Community
2022 Annual Report
Connection &
Chris Dellarocas
Associate Provost
BU Digital Learning & Innovation &
Shipley Professor of Management at the Questrom School of Business
2022 was a year of new beginnings for Digital Learning & Innovation (DL&I) as our unit’s focus shifted to supporting innovation in residential learning. The year began with the launch of the Shipley Center for Digital Learning & Innovation, the result of a generous $8 million gift by Trustee Emeritus Richard C. Shipley to help accelerate the digital transformation of our residential programs. Our new website, the result of more than a year of work, went live in February. Inclusive pedagogy and helping all BU students succeed were also main drivers of several other initiatives launched in 2022. These included a small technology grants program and an ambitious large-course transformation initiative aimed at helping faculty increase student engagement and close the achievement gap in large lecture courses.
Last but not least, we continued to support and inspire Boston University faculty through the diverse consulting and training programs, faculty communities, and events of the Center for Teaching & Learning (CTL) and the Educational Technology (EdTech) group described in more detail in this Annual Report.
DL&I’s new focus comes at a time when new student needs and demands, as well as faculty's post-pandemic openness toward technology-enabled education innovation, are about to unleash an era of substantial transformation in teaching and learning across all modalities. Inclusiveness, engagement, community, and better development of key student competencies are themes that will drive innovation in years to come. My staff and I are excited about the potential impact that DL&I can have in this space and the resulting gains for our students.
Table of Contents
Year in Review
Video
Shipley Center Breaks New Ground
Leadership
Voices & Reflections
Accelerating Academic Innovation
Collaborations & Connections
Celebrating Diversity & Inclusion
Additional Features
DL&I Timeline & Milestones
Promotions & New Hires
About DL&I Teams & Partners
2022 Year In Review
Projects & Partnerships
Academic innovation comes in all shapes and forms.
Get a behind-the-scenes look at a variety of DL&I innovations and
digital education projects.
Shipley Center Breaks New Ground
Today’s higher education classroom continues to evolve. Students desire greater connectivity, creativity, and innovative learning environments. Faculty are answering that call by experimenting with new technologies and introducing these digital capabilities into their classrooms. Boston University’s Shipley Center for Digital Learning & Innovation stands at the forefront of this evolution.
“The Shipley Center is working with faculty to design more inclusive and personalized learning models and inspire active student engagement while offering better support for learning communities and tighter integration of learning experiences inside and outside the classroom,” says Chris Dellarocas, Boston University’s associate provost for Digital Learning & Innovation (DL&I) and the Shipley Professor of Management at the Questrom School of Business.
The Shipley Center, an evolution of Digital Initiatives, was established through a generous $8 million gift from BU Trustee Emeritus Richard C. Shipley (Questrom ’68, ’72). Working closely with Educational Technology (EdTech) and the Center for Teaching & Learning (CTL), the Shipley Center offers instructional design, digital media production, educational technology discovery, project management, and funding support to faculty and leadership across all three BU campuses.
Leadership
Voices & Reflections
2022 opened with a renewed sense of optimism and community connection. BU faculty, staff, and students reconnected beyond the Zoom room and a new level of collegiality emerged. These connections and partnerships fueled Digital Learning & Innovation and its mission to catalyze innovative ideas in digital education. Learn about a variety of projects and activities piloted by DL&I leadership.
Deborah Breen, Director
Center for Teaching & Learing
Amod Lele, Acting Manager
Educational Technology
Romy Ruukel, Director
Shipley Center for Digital Learning & Innovation
Maureen McCarthy, Communications Manager
Linda Nulty, Director
Finance & Operations
Accelerating Academic Innovation
Throughout 2022, Shipley Center project managers, media producers, and learning designers moved the innovation needle — supporting experimentation, embracing partnerships across all BU campuses, and elevating those leading the charge. The following list highlights more than a dozen new and legacy pilot projects, each dedicated to enhancing the teaching and learning experience at BU.
Powering VR and AI
In the second phase of the Using VR to Address Social Determinants of Health pilot, the project team has been developing an interdisciplinary virtual learning environment featuring artificial intelligence (AI)-powered patient to foster student collaboration on virtual scenarios to both enhance their understanding of social determinants of health (SDoH) and promote their ability to engage in collaborative problem solving with diverse healthcare professionals.
