University of Idaho Receives $3 million Grant to Develop Teaching Methods, Classroom Technology

From the desk of Michael Strickland

The J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation is seeking to equip and train the next generation of teachers to help improve student achievement by awarding a $7.3 million grant to establish a pair of Doceõ Centers for Innovation and Learning at two Idaho universities, one public and one private.

The University of Idaho and Northwest Nazarene University will establish centers on their respective campuses. The U-Idaho center, located in the College of Education, will receive $3 million of the grant over three years and will focus on developing new teaching methods that incorporate technology in the classroom, known as blended learning. Funding for years two and three of the grant are contingent upon research results.

“The collaboration between the Albertson Foundation and the University of Idaho to enhance existing pedagogy is indicative of our mission as a national research university,” said M. Duane Nellis, president of the University of Idaho. “The research findings we anticipate as a result of this partnership will enable teachers and students to make the best choices in how we, as a state and nation, embrace technology in the classroom well into the 21st century.”

The Doceõ Centers will be launched in the spring of 2013 and will encompass the latest hardware and software available to educators.

Corinne Mantle-Bromley, dean of the University of Idaho’s College of Education, said the centers will help Idaho and other states gain a much deeper understanding of technology’s influence on student learning.

Research and evaluation of research findings will help inform the education community and contribute to the most effective strategies for blending technology into teaching, Mantle-Bromley said.

“What makes this funding so important is the research function that it supports. We will constantly be studying new, emerging technology tools. It will provide classroom teachers and school administrators with powerful information and findings on best practices. We will have the opportunity to partner with teachers as we study technology and its impact on P-12 student learning.”

The J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation is a Boise-based, private family foundation committed to limitless learning for all Idahoans. Since 1997, the foundation has invested more than $500 million to improve education in Idaho. For more information about the Foundation visit www.jkaf.org.