Center for Excellence in eLearning Hires Director of Instructional Innovation

After working in higher education for over 20 years, Pat Reid has joined the University of Cincinnati to assist in the implementation of active learning strategies as the Center for Excellence in eLearning’s director of instructional innovation. In instructional design, processes such as eLearning initiatives are applied to design, develop, and deliver instruction.

“I’ve always been interested in working with faculty on how to support students and student learning,” Reid said.       

After working at Purdue University, Reid decided she wanted to move back to Ohio in order to be closer to her family in Columbus. She had heard great things about UC and was impressed by the way student learning was stressed in the UC’s Third Century Academic Master Plan.       

Reid is leader of the Center’s Design Team, which currently comprises three instructional designers in addition to her. Although Reid has only been at UC for a few weeks, she and her team have already begun to partner with colleges, both with and without their own instructional design staff.

Reid said the team has also been planning various eLearning initiatives, such as making more Arts and Sciences and Great Gateways courses available online.

Reid’s team is one of three teams in the Center dedicated to working with faculty, which allows them to provide in depth service through one-on-one consultations and larger departmental support. Reid believes right now it is important to implement more active learning strategies into courses and help faculty identify how to engage with students.

“It’s difficult to hit that balance with students on how you help them feel engaged,” Reid said. “That engagement is engagement with the faculty member, engagement with other students and the actual course material, and that’s why active learning and team-based learning become so important.”

Simply bringing technology into the classroom does not always work, so it is important for Reid’s team to work with faculty to assess what the best uses of technology are and strategize how to implement them into their classes.

Reid said the team has created templates to go through with faculty to help them analyze their teaching approaches.

“The pedagogy side of technology is more important than the technology they actually use,” she said.

Reid loves Cincinnati so far, as it is not flat like her previous home of Lafayette, Indiana. Her newest addition to her collection of over 300 salt and pepper shakers is a pair of flying pigs.