Brenda McCoy, of the University of North Texas, will help transform NIU courses with Next Generation Course Redesign.

McCoy came to NIU in 2012 to share her experience and is coming back as a resource.

Next Gen. was put into effect at NIU as the Course Transformation Project, which is a Vision 2020 initiative that takes general education courses and transforms them into a blended class. The classes are focused on small groups, enhancing the learning process through hands-on activities.

Faculty who participate must spend one year planning their course before it may begin.

The workshop will be 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Feb. 21 in the Holmes Student Center’s Sky Room.

“Our faculty wanted us to bring in someone else from around the country who just has more experience in the process and to help them kind of think through some logistical issues,” said Julia Spears, associate vice provost for engaged learning. “She’s meant to be a resource to help guide them, and really to reassure that we’re on the right track.”

Vice Provost Anne Birberick said Next Gen. has been in place since the ’90s.

“The program focuses on transforming large lecture courses and to blend lecture with online and small group engagement activities,” Birberick said.

There are six Course Transformation Project courses and six other general education courses which faculty are working on transforming into Course Transformation Project courses for the fall.

“Her talk this time will be less about what they have done in terms of Next Gen., but more about how to facilitate engaged learning,” said Michaela Holtz, assistant to the director of the office of Student Engagement and Experiential Learning.

The program focuses on work in small groups and hands-on learning.

“Faculty will not only learn about the program at UNT, but they will also see the benefits that come with transforming courses so that students become active learners rather than passive recipients of content,” Birberick said.

Course Transformation Project’s goal is to make large and unengaging general education courses more accessible and memorable to students.

“Online learning may be used to provide necessary foundational content for students so that they can then apply that content to actual real-world situations encountered in the discipline,” Birberick said. “In other words, online learning can provide the framework for more in-depth study. Small group activities are an excellent way to not only … put into practice knowledge, but also build skills that employers want when it comes to projects that involve collaboration, teamwork and taking leadership roles.”

Holtz said Course Transformation Project can provide students with experiences that may help them remember the information they are learning.

“Retention is a huge problem on our campus,” Holtz said. “So what it is that we can do in the classroom for our students, that will count, that will make their experience here different from other universities and more relevant for their future.”

Staff and Faculty who are interested in learning more about Course Transformation Project and Next Gen are encouraged to attend the workshop and can contact Holtz for more information at 815-753-8155 or [email protected].