Engaged Teaching and Learning Collaborative

The Engaged Teaching and Learning Collaborative at UMass Chan Medical School is an interprofessional initiative dedicated to enriching the educational experience for faculty and students. Rooted in the belief that meaningful engagement fosters deeper learning and stronger community, the Collaborative aims to elevate teaching practices and learning outcomes through shared innovation and collective reflection.

We are a diverse group of educators and professionals from across the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, representing its three graduate schools. Together, we collaborate to advance academic excellence and support our learners.

🌟 Our Goals

Goal 1: Expand the number and variety of effective engaged learning experiences by identifying successful strategies and sharing them across UMass Chan Medical School.  

Goal 2: Enhance the experience of faculty as educators by cultivating a vibrant, multi-school community of educators who support and inspire one another.

🎯 Our Objectives

• Facilitate cross-school faculty interactions to build stronger, more cohesive educational experiences.
• Collect insights from student learners and faculty teachers on what makes engaged learning effective--what it is and why they find it so valuable.
• Highlight and disseminate successful engaged teaching and learning practices.
• Offer guidance and expertise to faculty developing or revising engaged learning experiences.
• Address challenges and celebrate faculty who champion engaged learning approaches.

🚀 Our Initiatives

To address our goals and objectives, we will:

• Host informal faculty gatherings across the three schools to share experiences, brainstorm ideas, and spark collaborative projects.
• Facilitate student-guided discussions and other opportunities for student learners to share impactful engaged learning experiences and reflect on what made them successful.
• Disseminate outcomes from these discussions through:
  • Anonymized summaries of key themes from both teacher and learner perspectives.
  • Practical examples of high-rated engaged learning approaches, presented in workshops or featured in an online resource that will be developed.
  • Workshops, posters or other activities during HEALL Education Day.

📈 Our Impact

The Collaborative is committed to achieving the following outcomes:

• Increased collaboration and “crosstalk” among educators and learners across all three schools, fostering a stronger sense of community and shared purpose.
• A growing repository of engaged learning materials and strategies accessible to the UMass Chan community.
• Greater integration of effective engaged learning content into curricular sessions, enhancing the educational experience for all.