Shaping Sustainability Through Active Learning in Higher Education

Maggie Grady: 0:05

Welcome to the Teaching Table, a monthly podcast where we'll engage in insightful conversations about the dynamic world of teaching, learning and technology within higher education. Brought to you by the University of Buffalo Office of Curriculum Assessment and Teaching Transformation, and made possible by the generous support of the Genteels' Excellence in Teaching Fund, this podcast aims to shed light on the pathways to educational excellence. I'm your host, Maggie Grady, a learning designer in CATT. Today, I'm delighted to be joined by Dr. Swathi Karamcheti, Assistant Teaching Professor in Environment and Sustainability, as we delve into best practices and recommendations for faculty to engage students through technology, active learning and experiences. Welcome, Swathi, and thank you for joining me.

Swathi Karamcheti: 0:52

Hey, Maggie, thank you so much for inviting me to participate in this podcast. The room looks beautiful, it's very cozy and I'm so happy and delighted to be here, and I am looking forward to sharing any insights I have about teaching with UB with our listeners.

Maggie Grady: 1:08

Swathi, we first met through the new faculty academy offered last fall. For those that do not know, the new faculty academy is a collaboration between the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and the Teaching Transformation Team from the Office of Curriculum, Assessment and Teaching Transformation, along with the University Libraries. This collaboration aims to provide all new faculty members with support as they grow into effective educators and productive scholars. Can you please share with our audience a little bit about your experience with the new faculty academy?

Swathi Karamcheti: 1:43

Absolutely, so to start with, I joined UB in spring 2023. So it's been a year since I'm here and I did teach before at college level, at community college level and, of course, by my accent and my name, you can figure out that I'm from India, so I did teach in India as well. But teaching in university or being part of a big university is entirely a different experience. Every student is different and every institution is different, and we can only share part of our experiences, but there is always so much to learn and explore.

Swathi Karamcheti: 2:19

So when I heard about the new faculty academy, I was so hopeful to learn the nuances of teaching at the university level. I was like this is it! You know? So what happened is I joined in spring 2023 and the NFA happened in fall 2023. So I did teach one whole semester without any university teaching experience, but then that helped me when I became part of NFA, because I could bring in some experiences and I could even share during New Faculty Academy classes and say that, oh, what I did was probably not the way I was supposed to or probably, like you know, I could have done it differently or I didn't know, but I did it so well. Right, so you know when you just head dive into a big pool, you learn by experiences. And I had absolutely zero idea what was to be offered at New Faculty Academy. But once I jumped in I was more than happy to interact with everyone from CATT, you and everyone and Kevin and you know and learn and explore the methodologies, tricks and tips on teaching and learning, so it was a wonderful experience.

Maggie Grady: 3:30

Oh, good, good, I'm glad to hear that. So during our classes in the new faculty academy, you discussed your teaching experiences with the class. Very wonderful information and insightful knowledge, particularly focusing on methods for reaching and captivating students. Could you kindly share some of your insights with our audience?

Swathi Karamcheti: 3:51

Yes. So I'm a person who firmly believes that every student that's in your class brings with them very rich cultural, native and grassroots experience. So I always encourage them to share their stories according to the context, like if I'm teaching about, let's say, clouds. Clouds are everywhere, but if you're from a dry state, you hardly see them. If you're from a state like Buffalo or New York and a place like Buffalo or Seattle, they're always over your head. So as simple as clouds, every student has very different experience even looking at the clouds. So I asked them, like you know, when did you see the clouds? What kind of clouds did you see? Were they far, were they thick? Were they, like you know, scattered? So every student then raises their hand and they share their experiences and that actually, you know, gives a platform for students to understand that, okay, the number of clouds that I saw in a day is probably equal to the number of clouds that my friend who is sitting right across to me saw in a whole year. Right, so it's very, very different. So I always encourage them to share their experiences and this brings in a smile to their face and they get very excited. You know, they always come up with these stories. They always tell me, like where they traveled, what they saw, and it's not just about clouds.

Swathi Karamcheti: 5:07

I teach sustainability as well. So for me, coming from India, sustainability was inherent, you know, even though the concept never existed in 80s. Okay, I'm not going to reveal my age at this point, but still, you know, growing up in 80s and 90s, you know sustainability was part of my house. My parents were very strict on wasting water. We had no plastic bags. Can you believe it, Maggie? I never saw plastic bags growing up. Yeah, the first time I ever saw a plastic bag was in mid 90s. Until then, we used to have a cloth bag that we would carry everywhere. We used to have a separate bag for vegetables because, you know, it becomes dirty and then it's difficult to wash. We used to have a separate bag for vegetables because, you know, it becomes dirty and then it's difficult to wash, and then we have separate bag for other groceries. So for me, sustainability existed before, and probably along the way we spoiled it and then we are getting back.

