Deandra Little and Amy Overman publish book chapter on transparent design in higher education

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Deandra Little, director of the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning (CATL) and professor of English, and Amy Overman, professor in the Psychology Department and Neuroscience Program, and former associate director of CATL, have co-authored a chapter in a book published this month by Stylus Publishing on transparent design in higher education.

The edited volume, titled "Transparent Design in Higher Education Teaching and Leadership: A Guide to Implementing the Transparency Framework Institution-Wide to Improve Learning and Retention," offers a comprehensive guide to the Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TILT) framework that has convincingly demonstrated that implementation increases retention and improved outcomes for all students. Its premise is simple: to make learning processes explicit and equitably accessible for all students." The book was edited by Mary-Ann Winkelmes of Brandeis University, who is the founder of the TILT project, and Alison Boye and Suzanne Tapp of Texas Tech University.

Little and Overman were invited to contribute to the book based on their work encouraging and developing transparent teaching methods through CATL programming at Elon as well as their leadership of faculty development workshops and presentations at other universities and at professional conferences. Their chapter, titled "Designing Transparent Assignments in Interdisciplinary Contexts," describes some of the ways in which CATL has made efforts to promote TILT principles at Elon, such as through workshops and course design groups. The chapter also describes how these experiences have informed CATL's overall approach to faculty development.

Another Elon faculty member who contributed to the book is Peter Felten, assistant provost for teaching and learning, executive director of the Center for Engaged Learning, and professor of history. Felten co-authored the book's foreword with Ashley Finley of the Association of American Colleges and Universities.