For more than a century, the University of Iowa has been a center for educational innovation. The pioneering “Iowa Idea” brought artists and scholars together in an academic context in the 1920s and '30s; we created the Belin-Blank Center in the 1980s, and we introduced the India Winterim program 10 years ago. These endeavors not only changed the way we learn and teach on this campus, but they have also served and inspired students and teachers across this nation and beyond.

Here are just a few examples of how UI faculty and staff are actively advancing our tradition of innovation today:

First-year seminars: With an average class size of 16, first-year seminars connect faculty and freshmen while helping our newest students transition to college-level learning. The program has grown from 16 sections—with fewer than 200 students enrolled in fall 2005—to 131 sections with more than 2,000 students enrolled in fall 2015. Evidence suggests the program is achieving its goal of building a strong foundation for academic success. In a study of the fall 2013 cohort, the one-year retention rate for students who took a first-year seminar was 88.3 percent, compared with 82.3 percent for those who did not participate.

TILE classrooms: The Transform, Interact, Learn, Engage (TILE) project starts with TILE classrooms—thoughtfully designed spaces that promote active, collaborative, engaged learning. But its success hinges on providing essential training and support for faculty to help our instructors use these spaces effectively. In 2010–11, there were 33 course sections offered in TILE classrooms; in 2014–15, there were 231. More important is the evidence of TILE’s success: research studies have found that, on average, students in TILE classrooms received higher grades than students who took the same course with the same instructor in a traditional classroom.

Large Lecture Transformation Project: TILE classrooms are just some of the tools we’re implementing in the Office of Teaching, Learning, and Technology’s Large Lecture Transformation Project—a UI effort to rebuild large classes in a way that incorporates more personalized and engaged learning. Three Iowa courses have participated in the initial Large Lecture project, putting various models and technologies to the test. Formal assessments are underway to evaluate the experience of these students and instructors.

“Big Ideas” courses: TILE classrooms and pedagogy are also fundamental to the exciting new “Big Ideas” courses—general education courses based on themes and team-taught by faculty from different disciplines. Origins of Life in the Universe—the first “Big Ideas” course, and the brainchild of Professor Cornelia Lang—involves faculty from physics and astronomy, geoscience, biology, chemistry, and anthropology. Students investigate questions like, “What is the nature of life?” through team-based activities and collaborative explorations facilitated by TILE spaces and technology.

These highlights are just a fraction of the many ways UI faculty and staff continue to apply their creativity in support of educational excellence and student success. The UI’s tradition of educational innovation is going strong, and it will be exciting to see where it takes us next.