Swathi Karamcheti: 5:58

So I share my personal experiences as well. I ask students to tell me what their parents felt like. You know what they felt like. So when they come up with these stories, narratives and experiences, it's like it just brings a smile on their face. And for me, you know, as a teacher, I also firmly believe in experiential learning. It's not just experiences. So for me, when I talk about, let's say, in the last semester, I talk about business, sustainability and society. It was actually taught by another professor, but since he was on a break, I taught it.

Swathi Karamcheti: 6:34

I took students to three or four different business locations. I was very new to Buffalo I was only two months old in Buffalo by that point. But then you have Google at your disposal, you have information at your disposal. So I used to make cold calls and I used to tell like, hey, I teach this. Would you be willing to you know, accept my students. I have like 25 students. Can I bring them in? Not even once any business that I called said no, yes! So I would just put it on the maps and then go and show it to students. So for me, when students get to go to the fields and experience it, rather than you know me showing it on YouTube or in the class, that brings, you know, a lot of difference. You know that brings a different experience to them.

Maggie Grady: 7:23

I love all of the real-world examples and bringing in the community and getting the students to help. I want to take your course. So what are the primary challenges you encounter when attempting to engage students in discussion and activities? It doesn't sound like you have many, but what challenges are you facing and, furthermore, what specific strategies or approaches do you use to overcome these challenges and effectively encourage student participation and enthusiasm in class?

Swathi Karamcheti: 7:57

Okay, so first I'll talk about the challenges. There are always challenges, no matter how good you are at teaching or how experienced you are, whether you are only, like, fresher, one year old or you're 20 years old, students are always there and they will always, like you know, have their own personalities that they bring in. So most of the times, like I have a class that has 45 students and I ask a question and there is pin drop silence. They just don't want to talk. You know, nobody wants to respond because they're like okay, you know, why should I? There are 44 other students. And that's the same mentality that goes in. Most of the times when you ask a question and they're unresponsive. So when I ask a question and students don't respond, probably five or six years ago I used to take it very personally and I'm like why are students not talking to me? You know what did I do? But then slowly I understood that it's not me, it's just the students and they just don't want to take initiative. So you, you will always have this challenge of students not responding to your question. Looking at, you know, playing some game, you have no clue. So as a professor, I learned to not take it personally and that gives me peace. They're not doing this to me intentionally. They're just doing it because it's part of their personality. So you will always have this challenge and you know every class I try to learn, every class I try to overcome. You know my past experiences. So for me, as I go forward, this is going to happen. So this is a pertinent challenge. Another challenge that I have is when I ask a question earlier so, do you like clouds? Yes. D you see clouds today? No, So yes and no, and then that's it. They stop their answer. So I learned to have open-ended questions where I asked them to speak up rather than just answering yes or no. So these are the two things that are still challenging and that every professor faces. How I overcome this?

Swathi Karamcheti: 10:06

The first thing that I learn is respect. I know every student in my class by name. It is difficult. It is difficult but it's not impossible. Right? You know all the Hollywood actors, right? Yeah, so you know. You know them because you like them, right? I am in my class, I like my students, and they are in my class because they like this course and probably they heard that I'm a good professor or I'm better, you know, at giving them some information. So I give respect to that thought.

Swathi Karamcheti: 10:40

It takes me a couple of classes, or you know a couple of weeks, to know their names, but at least by third week I know every student by name. Yes, I forget after one year. That's a different thing. But I'm like I know you, I know you, I know you, I know your face, but just you know, help me. So when I call them by name, I say Maggie, what is your experience of you know sustainability? So Maggie is like oh, you know what she called my name. And then she responds so that's what I do, you know. I call them by name and I ask them. It's a lot to process, but still that's my job. You know I'm in the class, that's my job. We are spending 15 weeks together and two classes per week. That's like you know so many hours together. You know, at least you know this much I can do for my students. So this is how I overcome my challenges.

Maggie Grady: 11:32

Having that passive learner and getting them to feel that connection with you is going to help them open up. Good job. Nice going. So, Swathi, I know your expertise is in environmental and sustainability. What strategies or activities do you use to actively engage your students in discussions and projects related specifically to environmental and sustainability issues, fostering both understanding and a sense of responsibility towards these important topics?

