Inside Iowa State
April 5, 1996
Last Faculty Forum looks at hands-on-learning
by Anne Dolan
The final Faculty Forum of this academic year will look at
the value of hands-on learning in the studio and lab.
Sponsored by the Center for Teaching Excellence, the forum
and dinner will be held Monday, April 15, in the Memorial
Union Campanile Room.
Assistant professor of art and design Stefan Bruce and professor of veterinary clinical sciences Dean Riedesel will begin the discussion by relating some of their experiences. Bruce teaches an introductory design course in which 75 percent of the class hours are spent in the studio. She said she uses a lot of models and visual examples. She also rolls up her sleeves with her students.
"I'm at their desks with them, cutting, gluing, experimenting. That's the way I prefer it. I also think it accelerates the learning," Bruce said.
Within the studio setting, Bruce said she finds that group activities make efficient use of time and foster the courage to experiment in students who have little previous experience in that setting.
"It's difficult to get to 18 students and talk in depth about their projects," she said. "Ultimately, I think they receive more instruction in small groups."
Riedesel works with groups of four to seven senior veterinary students who are required to do full-time practicums in the college's Small Animal Hospital. He will talk about teaching in a clinic environment, including the difficulties of grading students on their clinical work.
The forum discussion begins at approximately 6:45 p.m., preceded by dinner at 6 p.m. For dinner reservations, contact Jane Henning, 4-2906 (e-mail: njhenni@iastate.edu), by 5 p.m. Friday, April 12.
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