Our Mission
The Badavas Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning helps position Bentley University for a promising future by catalyzing and investing in innovative ideas from across the institution. The Badavas Center partners with faculty, staff, students, alumni, and corporations to support current educational experiments, connect existing teaching and learning assets in new ways and help launch strategic initiatives.
Our Offerings
Through a blend of individualized support, group workshops, programmatic initiatives, and enterprise-level strategies, we empower faculty and staff to elevate teaching and learning experiences at Bentley University and beyond.
Taking ideas from CONCEPT to ACTION
Group Facilitation | Project Management | Analysis for Educational Innovations | Evaluation Support
As an innovation center, we are consistently iterating, piloting, ideating, and building, and we welcome new opportunities to partner with you! Here are a few examples of what we do:
Curriculum Evolutions
Spearheading and partnering in the redesign of Bentley University's undergraduate core curriculum to foster interdisciplinary exploration and experiential learning, including the building of Falcon Discovery Seminar.
PADE (Pedagogically Advanced Digitally Enabled) Opportunities
Building scale and capabilities, and supporting faculty in developing custom digital content, experiential learning and targeted feedback that enables individual and organizational impact for Executive and Professional Education.
Thought Partnership
Collaborating closely with educators and centers to cultivate and nourish innovative ideas, such as the development of new Pre-Bentley programs, action-learning study abroad opportunities with Cronin, and First Year Experience.
High-Impact Practices
Assisting faculty in integrating impactful teaching practices, like Badavas’ research-based 5 Pedagogical Pillars, into their courses to optimize student learning outcomes.
Enterprise-Level Innovations
Serving as a critical catalyst, incubator, and partner for groundbreaking innovations that shape Bentley’s academic landscape and its capacity to excel in the future, such as the growth and development of Executive and Professional Education.
What's Brewing in Badavas?
Past Events at Badavas
Bagels @ Badavas
Bagels @ Badavas provides an informal space for convening to foster collaboration and ideation around a given topic in teaching and learning. Informal sharing and learning opportunities among faculty enable the sharing of best practices, innovative teaching methods, disciplinary insights, and interdisciplinary collaborations. Informal learning fosters curiosity, critical thinking, and creativity, providing faculty with the freedom to explore topics beyond the confines of traditional curriculum and spaces. Creating spaces for convening, such as Bagels @ Badavas, enhances understanding through shared perspectives and collective problem-solving, nurturing a sense of community and mutual support among participants and ultimately strengthening the collective expertise of the academic community. These practices not only enhance individual teaching effectiveness but also contribute to a vibrant culture of intellectual exchange and collegiality within academic institutions.
Innovation Incubation Hours
Innovation Incubation Hours are designated times each week to engage with an innovation thought partner to cultivate and nourish great ideas in teaching and learning. Office Hours!
It is important to us in Badavas to offer multiple avenues for support, thought partnership, collaboration, and expertise to consistently and continually catalyze innovation. By providing dedicated times for faculty and staff to engage with the resources, expertise, and opportunities at Badavas, these Innovation Incubation Hours facilitate cross-pollination and incubation of ideas, interdisciplinary collaboration, and problem-solving. Faculty and staff can seek guidance on implementing innovative teaching methods, exploring new research avenues, strategizing on interdisciplinary opportunities, and more. In addition, these hours offer a platform for sharing successes, challenges, and lessons learned, fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
Pedagogical Innovation Unleashed
Pedagogical Innovation Unleashed Spring 2024 is a 2-part workshop series that aims to empower educators to incubate new teaching
approaches & explore the role of play in the learning process.
OPPORTUNITY
The "Unleashed" faculty will embark on a pedagogical journey as a cohort, exploring areas of teaching innovation, such as:
- "Inquiry Illuminated: Igniting Curiosity in the Classroom"
- "Precision and Flexibility: Crafting Structural Excellence with Iteration in Teaching Approaches"
- "Scholarly Play: Exploring the Role of Play in Teaching and Learning"
- "Applying Innovations: Practical Transformation in Teaching"
EXPERIENCE
- Dive into bold experimentation, from interactive tech to experiential activities, pushing teaching boundaries.
- Form a collaborative learning group of educators (the "Unleashed"), becoming thought partners beyond the workshops, sharing insights and challenges.
- Iterate and adapt your teaching practices.
- Explore the transformative role of play in education, unlocking creative and engaging approaches to enhance student learning.
Department Visits
Department Visits offer a pedagogical partner in discipline-specific teaching and learning conversations, programs, and ideation.
The Badavas Center is dedicated to helping departments push the boundaries of innovation within each field. We offer departments a space to think creatively and strategically about their unique challenges and opportunities. Through targeted support and guidance, departments can leverage their disciplinary expertise to develop innovative solutions that not only address current needs but also anticipate future trends. In doing so, Badavas helps foster a culture of innovation and excellence within each department, ultimately driving meaningful progress and impact in their respective fields.
Book Club
The teaching and learning ecosystem--Badavas Center, Academic Technology Center, Learning Design, and Bentley Learning & Teaching Council--offers a book club on texts about teaching and learning. The upcoming text: Teaching with AI.
Teaching with AI: A Practical Guide to A New Era of Human Learning: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the way we learn, work, and think. Its integration into classrooms and workplaces is already underway, impacting and challenging ideas about creativity, authorship, and education. In this groundbreaking and practical guide, teachers will discover how to harness and manage AI as a powerful teaching tool. This book presents emerging and powerful research on the seismic changes AI is already creating in schools and the workplace, providing invaluable insights into what AI can accomplish in the classroom and beyond.
The Bentley Learning and Teaching Council will welcome author C. Edward Watson ("Eddie") to campus for the 2024 Colloquium! Stay tuned for an opportunity to order a book.
Spark Sessions
These faculty and/or student-led ideation sessions are sponsored by the teaching and learning ecosystem--Badavas Center, Academic Technology Center, Learning Design-- and are intended to engage faculty, spark curiosity, and engender willingness to try new things together.
Stay tuned for information on future Spark sessions! In the meantime, take advantage of Bagels @ Badavas, Innovation Incubation Hours, Book Club, and more!
