2024-25 Instructional Innovation Seed Grants

Recipients of the Instructional Innovation Seed Grant were chosen based upon the following criteria: overall potential for innovation in teaching innovation, assessment plan that includes measurement of outcomes, potential breadth of impact on instruction beyond a single course, department, and/or school, potential for outcomes that will improve future teaching, potential contribution to the scholarship of teaching and learning, Impact on equity and inclusion in teaching and learning, proposal clarity and quality, feasibility, alignment to UMB strategic plan and LEAPS mission, specific and necessary budget items, and effective use of funding.

Instructional Innovation Seed Grant Award - $2,500

Alison Duffy, PharmD, BCOP

Integrating virtual patient simulation in pharmacy and interdisciplinary learning

This grant will allow Dr. Duffy to explore virtual patient simulation products available for health care education and summarize our findings. After this initial assessment, she hopes to develop a virtual patient simulation experience. Her team plans to pilot this experience first in a group of pharmacy learners. If the pilot is successful, her team intend to expand to other pharmacy and inter-professional education forums.

Simulation based education (SBE) in advanced clinical pharmacy education has been shown to improve learner confidence, enhance fundamental knowledge, improve communication skills, stimulate critical thinking, and augment patient care. Virtual patients, a type of SBE, are defined as interactive computer simulations of real-life, challenging clinical scenarios for the

purpose of health professions training, education, or assessment. Virtual patients have been identified as a valuable resource to develop communication and counseling skills as well as knowledge retention and clinical reasoning skills.

Instructional Innovation Seed Grant Award - $5,000

Cheryl Fisher, EdD, MSN, RN

Excellence in Health Profession Education: Establishing a Nursing Faculty AI Champion Program to Elevate Teaching and Learning with Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has transformative potential for Health Professions Education (HPE), revolutionizing teaching and learning. Barriers like faculty apprehension and unfamiliarity hinder AI integration. Research suggests boosting faculty self-efficacy and understanding AI benefits can drive adoption (Wang et al., 2021). Moreover, empowering faculty enhances academic work efficiency (Violato et al., 2023).

To address the gap in nursing faculty between AI's potential and usage, Dr. Fisher and her team will establish a Faculty AI Champion Program. Using a train-the-trainer approach, it aims to empower educators as AI champions, fostering a cultural shift towards digital innovation.

Moran Roni Levin, MD

All Eyes on Education: Improving Ophthalmology Education and Creating a more Diverse Ophthalmology Workforce

Vision impairment poses an increasing public health burden in the United States,
disproportionately impacting minority populations. It is imperative that physicians are
well-trained to meet the vision and public health needs of our growing and diverse
population. As educators, we must innovate and evolve the learning environment, to create a
modern educational system that advances diversity and equity. Dr. Levin and her team seek to improve
recruitment of underrepresented minority ophthalmologists by increasing early exposure
through hands-on ophthalmology clinical and surgical skills labs for undergraduate and
medical students in addition to implementing a mentorship program to encourage students’

pursuit of healthcare. This research promotes collaboration between Maryland communities including the University of Maryland School of Medicine and Maryland undergraduate institutions including UMCP and UMBC with the purpose of increasing mentor-guided ophthalmology exposure for aspiring physicians. The faculty-led skills lab will utilize innovative low-cost models created by my team of faculty and medical students to teach eye examination, conjunctival closure using a picture frame and fabric model, scleral suturing using a silicone sphere, and cataract surgery with a tomato model. The clinical ophthalmology skills workshop will consist of the following stations: 1) Eye examination, 2) Direct ophthalmoscopy, and 3) Tonopen pressure check.

A pilot study of the 151 medical student participants indicates that our skills lab significantly increased overall interest in ophthalmology (p<0.01) and confidence (p<0.01) in performing skills. The team anticipates a similar positive impact on the Underrepresented Minorities (URM) workshops.

Heather Terech, JD

USPTO Simulation Workshop

The objective of this project is to provide law students with a realistic experience of
appearing before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in a moot hearing
setting. The pedagogical approach encourages students to reflect on their experiences, focusing
on ethical, intrapersonal, and interpersonal aspects of professional identity. It includes providing
targeted feedback on skills and performance.

The simulation workshop merges academic theory with hands-on application, with
students taking on the role of a lawyer in a simulated setting aligning with the ABA goals for

legal education, such as promoting practical skills development and professional identity. In the immersive experience, students will engage in the step-by-step process of an administrative hearing matter. This simulation workshop will replicate moot hearings before the USPTO, offering law students a unique opportunity to hone their skills in patent and trademark law practice. The facilitation team will ensure a realistic and constructive learning environment for the internalization of systematic reflection on the lawyering experience. Students will engage in oral arguments learning skills such as the use of demonstratives, effective use of hearing time, decorum of an oral hearing. These skills will prepare them for the diverse challenges they may encounter in front of the USPTO PTAB or other administrative agencies.

Instructional Innovation Seed Grant Award - $7,500

Marry Anne Melo, DDS, MS, PhD

Implementing Clinically Relevant Dental Bonding Teaching Techniques and Assessment in Preclinical Dental Training

This project introduces an innovative approach to dental education, focusing on the critical dental bonding process for tooth-colored fillings (resin composite restorations). By transitioning from plastic teeth to sterilized human tooth samples and integrating a customized bond strength tester to assess the bond strength obtained by the students, Dr. Melo and her team aim to provide dental students with a more realistic, preclinical, hands-on learning experience before providing care to patients. This approach will significantly enhance the understanding and skill level in dental bonding procedures, ultimately impacting the longevity of tooth-colored fillings they place in patients.