(51) Trendy Techies: a new interdisciplinary learning community that explores new tools for the classroom

Objective : To develop an interdisciplinary learning community focused on the integration of technology in the classroom. Research hypothesis: Creating a focused learning community will be feasible and generate interest from all 6 Colleges at the University.

Methods: Two pharmacy faculty collaborated with the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) at the University of Findlay to establish an interdisciplinary learning community now known as Trendy Techies. This group of technology adventurers meets once a month to share relevant technology tools for the classroom. The pharmacy facilitators select new technology tools or software each month and invite experienced faculty or staff user(s) on campus to train attendees on the basics of the technology. Each session provides details on unique characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages of the technology with an emphasis on application for the classroom and optimized workflow of a variety of academic responsibilities.

Results: The learning community began in Fall 2021, and the group successfully hosted 6 meetings each academic school year for the past 2 years. Recent Trendy Techies sessions have included Canva, Zotero, Microsoft Teams, OneNote, and Nearpod. Attendance has steadily increased from 4 active members at the beginning to 25 attendees (a number considered high for similar CTE events). The learning community represents all 6 colleges at the University and includes faculty and staff from a variety of disciplines such as pharmacy, business, education, humanities, mathematics, health professions, biology, and chemistry. Due to its early success, the CTE has renewed logistical support for Trendy Techies into the next academic year (2023-2024).

Conclusions: The Trendy Techies learning community provided a new format for discovering new technology tools and engaged an interdisciplinary following of faculty and staff.