Thirty-two faculty and graduate student fellows were selected to be fellows in the 2021-2022 LAMP class. Throughout the spring 2021 semester, fellows became familiar with the LAMP Active Learning Spectrum. They attended Friday Coffee & Curriculum sessions, during which prior LAMP Fellows shared about their active learning strategies, assessments and holistic stories. Many of these Coffee & Curriculum sessions are now embedded on the Active Learning Spectrum. Also on Fridays, LAMP fellows were invited to optional discussions. In these sessions, they shared about their learning, discussed blog posts written by prior LAMP fellows, became familiar with techniques of collaborative communication and began to workshop their teaching philosophy statements. These statements, which are submitted as a part of the LAMP application, evolve throughout the fellows yearlong learning journey.
At the end of February, the LAMP fellows made a decision as to whether they would be participants in the in-person Summer Institute or the online Summer Institute. The in-person institute was held from May 24-28 at the Table in the Wilderness Recreation Camp outside of Centennial Wyoming.
The online institute was experienced from locations around the world, from Wyoming to Pennsylvania and all the way to Germany. In both institutes, fellows were immersed in Place-based Education (PBE) centering on lichens. Throughout the remainder of the Summer Institute, fellows were students of Experiential Learning, Problem-based Learning (PBL) and they practiced Backwards Course Design and implementation of inclusive pedagogies (including Universal Design for Learning).
During the final two days of the Institute, each fellow synthesized an instructional strategy and presented a poster detailing that strategy. They will implement these approaches in their fall and spring courses.
Quotes from LAMP Fellows
Discovering the LAMP community has reminded me of the inspiring human network found at University of Wyoming, and reminded me as well that I am still part of it wherever I am. This workshop has gone way beyond knowledge transfer, it has made me aware of my own core values as well as privileges, humbled me by exposing me to amazing things my peers, mentors and program founders value and have accomplished, and in general made me more confident about my choice to become a teacher/instructor.
I have learned more on making my teaching and learning goals more transparent and accessible for everyone. I also hope to continue learning the actions, techniques and approaches in which I can best contribute to the removal of existing complex barriers preventing individuals from accessing the benefits of education.