'Behind the Blue': Innovations in Teaching During a Pandemic
LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 19, 2021) — Last March, as the country began to come to grips with a global pandemic, University of Kentucky officials made the decision to move all classes to online formats.
Thousands of classes and courses sections were moved — in two weeks.
In the last year, significant investments have been made in technology to help facilitate a combination of different formats for learning and classes — online and remote, in-person, hybrid and other teaching methods such as synchronous and asynchronous learning. In some ways, the pandemic has hastened a conversation around the different ways — and the best ways — students learn, particularly since our students have grown up with sophisticated technology at their fingertips.
To discuss trends in both technology and teaching, "Behind the Blue" talked with experts on campus who are exploring what’s new in these fields as well as what works best for students and faculty when it comes to learning.
Kathi Kern is a professor of history, the director of the Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching and associate provost of Teaching, Learning and Academic Innovation at UK.
Emily Croteau is a lecturer in biology at UK who is interested in learning about best methods and practices in teaching biology, which includes using real-life examples to demonstrate how relatable biological concepts are to our lives.
Matthew Wilson is an associate professor of geography at UK and a visiting scholar at Harvard. He co-founded and co-directs the New Mappings Collaboratory, which studies and facilitates new engagements with geographic representation.
"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.
For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email BehindTheBlue@uky.edu or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue. Transcripts for this or other episodes of "Behind the Blue" can be downloaded from the show’s blog page.
To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.