NEWS
Level Up Continues to Motivate Faculty to Develop Powerful, Engaging Assignments by Holly Gainer
Samford University’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), which equips and challenges faculty to design powerful assignments to engage students in higher-level critical thinking and information literacy skills, has made a lasting impact on the university. The plan, which is called Level Up: Transformative Learning through Powerful Assignments, began in 2016 and focuses on the connection between increased investment in faculty development and improved student learning. Samford leaders say it has changed the way students learn and faculty teach, and it will continue to inspire creative assignments for years to come. “The best takeaway from the program is the ability for faculty to work across different colleges and schools and have their peers from other departments review their assignments and provide feedback,” said Marci Johns, senior associate provost. “It cultivates the institutional culture where we are able to work across boundaries and help each other design transparent and engaging assignments.” “Looking to the future, there are early signs that Level Up will have a lasting impact on the learning environment at Samford,” said QEP director Don Bradley, who also serves as the associate dean for Howard College of Arts and Sciences. “While continuing to work with faculty teaching in the core curriculum, Level Up expanded its reach in subsequent years.” In the last three years, nearly 100 faculty have completed a series of five workshops leading to the design and implementation of powerful assignments
in their undergraduate classes. Samford also added the Faculty Success Center, located on the fourth floor of Dwight M. Beeson Hall, which is meant to provide a space for faculty to collaborate with one another, hold large meetings and faculty development sessions, and includes a media center to record podcasts and create videos for online classes.
Despite the challenges of COVID-19, Level Up continued to operate online using Microsoft Teams. Level Up began in the 2016-2017 academic year as the focus of Samford’s QEP, which is a core requirement by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges as part of the university’s reaccreditation process. ◗
The new Faculty Success Center provides a space for faculty to collaborate with one another, hold large meetings and faculty development sessions, and includes a media center to develop online classes. samford.edu • 9
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