic conditions
Questions?