Swathi Karamcheti: 12:03

So, to start with, I always talk about myself. I talk about my childhood, I talk about my life, I talk about my family. I talk about my life, I talk about my family. I'm very transparent, not that I talk about my finances and stuff, but there are so many issues that I share so that actually tells my students that she's transparent and she's honest and she talks about herself. So experiences right, they matter a lot.

Swathi Karamcheti: 12:27

So I tell them, like you know, there is so much world beyond these classrooms that you need to learn. I talk about different continents. I talk about different countries. I talk about how people live in different places water, you know, sustainability aspects, like so when I share these experiences about myself, I'm my own critic. I also tell them what I did wrong and how you know stupid I was in certain cases. So they laugh. I'm like I'm OK, you know, I'm OK to talk about my life and it doesn't make me any big or small. It just puts me in front of them, I know makes me vulnerable in front of them and they they trust me and it's an honest approach. So I am my own critic as well.

Swathi Karamcheti: 13:09

And you know, as I said, for me it's all about storytelling and, at the end of the day, it's about awareness. You know, it's about education, it's about information, it's about knowledge. So when I bring in these stories, they are like, oh my god, you know this, this is so good. So they, they also trust me and they come up with their stories as well. And I also bring in experts from all fields to share information and knowledge.

Swathi Karamcheti: 13:34

Sometimes, you know, there are topics that I just know, but I'm not an expert in that. But I feel that if students know this well enough, you know they can actually put it into perspective when they go about in their careers. So I bring in experts and that actually opens their doors and you know that actually opens more avenues for students and you know they're always happy. So this is how I do and you know you're calling me an expert in environmental sustainability, Maggie. I'm not. I am a child. I'm still a child. You know I'm still learning and I always tell students to be responsible. I always tell students to take, you know, accountability for their actions and they do it, they do it and, most surprisingly, sometimes I just feel that you know it's all about talking, it's all about telling them that you're not doing this right, and it's high time you do it.

Swathi Karamcheti: 14:33

They're like blank pages and we just have to write the right script.

Maggie Grady: 14:39

I love the fact that you are open to reflect and make the changes and are very transparent with your students. I love that.

Swathi Karamcheti: 14:48

When I was doing my bachelor's and master's in India, I visited places, I had experiential learning, I had guest lectures. It's all good. I'm doing the same thing even after 25 years. Don't we have to change? We have to. We have so much technology in our hands right now. So if I'm talking about stratosphere, if I'm talking about ozone layer, when I was growing up, when I went to college, ozone layer is something that existed in the sky. Now we have drones that can fly, we have cameras that can go up. So how about I send a 360 camera up into the sky, shoot and then put it in a headset and let my students travel to ozone layer and see the troposphere and stratosphere in 360 degrees? Wow, right, right.

Swathi Karamcheti: 15:57

Coral reefs I knew there are corals. I went for snorkeling. I saw the corals, but look at the picture, how beautiful it is. Right? But how about telling students or taking students into the corals? Right, give them a camera or give them a headset. Let them experience, at least in you know, the MetaQuest or other cameras or other you know headsets. Take them to the corals, see the corals in 360 degrees, interact with the fish, interact with the flora and fauna that's underneath the water.

Swathi Karamcheti: 16:35

This is technology that we need to bring in. You know, the first step to do this is, like you know, you have some nice videos on YouTube that you can still put them in the headset. So I went to the libraries, I borrowed some headsets. I used to, you know, download those videos onto my phone and then I would let students experience it. But it's not giving me that quality right?

Swathi Karamcheti: 16:56

I was not happy with it, I was OK, but you know there is so much more to do. You have you're in UB, you know you have so much technology at your disposal. So I was like you know what to do? You know I had this thing.

Swathi Karamcheti: 17:10

So I went to Cynthia from libraries and I was having some other discussion, and then this, this whole idea came up and she said that you know what? We are buying the 360 cameras and we are also getting headsets. How about we do this? We did it, Maggie. We did it. So right now, I'm teaching sustainability and communities. Yesterday, our project started. We gave four cameras to four groups of our students. We asked them to shoot nice locations outside and we are going to teach them how to edit and how to uh, you know generate sustainable communities with the help of generative AI and see them in the headsets, envision sustainable communities. You know, and this happened because I was in CATT, NFA and thanks to you guys. You know, you guys helped me in coming up till here and I'm so thankful to you guys, right.

Maggie Grady: 18:12

Thank you for joining us today at the teaching table. That wraps up this version. We discussed best practices and recommendations for faculty to engage students through technology, active learning and experiences with Dr. Swathi Karamcheti. So be sure to connect with us at buffalo. edu/catt and that's c-a-t-t, or email us at ubcatt@buffalo. edu. nd And thanks for listening.