UGA’s Inaugural Creative Engagement Fellows Are Designing Active Learning Assignments with Modern Tech
UGA’s Inaugural Creative Engagement Fellows Are Designing Active Learning Assignments with Modern Tech
Originally published by University Libraries
With tools like virtual reality headsets and 3D printers, the University of Georgia’s inaugural Creative Engagement Fellows are designing active learning experiences that immerse students in a full sensory understanding of subjects from anthropology to engineering.
Among the 2026 fellows are several faculty who teach in UGA Online programs, bringing these hands-on, student-centered approaches into online learning spaces:
Liang Chen, associate professor in the Mary Frances Early College of Education, teaches in the online Graduate Certificate in Pre-Professional Speech Language Pathology program.
Gretchen Thomas, senior lecturer in workforce education and instructional technology, teaches in the online Educational Specialist (Ed.S.) in Learning, Design, and Technology – Instructional Technology program.
John Weatherford, principal lecturer in the New Media Institute, teaches in the online Master of Arts (M.A.) in Journalism & Mass Communication – Emerging Media program.
Twenty fellows across nine schools and colleges began working in February to engage with technologies in the new Creative Engagement Wing at the Miller Learning Center to create hands-on assignments students will never forget.
“In all the faculty projects, we are seeing instructors replace purely conceptual or descriptive exercises with hands-on, physical artifacts or immersive experiences that deepen understanding,” said Sara Wright, associate university librarian, who is facilitating the program alongside partners from the Office of Instruction and Enterprise Information Technology Services.
The Creative Engagement Fellows program complements UGA’s active learning initiative to shift from a traditional lecture style of instruction to meaningful experiences.
“Supported by dedicated staff, faculty across disciplines are designing student-centered assignments that transform abstract ideas into hands-on experiences,” said Leah Carmichael, the university’s director of active learning and a facilitator of the Creative Engagement Fellows program. “From 3D-printed models to virtual environments and student-produced podcasts, students engage in immersive, rigorous learning that builds confidence, competence and real-world readiness.”
Each fellow will culminate their work by designing a student-centered assignment that meaningfully integrates a Creative Engagement Wing tool or space into their course. These assignments must align with course content and UGA institutional competencies, include clearly articulated learning outcomes, and follow the TILT framework with a rubric or checklist for assessment.
At the end of the semester, the completed assignments will be presented and added to the UGA Open Scholar repository, creating a growing collection of active learning models to share across campus.