Continuing And Innovative Education invites Texans to Explore UT
On Saturday, March 7, 2009, The University of Texas at Austin hosted the 10th Annual Explore UT event —the “biggest open house in Texas.” This immensely popular event invites the citizens of Texas to come to our campus and discover the wealth of educational programs, research and properties found at the University. An estimated 30,000 guests filled the “40 acres” eager to participate in over 400 fun, exciting and informative activities. Continuing & Innovative Education (CIE) hosted six programs, providing just a snapshot of our division’s expertise, creativity, and knowledge.
“Explore UT is such a dynamic event, so full of excitement and learning,” says Mayda Cruz, Senior Administrative Associate to the Dean of Continuing and Innovative Education, and organizer of CIE’s involvement this year. “It was very gratifying working with the presenters and the Explore UT staff to make sure we were able to give each guest the very best possible experience of the University. CIE can be very proud of the part we played this year.”
CIE offered the following programs at Explore UT 2009:
- Experience Online High School Courses offered a hands-on, interactive presentation on how to pursue academic success through distance education. This presentation from the K-16 Education Center was designed to make University resources available to anyone seeking to gain more knowledge.
- Help Your Students Look Forward to Graduation, hosted by the Migrant Student Graduation Enhancement Program, provided helpful information to migrant students on University resources available to them. This program is dedicated to helping these students graduate from high school while maintaining difficult migrant farming schedules.
- Drillin’ for Oil from Petroleum Extension (PETEX) tested young learners on their knowledge and use of common energy slang and use.
- The Division of Instructional Innovation and Assessment (DIIA) presented Motivating Students to Learn. This presentation offered instructors a collaborative session on motivating students to achieve more.
- DIIA also presented Virtual Worlds in Education. This popular presentation gave visitors an opportunity to experiment and practice with Second Life, a multi-user virtual environment.
- You’re Not Dumb – You Just Learn Differently, also presented by DIIA, was designed to give teachers a deeper understanding of different learning styles. Participants were invited to complete a learning inventory to discover their own learning preferences and how this determination might influence their own teaching and learning.
CIE thanks all of its participants, workers, and volunteers who contributed to an exciting, successful Explore UT 2009. See you next year!