In the Media

Congratulations to University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) Professor Michaela Zint for leading one of five faculty projects to receive the Provost's Teaching Innovation Prize. The prize honors faculty projects that use innovative approaches to improving student learning. 

This year, there were 38 nominations made by students, faculty and staff. 

Zint's project, "Participatory Action Research in Class to Improve Teaching Across Campus," draws on Participatory Action Research and co-designs pedagogies to engage undergraduate, master’s and Ph.D. students in addressing interdisciplinary curricular and societal challenges. Most recently, her work has focused on climate change education as part of the Advancing Climate Education at U-M initiative.

Students in her courses explore key aspects of climate change education through literature reviews, expert interviews, and “just-in-time” mini-lectures, while also learning to function as a collaborative team. Students also apply what they’ve learned by designing interactive activities for campuswide summits that support improvements to climate change education throughout U-M’s 19 schools and colleges.

One hallmark of this initiative is its participatory nature. Students do not just study a topic; they actively shape how it is taught. After the campuswide summits have ended, students’ work culminates in reports with recommendations that are presented to university leadership, contributing to institutional change. By putting students at the center of educational reform, ACE enhances their research, collaboration and leadership skills while ensuring lasting improvements in campus climate education efforts.

Another important aspect of the ACE innovation is its partnerships with campus organizations. ACE 1.0, for example, was conducted in close partnership with CRLT, whereas Counseling and Psychological Services was the lead partner for the more recent ACE 2.0. As a result of interactions with relevant campus units, students come to appreciate the importance of collaboration in addressing complex challenges.

Read the full prize announcement in The Record.