SCUPI

To explore effective teaching approaches and promote the exchange of teaching experiences among faculty, Sichuan University-Pittsburgh Institute hosted a teaching seminar titled “Engaging Students by Design” on November 18.

Dean Professor Minking Chyu, Professor TsunZee Mai, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Associate Professor Ye li, Associate Dean for Student Affairs and over twenty faculty and staff members participated in this seminar. Assistant Professor Mathew Evans served as the keynote speaker, sharing insights on “Learning by Design” He engaged attendees in discussions on identifying practical teaching methods and optimizing classroom effectiveness.

Drawing from his own teaching experience and addressing common classroom challenges, Mathew systematically introduced the educational framework of “Learning by Design” At its core, this framework positions teachers as designers of learning experiences. They must integrate diverse teaching strategies, align them with learning objectives and student needs, and deliver tailored learning experiences.

“Learning by Design” also focuses on four key knowledge processes—experiencing, conceptualizing, analyzing, and applying. Drawing from his academic writing course, Mathew elaborated on the practical implementation of this educational framework. In the classroom, he organizes students to engage in tabletop role-playing games (TTRPG), integrating the four knowledge processes into the game’s progression and tasks. He guides students through immersive experiences, critical analysis, learning to craft compelling proposals, and reflective review. Throughout the process, the teacher observes and documents students’ exemplary performance and common misconceptions, laying the groundwork for introducing new themes and review sessions later on.

The seminar featured a lively atmosphere with frequent interactions. Under the encouragement and guidance of Mathew, participating teachers enthusiastically shared their classroom practice cases, including various effective teaching methods such as interactive classroom questioning, field visits to monitoring stations, and introducing professional concepts through case studies. The exchange of teaching experiences across different disciplines provided new insights and perspectives for attendees, broadening their pedagogical horizons.

This seminar provided faculty members with invaluable teaching insights through a deep integration of theoretical sharing and practical case studies. Moving forward, the Institute will continue to establish platforms for teaching discussions, encouraging educators to actively explore more innovative teaching methods. This initiative will inject strong momentum into the steady improvement of teaching quality and talent cultivation.