Recently the Teaching Innovation Center (TIC) hosted a Coffee and Conversation event that focused on discussing the question, how can we reimagine labs and experiential learning opportunities?  We further examined this question by talking about how lab skills prepare students for future careers, considering both the lab technology and the collaborative nature of the lab environment.  Joining us as a guest speaker was Ara Austin, PhD . Dr. Austin is currently the Director of Online Engagement & Strategic Initiatives at The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Arizona State University. Experiential Learning So, how do we define experiential learning ? During our conversation, we discussed how experiential learning is about the application of learning rather than just sharing information about a topic. It is the "learning by doing" concept. Most often in biology education, these unique skills are only given in laboratory settings, with a hands-on approach. We also conside...

Field Trips are a great way to motivate students, get them excited about content and create memories. But often the locations are too expensive, or would be geographically impossible to get to during class times. One option is to create a virtual field trip! Our TeachT@lk Webinar on August 4, focused on how instructors can create virtual "experiences" for students that include location videos, images, interactions with experts in the field and guided discussions between students and their peers about their Dr. Jim Elser's Drone Video experiences. We shared 3 experiences by ASU Faculty: Jim Elser's Drone Tours (sample clip) Mike Angilletta's Expert Interviews with Robbie Wilson using Vidyo "Live" synchronous field trip at the ASU Natural History Collection with Liz Makings using Adobe Connect Finally, we talked about using existing resources like the wildlife webcams, and having students create their own virtual fieldtrips as a final clas...