San Diego State University professor Daniel Reinholz explores how data analytics can foster an effective class environment
The UCLA Teaching and Learning Center (TLC) recently hosted the spring quarter’s first Educational Innovation & Scholarly Teaching Seminar, a speakers series bringing cutting-edge instructional perspectives to campus. Pedagogy experts deliver a seminar and meet with instructors to share research insights with the UCLA community. The series is sponsored by the Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning.
“Promoting instructional excellence is a key priority on campus and integral to the university’s future success,” noted Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning Erin Sanders O’Leary. “We’re excited to help bring in renowned pedagogical researchers to share advancements in teaching and learning.”
The Educational Innovation & Scholarly Teaching Seminar of the spring quarter featured Daniel Reinholz, professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at San Diego State University. His presentation, “Equity Learning Communities: Using Data to Enhance Instructional Change,” explored how college STEM instructors can use data analytics and faculty learning communities to foster an effective classroom environment.Reinholz led seminar participants through a case study of the instructional change process that took place over the course of a semester for an undergraduate math instructor. Participants observed multiple video clips of class sessions with varying levels of student participation, and discussed the changes implemented by the instructor throughout the term as they received data regarding classroom participation and discussed strategies with a focused learning community. Throughout the talk, Reinholz emphasized that small adjustments to one’s teaching practice over time can go a long way toward shaping the overall classroom environment.
“I hope that participants walked away with the idea that improving our teaching isn’t about overhauling our entire approach overnight,” Reinholz said. “Rather, by making incremental changes and studying the impact of those changes, we can have a lasting impact on our classroom culture and the lives of our students.”
Jeff Maloy, Associate Professor of Teaching in UCLA’s Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology and an organizer of the seminar series, also noted that Reinholz’s research on learning communities would help UCLA instructors visualize how to implement impactful adjustments to their teaching.
“Over the past couple of decades, we’ve learned a lot about evidence-based teaching practices that promote success for all students. But change is hard, and it can sometimes take a long time for those lessons to filter into practice across different classrooms,” he explained. “Dr. Reinholz’s talk helped UCLA faculty imagine concretely what it might look like to provide personalized but scalable support to help deepen our collective commitment to ensuring a world-class, equitable undergraduate education experience for our students.”
The seminar’s in-depth examination of instructional practices and use of data to drive teaching insights exemplifies its emphasis on educational innovation. According to Reinholz, a methodical approach to collecting relevant classroom data and using those data to guide faculty change efforts can illuminate subtle classroom participation patterns that allow educators to adapt their pedagogy.
“By collecting meaningful data, working with peers, and reflecting together to iteratively improve, we can be curious about what is happening in our classroom and how to improve our instruction, rather than simply maintaining the status quo,” he noted. Reinholz’s insights appear in more detail throughout his forthcoming book, Equity Learning Communities: Leveraging Data to Transform Instruction in Higher Education, which will be available from Harvard Education Press starting Fall 2025.
The next Educational Innovation & Scholarly Teaching Seminar will be held on May 14 and will feature Tessa Andrews, a Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor of Genetics and Director of the Scientists Engaged in Education Research Center at the University of Georgia. Her seminar, “Making the Most of Active Learning: Why Teaching Expertise Matters and How it Develops,” will consider how instructors identify and cultivate relevant areas of teaching expertise that empower them to become effective educators. All UCLA instructors are invited to register for the upcoming seminar.
Visit the Educational Innovation & Scholarly Teaching Seminar event page to learn more about other upcoming seminar series events.