Beyond the Pilot: Supporting Faith-based Leaders
To address the needs of clergy, faith-based, and social justice leaders, BU School of Theology (STH) launched and completed the multi-year Lifelong Learning Project with a focus on congregational issues and peer-based community building. Programming consisted of short, practical faculty- and alumni-led online workshops wherein participants developed plans and processes they could implement within their own communities. Upon successfully completing the online lifelong learning pilot in June 2022, STH is continuing its programming initiatives to support faith-based leaders.
Leveraging BU Alumni Expertise for Workforce Development
The Network for Professional Education (The Network) is a multi-year pilot initiated by BU School of Social Work (BUSSW) to provide access to high-quality training and career development programs for health and social service professionals and community and state-based agencies and service providers. With growth in BUSSW’s Center for Aging & Disability Education & Research and other programming, The Network delivers timely and culturally relevant training to support workforce development needs. Utilizing the Trainers Hub, The Network also engages School of Social Work alumni to share their expertise by providing training and consultation services.
Expanding Online Digital Badging Competencies
The PhD Progression project team deployed an online digital badging platform for BU doctoral students to plan, track, and share their progress in completing scaffolded learning pathways aligned with the PhD Core Capacities. The project team continues its expansion plans to reach all BU doctoral students by adding pathways and tools aligned with labor market data so that competencies can be highlighted with mentors and employers. CTL Associate Director Jean Otsuki contributed to the development of the popular digital badges on inclusive and equitable teaching.
Projects, Programs & Media Production
Celebrating Diversity & Inclusion
Digital Learning & Innovation (DL&I) is dedicated to achieving inclusive excellence in all aspects of our mission. DL&I proudly elevated diversity, equity, and inclusion awareness in 2022 through a variety of programs and activities. The following is an overview of projects and partnerships spearheaded by Educational Technology, the Center for Teaching & Learning, and the Shipley Center.
Leading the Content Accessibility Charge
In September 2022, Educational Technology, in partnership with IS&T, rolled out the new accessibility tool Blackboard Ally. The BU-supported tool is directly integrated with Blackboard, focuses on digital accessibility for students, and provides guidance and tips for lasting improvements to course content accessibility. Throughout the fall, faculty could access Ally on an opt-in basis. Educational Technology coordinated a support team from around campus to meet monthly throughout the fall and successfully promoted Ally to faculty around campus. Next year, we plan to make Ally available to the whole campus for all courses (with the ability for faculty to opt out).
Contributing to Boston University’s Inclusive Pedagogy Institute
The Center for Teaching & Learning, CAS Diversity & Inclusion Action Team, and BU Diversity & Inclusion launched Boston University’s inaugural Inclusive Pedagogy Institute in June 2022. The year-long institute offers a unique opportunity for faculty participants to discuss innovative course design options, classroom techniques, and departmental engagement practices that create inclusive and supportive learning environments.
CTL, Shipley Center, and Educational Technology team members Ben Keating, Diana Marian, and Dave DeCamp investigated case studies in higher education on the use of technologies to promote personalized and adaptive learning. They presented their findings to the Inclusive Pedagogy Institute, offering an overview of the different forms of adaptive learning technologies that have been used to supplement assessments and other forms of course content, deliver automated and personalized feedback to students, and visualize and analyze course engagement using learning analytics.
Elevating the First-Gen Experience at BU
The Shipley Center, in partnership with BU Diversity & Inclusion and BU Virtual, supported the Newbury Center in its development of the Terrier F1RSTS Advocate Training Program for faculty and staff. These hybrid training modules are designed to explore the first-generation college landscape, outline student challenges, and offer best practices to support this important student population.
Converting Wheelock Deaf Studies Program Materials Format
To provide flexibility to students during their field placements, the Shipley Center is supporting the Wheelock Deaf Studies program in developing digital materials for courses introducing topics for Deaf educators and for American Sign Language instruction.
AWARE Facilitator Training
In partnership with Dr. Chris Hahm, School of Social Work, and Dr. Aileen Lee, Student Health Services, the Shipley Center’s learning design and media team produced a series of instructional videos and developed an online certificate course that will initiate new facilitators of the Asian Women’s Action for Resilience and Empowerment (AWARE) group therapy sessions.
