Rensselaer has been a pioneer in pedagogical innovation for nearly 200 years, with other universities regularly modeling our pedagogical practices to assure students have the experience and knowledge they need to be successful. In the late 20th century, Rensselaer pioneered student driven interactive learning which led to the studio and the flipped classroom. And in the 21st century, endeavors such as HASS Inquiry have advanced inquiry-based pedagogy for first-year students coupled with intergroup dialogue as pedagogical practice. “The Mandarin Project” experimented with interactive, context-dependent narrative in an immersive virtual environment to place students in an array of complex learning environments.
Mission
Embrace Rensselaer’s rich history of pedagogical innovation and pursue new ventures in areas such as personalized learning that adapts the delivery of information to the preferred learning style of each individual.
- Immersion
- Gameful learning
- Inquiry-based learning
- Project-based learning
- Use of artificial intelligence in language learning
Framing Questions
- Review our history: What are the historical landmarks in our history of pedagogical innovation?
- Reflect on what has fostered this tradition: What prompted our tradition of pedagogical innovation and what are the motivating factors today and into the future?
- What are the current areas of activity and pedagogical research at RPI?
- What are the exciting opportunities?
- What role can Rensselaer at Work (Hartford) play?
- What would an institute-wide effort look like?
- Scope: Higher education
- Research on education
- Research on human cognition and learning
- Practice on campus
- Dissemination – impact beyond RPI
- What are the needed resources?