When the pandemic hit, Janet DiVincenzo, a UCI instructional designer in the Division of Teaching Excellence and Innovation became a lifeline for faculty in UCI social sciences as in-person courses were quickly moved online. The veteran UCI staff member who had arrived on campus in 2008 just as online courses were beginning to develop has since immersed herself in best practices for creating engaging and effective courses - both online and in person. Her expertise lies in meeting instructors where they are, understanding their goals, and reimagining assignments to foster active learning and authentic assessments, no matter the modality. With an insatiable curiosity that’s driven her to seek out solutions for both the technical and pedagogical problems faculty face, she’s become a critical and beloved campus member of the school’s faculty resource team.

Since 2012, Janet’s been teaching a fully online course herself for UCI’s Division of Continuing Education called Project Management for Elearning Professionals. In December, she received  the Distinguished Instructor Award from Continuing Education, an honor that recognizes "dynamic and untiring individuals who show continuous commitment and flexibility in addressing student needs and the changing diversity of our student population." Below, the self-described grammar nerd shares her love for learning, what she enjoys most about working with faculty in social sciences, and some helpful advice for students (spoiler alert: it involves reading your syllabus).

What’s your go-to strategy for helping an instructor develop an engaging course?

I like to say that I meet instructors where they are when we begin working together.  I ask a lot of questions to better understand their goals. I ask things like: What are some of the challenges in teaching this material?  Where do students shine?  What do you want students to remember from your class five years from now?

Lately I’ve been gathering Active Learning techniques that faculty can use to get students’ hands in the dough. The idea is to get students talking with their peers and grappling with course content together. It’s said that the person doing the most talking is doing the most learning!  Let’s move students away from being passive learners.

I’ve also been diving into Authentic Assessments. These are assignments that get students creating meaningful deliverables that simulate the kind of work done by people in real-world contexts. Probably my favorite thing to do with faculty is to re-imagine one of their existing assignments and turn it into something that gets students grappling with actual situations in their field.  I recently facilitated a workshop with a colleague on this topic in Washington, D.C. at the national conference of the Online Learning Consortium.  

What are some of the common challenges that cross your desk the most?

I tend to get a lot of technical questions. The ever-evolving technology landscape guarantees that. But faculty also ask me for ideas to better engage students. It’s no surprise that after the pandemic, faculty really want to connect with students – whether online or in the classroom.

Any quick hacks or tips/tricks for instructors?

Technical problems?  Change to a different browser. Clear your cache. Keep your browsers up to date! Pedagogical challenges? Let’s talk! It will be fun. I promise.

What do you enjoy most about helping faculty in social sciences?

I enjoy the breadth of disciplines in the school, and the different ideas and pedagogical challenges that arise from that diversity. The school’s faculty are asking interesting questions about real-world problems which makes for thought-provoking conversations about their teaching.

You were recently named co-chair of the UC-wide Instructional Design and Faculty Support (IDFS) Community of Practice. What does this committee do and what do you hope to accomplish in your new role? 

IDFS is a UC-system-wide community of instructional designers, education technologists and faculty support specialists. We meet monthly in Zoom to share trends in pedagogy, to collaborate in smaller working groups, and to share resources that will benefit all campuses. We are a dedicated support group for one another!

I view my role as co-chair as carrying on the work of my predecessors to facilitate cross-campus collaboration as we tackle common issues. My focus is to continue building and supporting this wonderful group of peers.

A large portion of our reading audience includes students. What do you hope they learn after reading about your efforts to help design more effective and engaging courses in social sciences?

I want students to know that faculty really care about teaching and about the welfare of their students. Faculty work hard to engage you in class! (but students, PLEASE READ THE SYLLABUS!)

Best way for instructors to reach you:

My email is jdivince@uci.edu. I hold office hours every Monday from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. and can meet at other times by appointment.

And now for a few fun ones:

• Favorite author(s)/book(s): I just finished Solito, a memoir by Javier Zamora about his solo journey as a nine-year-old migrating from El Salvador to the United States. It’s gut-wrenching but I couldn’t put it down. I’m about to start Hector Tobar’s The Last Great Road Bum: A Novel.
• Favorite vacation spot: Just about anywhere in Mexico: Beaches! Colonial cities! Pre-Columbian ruins! My goal is to visit almost every one of the 32 Mexican states. I’m about halfway there. A recent trip to Loreto in the Baja blew me away.
• A few fun tidbits your peers may not know about you: I’ve lived in Ecuador on three occasions and love the Spanish language. I’m a grammar nerd. In college I played in the marching band in both the Houston Astrodome and Chicago’s Soldier Field. I named the UniHills Dog Park – “Indy 500.” Finally, I want to be on a jury some day!

-Heather Ashbach, UCI Social Sciences