Collaborations & Connections
Faculty Forum 2022
Community and connection were consistent themes throughout the 2021-22 academic year. Faculty, staff, and students kicked off the spring semester with a heightened focus on teaching and experiential learning, wellness, diversity and inclusion, and fostering a sense of belonging in the classroom. Faculty Forum 2022, Digital Learning & Innovation’s (DL&I) first in-person symposium since 2019, was equally focused on community-building and introducing purposeful teaching and learning approaches.
“Community is more important than ever,” said Marisa Milanese, Faculty Forum moderator and master lecturer with BU College of Arts & Sciences Writing Program. “The messaging that came out of the [symposium] has been building community is not something we can take for granted. It has to be intentional and sustained and it has to include all.”
The half-day symposium was held at Boston University’s Rafik B. Hariri Building and opened with welcome remarks from Faculty Forum 2022 Co-chairs: Chris Dellarocas, DL&I associate provost, Deborah Breen, Center for Teaching & Learning director, and Romy Ruukel, Shipley Center director. Peter Felten, executive director of Elon University’s Center for Engaged Learning and assistant provost for teaching and learning served as keynote speaker.
Drawing on more than 400 interviews with students, faculty, and staff across U.S. higher education, Dr. Felten's presentation, "Relationship-Rich Education: Community and Learning on the Residential Campus," addressed the power of human interaction and relationship-building. He engaged all in attendance and hosted mini-breakout sessions — each topic explored flexible, scalable, equitable, and humane approaches to teaching and learning.
Immediately following the keynote address, attendees participated in parallel sessions. Topics included teaching as a community; wellness, building student community through experiential learning, and DEI-based strategies for community building.
“There was palpable enthusiasm and audience engagement in all of the sessions," says Ruukel. "It was fantastic for all of us to gather and learn from each other about how the challenges we faced during the start of the pandemic transformed our classrooms and teaching approaches.”
The afternoon session titled, "Crowdsourcing for Creating Community in Your Classes", featured a distinguished faculty panel of Metcalf awardees including College of Arts & Sciences’ Binyomin Abrams, Dave Sullivan, and Marisa Milanese, and former BU School of Medicine Assistant Professor Fadie Coleman. Here, they discussed strategies to enhance classroom community.
“The Metcalf panel discussion demonstrated that sharing of knowledge and experience, amongst both teachers and students, is a key element in meaningful learning," says Breen.
To culminate the day of engagement, discovery, and connection, a digital poster session, and wine and cheese reception were held in the building's first-floor atrium. Fourteen digital posters illuminated the space and conversation echoed throughout.
"I left the Faculty Forum 2022 with a renewed spirit of excitement for planning the fall semester with evidence-based strategies for building classroom community both on-campus and online," says Karen Jacobs, Faculty Forum presenter and associate dean for Digital Learning & Innovation with BU Sargent College. 'It only takes meeting that one person who ignites a fire within you' (Tianna Guerra, Oakton Community College) is the perfect quote to conclude the Faculty Forum 2022."
Read more about Faculty Forum 2022 in this point of view.
More DL&I Collaborations & Connections
Lightning Talks 2022
Conversation & Community
The 2022 Lightning Talks speaker series, offered in partnership with Digital Learning & Innovation (DL&I) and the Center for Teaching & Learning (CTL), addressed two powerful topics: “ungrading” and global citizenship. Welcoming 11 faculty presenters, two moderators, and over 100 attendees collectively, the 2022 series was information-rich and continues to be a vehicle for conversation and community-building.
“The Lightning Talks demonstrate that the ‘vibrant academic experience’ that BU promises its students can be part of faculty experiences, too: Every Lightning Talk has instructors who are passionate about their teaching and sharing their perspectives and practices,” says CTL Director Dr. Deborah Breen. “It’s a great cross-disciplinary, cross-campus experience that builds community in teaching and learning at BU.”
“The ‘Reimagining the Grading Paradigm’ talk offered practical ideas from amazing teachers for transforming the cultures around teaching and grading at BU,” says Carrie Preston, Lightning Talks moderator and director of Kilachand Honors College. “The chat was busy with questions, thoughts, and the sharing of resources, so attendees were clearly hungry for these ideas and perspectives.”
