Internationally acclaimed education and learning consultant and designer Marc Prensky will be on campus Friday, Oct. 13, to host the latest UAB faculty professional enrichment seminar in a series designed to provide faculty with opportunities to keep current with latest pedagogical developments.
Prensky’s professional focus has been on reinventing the learning process by combining the motivation of video games and other activities that engage students in the learning process. The Harvard-educated Prensky has created more than 50 software games for learning, including fast-action videogame-based training tools, plus non-technological activities and approaches to participative learning.
“We think Marc Prensky’s planned seminar is a natural follow-up to the July sessions with Diana G. Oblinger of EDUCAUSE, who addressed educating the ‘Net generation’ and effective learning spaces,” said Rose Scripa, Ph.D., associate provost for Faculty Development and Faculty Affairs. “We are focusing on who the learners of today are and what we as faculty can perhaps do differently to engage them.
“One particularly enlightening part of his session will be a facilitated panel discussion between the audience and a group of our own UAB students,” Scripa said. “We hope this will prompt faculty to go back and have similar discussions in their own schools.”
The seminar, which will be held in the School of Nursing auditorium (NB G028), will begin at 8:30 a.m. with a keynote presentation by Prensky, “Engaging Students in the 21st Century.” Rounding out the morning portion of the day will be the student panel, “The Voice of the Student,” which will begin at 10:45 a.m.
During the afternoon session, which will begin at 1 p.m., Prensky will lead an interactive session on “Designing Teaching and Learning that Students Will Enjoy.”
The session will include ideas for innovation, how to overcome barriers to using technology in the classroom, specific strategies for non-technological participative learning, and a chance to ask Prensky detailed questions about any topics covered during the day.
The forum is being co-sponsored by the Office of Instructional Technology. Faculty and staff are invited to attend all sessions. To register, contact Scripa at rscripa@uab.edu or call the Office of the Associate Provost for Faculty Development and Faculty Affairs at 934-0513.