Collaborative interinstitutional teaching

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Collaborative inter-institutional teaching

• Venkatesh Merwade and David Maidment, University
  of Texas at Austin

Interdisciplinary aquatic modeling workshop, July
21, 2005
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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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)
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Factors contributing to effective collaboration

• 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)
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Teaching Styles

• Instructor-Centered Teaching

• Community-Centered Teaching

Instructor
Student
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University Without Walls
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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

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Lead/Supplemental Instructor Model
Lead instructor
Supplemental instructor
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Multiple Instructor Model
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Guest Lecture Model
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Examples from UT, Austin

• GIS and Water Resources
• Surface Water Hydrology

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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,
video-conferencing, etc.
The FIC provides media, instructional, and
faculty development services to support faculty
in enhancing their teaching, both with and
without technology.
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Classroom set-up at UT
For Faculty
For Students

• Crestron control system
• Electronic white board
• Wireless microphone

• Multiple whiteboards
• TV Screens
• Microphone

The state-of-the-art classroom seats 40 students,
and also has DVD/VCR facilities
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Control room
Controls cameras, speaker phones, and computers.
Provide general help with technological issues
during the class.
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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.

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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
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Teaching Model (Multiple Instructor)
University of Texas
Utah State University
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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

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Lectures

• Class meets two days a week
• Tuesday (presentation) and Thursday (exercise)
• Timing
• 1230 PM to 200 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

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Course Syllabus
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(No Transcript)
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Class Videos
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Term projects
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Term Project Website
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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

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Class Enrollment at UT
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Examples from UT, Austin

• GIS and Water Resources
• Surface Water Hydrology

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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

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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

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Teaching Model (Guest Lecture)
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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)

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Instructor Contribution
Dr. David Maidment Dr. Joanna Curran Dr.
Venkatesh Merwade
Dr. John Sharp Jr. Dr. Jay Banner
Dr. Liang Yang Dr. Marcy Litvak
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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

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• Questions?