Bok Center brings creative touch to traditional teaching
Instead of writing a final paper, what if students crafted an art project, complete with artist’s statement, to demonstrate how plants have evolved? Instead of using class time for lectures, what if professors recorded videos for students to watch on their own, to save class time for deeper discussion? Instead of explaining the elements of a musical piece, what if students re-created each component to better understand harmony and composition? These and other innovative approaches to teaching and learning were on display at the Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning’s first showcase on May 12. Held on the third floor of the Science Center, the exhibition displayed approaches and techniques to improve teaching, including more than a dozen projects developed through the center’s new learning lab. Through a series of interactive stations, undergraduates, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, faculty, and staff explained how they are making Harvard an innovative place to...