2022 Lightning Talks
Presenters & Moderators
Using this talk as an indicator of interest, Preston and BU colleagues Sarah Madsen Hardy, CAS master lecturer and director of the CAS Writing Program; Davida Pines, College of General Studies associate professor of rhetoric; and Breen, CTL director, co-authored the BU Today post “POV: It’s Time to Upgrade to Ungrading.”
The fall “Educating Global Citizens” talk was equally insightful and was a part of the University-wide 11th Annual International Education Week celebration. With a focus on community, ethics, pedagogy, and microaggressions, faculty presenters shared strategies for integrating international students and their experiences into classes and the BU campus. The conversation also explored ways to help students appreciate cultural diversity while studying abroad.
"The program provided an excellent opportunity to discuss important issues and helpful ways to support our wonderfully diverse international community and those fortunate to engage with others abroad,” says Lightning Talks Moderator and Associate Provost for Global Programs Willis Wang. “The Lightning Talks gave us the chance to step back and reflect on how these strategies can make a real difference.” View the Lightning Talks Video Library.
More DL&I Collaborations & Connections
Adobe Catalyst Program
The Adobe Catalyst Program had a vibrant showing in the Spring of 2022. Three Adobe Creative Cloud catalysts – (top to bottom) Amber Navarre, College of Arts and Sciences; Greg Stoller, BU Questrom School of Business, and Carla Romney, BU School of Medicine, worked with eight mentees from across BU’s schools on their skills and projects.
The innovative and interactive design program was co-led by former CTL Assistant Director Pary Fassihi and Caterina Scaramelli (bottom), research assistant professor in Anthropology and Earth & Environment, with Educational Technologist Maria Afzal providing specialist advice,
One powerful outcome of this cohort was increased interest amongst their colleagues in producing video course trailers.
More DL&I Collaborations & Connections
Communities of Practice
Digital Learning & Innovation is committed to building learning communities for BU leadership, faculty, and staff technology users to connect with colleagues and discuss platforms and strategies designed to improve students' learning experiences. Here is a look back at our 2022 initiatives.
Teaching with Technology
TwT is an interdisciplinary venue for the exchange of new ideas and strategies coordinated by Educational Technologist Dave DeCamp. TwT hosted roundtable discussions, faculty presentations, hands-on workshops, and product demonstrations throughout 2022.
EdTech Collective
The EdTech Collective is designed to build community and help BU EdTech staff stay aware of BU technology tools and resources. Coordinated by Sr. Educational Technologist Damon Carlson, conversations included reflection on remote and hybrid teaching and how technology will shape the classroom moving forward.
AR/VR Community
Under the leadership of Senior Platform Administrator Wendell Seale and Medical Campus EdTech Director Jana Mulkern, the community met several times throughout the academic year, including a visit to the Harvard Visualization Research and Teaching Laboratory.
Blackboard Buddy Program
Led by Educational Technologist Chi-Hsun Chiu, the Blackboard Buddy Program provided one-on-one faculty support. In this role, EdTech proposed the best solutions to integrate technology into instruction and ensured course content is set up appropriately.
“Being a part of the Teaching with Technology community helped me to connect with others to brainstorm, talk about our shared aspirations and concerns, and walk away with not only more ideas, but new knowledge, tools, or skill sets,”
Didem Vardar-Ulu, Lecturer Department of Chemistry, BU College of Arts & Sciences
DL&I Timeline
Celebrating Growth & Innovation
Looking Ahead
2023
Digital Learning & Innovation
Celebrates its
10 Year Anniversary!
Promotions & New Hires
Amod Lele, Acting Manager, Educational Technology
Damon Carlson, Sr. Educational Technologist, Educational Technology
New Hire! Sam Macriss, Administrative Assistant, DL&I
New Hire! Annwesa Dasgupta, Project Manager, Shipley Center
New Hire! Patrick Estrella, Administrative Coordinator, DL&I
Digital Learning & Innovation
Teams & Partners
The Shipley Center assists in thoughtful educational experimentation by offering instructional design, digital media production, educational technology discovery, project management, and funding support to faculty and leadership across all three BU campuses.
Under the leadership of the Office of the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Affairs and the Office of the Associate Provost for Digital Learning & Innovation, CTL welcomes instructors to explore resources and workshops to help integrate different pedagogical practices into their teaching.
The EdTech staff, comprised of trained educational technologists (some of whom are teaching faculty), provides technology training and guidance to Boston University academic leadership, faculty, and graduate student instructors.
