Atkins Library publishes work by Active Learning Academy

“Faculty Experiences in Active Learning,” a work featuring contributions from the Center for Teaching and Learning’s (CTL) Active Learning Academy, was published recently by Atkins Library, through its Digital Publishing Services.

Twenty-four faculty and administrators in the Active Learning Academy provided input for the book, including Social Sciences and Education Librarian Nicole Spoor, who contributed to a chapter on logistics in active learning, and Health and Human Services Librarian Beth Auten, who helped write the chapter on active learning beyond the classroom.

“For a long time, the pedagogy of choice for higher education was the lecture. Now, with new technologies, including computers, the internet, cell phones, smart devices and social media, pedagogy has changed drastically,” said Jules Keith-Le, an instructional design and academic technology professional with CTL. “These changes require effective teaching that engages multiple human technologies—speaking, hearing, responding, interacting, organizing, among others—a pedagogy that is called active learning.”

Keith-Le and Meg Morgan, a retired UNC Charlotte professor who still teaches in the Department of English and partners with CTL on multiple projects, edited the book. The Active Learning Academy is a learning community open to all instructors and instructional staff who are interested in using active learning techniques, learning from peers and promoting the adoption of active learning across campus.

“Faculty Experiences in Active Learning” works to ignite a culture of active learning in higher education at UNC Charlotte, which has been working to become a national leader in active learning transformation since 2014. It was written for higher education faculty and students planning to teach at the post-secondary level as a guide for considering the diverse pathways that active learning can take based on student population, approach, discipline and learning environment.

“We are excited to be able to support faculty in the creation and publication of new open and accessible scholarly titles through the library’s Digital Publishing Services program,” said Somaly Kim Wu, head of Library Technology Innovation at Atkins Library. “’Faculty Experiences in Active Learning’ is the latest ebook published by Atkins Library through a partnership with UNC Press that enables authors to provide a downloadable Open Access digital edition through Atkins Library and a print-on-demand edition purchasable through UNC Press.”

“Faculty Experiences in Active Learning” can be downloaded as the entire manuscript or by the individual chapters through Atkins Library’s Digital Publishing Services ebook catalog. To view the book online, download an open access copy, or purchase a print on demand copy, go to https://omp.charlotte.edu/library/catalog/book/9. All proceeds from the sale of the print copy will fund outfitting more UNC Charlotte classes with active learning furniture and technology.