Teaching about/through/with Human-Centered Design

Dawn Bohn (Food Science and Human Nutrition) and SaadShehab (Siebel Center for Design) have been collaborating to embed human-centered design (HCD) in various food science courses, including Bohn’s Capstone course, Food Product Development.

In this episode of Teach Talk Listen Learn, Bohn and Shehab discuss the implications of implementing HCD in a course. Shehab characterizes HCD as “a problem-solving approach that tries first to identify the unmet need of a certain population. Once this unmet need is identified, we partner with those people... to arrive at a solution.” The process is not easy and takes lots of time, but as Bohn and Shehab explain, it’s worth the effort. “Research shows us that whenever human-centered design is used, your chances of arriving to an innovative or creative or … genuine solution to a problem are way higher,” Shehab says.

Final Exams: Exam Services Extended Hours

Exam Services will be open during Monday, May 8 through Friday, May 12 from 8:30am - 5pm during final exam week to process exams administered with Scantrons. We will remain open over the lunch hour from 12pm to 1pm. Please note that we have moved to 151A on the first floor of the Armory. Contact us at 217-244-3839 or exams@illinois.edu.

CITL is Looking for a New Graduate Affiliate

The Teaching & Learning Strategies team at CITL is looking for a new Graduate Affiliate. Grad Affiliates are experienced TAs at Illinois who have a keen interest in the theory and practice of good teaching in higher education. This is a paid hourly position, intended for those who have primary funding from another source, yet the capability to work a few extra hours per week.

See this page for more information about the Graduate Affiliate position and how to apply.

Canvas Open Office Hours
Every Thursday
11am - 12pm, Zoom
Host: CITL Instructional Support Team

Stay tuned for this semester's events! Bookmark the CITL Event Calendar for all upcoming workshops and the Training Services (formerly FAST3) Calendar for additional training opportunities. 

Trauma-Informed Pedagogy

After experiencing a global pandemic, we became more aware of trauma and how it might affect our daily lives. Individual trauma can be the result of an event or circumstance that leads to physical or emotional harm. Students who experienced individual trauma have difficulties learning, being attentive, remembering information, and synthesizing ideas. They appear less engaged in class and sometimes skip class. They might have trouble with emotional regulation and increased anxiety about schoolwork. Trauma-informed pedagogy (TIP) approaches students’ trauma more proactively. It is grounded in the awareness of the signs of students’ trauma and goes beyond accommodations. TIP emphasizes the importance of creating an equitable classroom and learning community that promotes student well-being.

Here are some suggested teaching tips that you can try out in your classroom:

• Syllabus adaptations: provide clear instructions and guidelines for your course including policies, deadlines, and expectations. Provide flexibility for late work and build self-reflection and self-care into your assignments.
• Reemphasize concepts and scaffold: provide more reminders of assignments for students and more opportunities to scaffold the assignments with students.
• Involve students: give students voices and choices. In the event of trauma, people tend to feel a lack of control. One possible way to involve students is asking them to suggest alternative assignment designs that are meaningful to them and appropriately measure their learning.

If you are interested in learning more about trauma-informed pedagogy, please check the CITL Teaching & Learning Tip on Trauma-informed Pedagogy. We also recommend the Faculty and Staff Mental Health Ambassador Program that was originally developed by our own UIUC students. Please know that you are not alone on this journey; feel free to contact us at any time.