Ways of knowing: ways of practice

"Ways of Knowing and Ways of Practice" is an on-line professional development opportunity for faculty and instructional staff at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This pilot distance learning experience occurred during Spring Semester, 2003. The project was designed to help faculty 1) engage in reflection and continuous improvement of learning, both their own and their students, 2) facilitate conversations about teaching and learning in the process of building a learning community, 3) create a collaborative learning environment with faculty and peers, 4) build confidence in curriculum development including designing, guiding, and assessing learning, 5) learn with and about technology in the process of improving curriculum, and 6) connect teaching and research and bridge the gap between theory and practice. The twenty participants represented ten universities; a team of two from each university included one faculty person from engineering and one from another science, math, or computer science discipline. Specifically, the professional development opportunity explored ways of knowing including theories of learning, learning styles, disciplinary and cultural perspectives and how they inform ways of practice including both teaching practice and engineering practice. Starting with an orientation in Madison, Wisconsin, the experience involved weekly on-line discussions based on readings, a personalized curriculum project, and approximately two to three hours per week commitment on the part of each participant. The foundation coalition funded this dissemination project. The "work-in-progress" highlights results from the assessment of this pilot project and next steps based on analysis and reflection.