As the TILE (Transform, Interact, Learn, Engage) Program nears its seventh anniversary, faculty feedback remains crucial to the program’s success. In December of 2016, The Office of Teaching, Learning & Technology invited 386 instructors to partake in a survey that will guide how we move forward to improve and enhance the teaching and learning experience in the TILE Program. The survey was sent to individuals who participated in a TILE institute, training, or workshop enabling them to teach in a TILE classroom. Of 386 TILE-enabled instructors, 83 instructors submitted the survey, which returned a 21.5% response rate. The respondents include faculty who have engaged deeply with the TILE Program and benefitted from it professionally.
More than half of the respondents indicate that they include TILE training or participation on their CVs or professional teaching portfolios. One TILE instructor wrote that doing so “demonstrate[s] a commitment to student-centered learning and a willingness to utilize new teaching approaches.” Another wrote, “It is indicative of a growth mindset and a prioritization on effective teaching.” Several respondents who do not currently include TILE remarked that they feel they ought to add it. Twenty-four instructors indicate that one or more of the following professional outcomes have occurred as a result of their involvement in TILE; 1) research, 2) publications, 3) presentations, 4) invited talks on TILE or related pedagogies, and 5) teaching awards.
To support instructors teaching in TILE classrooms, OTLT offers a range of services, from individual consultations, workshops, and faculty learning communities to online resources, a classroom Tech Support Hotline, and opportunities to visit a TILE classroom to become familiar with the technology.
To better understand which of these services are beneficial to instructors, we asked which services instructors use and how satisfied they are with each. We found that instructors use in-person workshops most often, and faculty learning community the least. About 65% of the instructors have attended workshops, 54% visited classroom to practice technology, and 37% have had an in-person consultation with the Center for Teaching staff member.
Instructors indicate moderate satisfaction with the various kinds of support for teaching and learning in TILE, and their highest level of satisfaction with in-person consultations and the faculty learning communities. As a result of this feedback, the TILE Program is currently developing a new online space within ICON that will offer resources and community support based upon the support offered in in-person consultations and faculty learning communities.
After analyzing the survey, we recognized a need for more TILE technological support. When asked, “What do you wish someone would have told you before you began teaching in TILE?” frequent responses included additional practice with TILE classroom technology. As a result, the TILE Program will work to publicize more opportunities for technology practice with TILE staff at the beginning of and throughout the semester.
Additionally, in response to the question “What do you wish someone would have told you before you began teaching in TILE,” one respondent wrote, “I just wish someone had told me to do a TILE workshop sooner.”
On that end, if you are interested in teaching in TILE, consider participating in the two-part Summer TILE Essentials workshops:
Thursday, June 15 (Part I) 1:30-4:00pm
AND
Thursday, June 22 (Part II) 1:30-4:00pm in 1022LIB.
Click here to register, by June 8 if possible. Current TILE instructors are also welcome to participate.
Completion of Essentials—both Parts I and II—enables instructors to request a TILE room from the Registrar’s Office. The Summer Essentials is the last opportunity to take TILE Essentials before the start of the Fall Semester.
The TILE Program, one of the earliest active learning classroom initiatives in the U.S., continues to attract attention. In this semester alone, researchers from Glasgow and Mexico City have interviewed OTLT staff members about the TILE Program’s pedagogical workshops, and in April a Center for Teaching staff member was the keynote speaker at the Regional Campus Launch of the University of Indiana’s Mosaic Active Learning Initiative.
If you are interested in learning more about TILE, please visit tile.uiowa.edu