Reinventing U Episode 4: Coaching, Innovation, and the Revival of the Humanities with Michael Dennin
Oct 3, 2019
Dr. Michael Dennin serves as Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning at UC Irvine, with a background in physics education. He discusses the importance of coaching and creating safe spaces for students to learn from mistakes. Dennin emphasizes the role of public research universities in social mobility and advocates for a student-centered approach to teaching. He also highlights the need to reinvigorate the humanities, proposing interdisciplinary programs to address complex societal questions. His passion for education and innovation shines throughout the conversation.
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From Complaints To Leadership
- Michael Dennin described how complaining about colleagues' teaching led him into administration and ultimately to becoming vice provost and dean.
- He emphasized career paths are often non-linear and to be open to unexpected opportunities.
Create Safe Spaces To Learn
- Dennin likened teaching to coaching and argued we must create safe spaces for students to make mistakes and learn from them.
- He noted instructors often grade only mistakes and fail to reinforce what students do right.
Structure Drives Social Mobility
- UCI's high social mobility stems from being a large public research university with affordable access and natural cohort structures via separate schools.
- Dennin stressed making those structural advantages more intentional going forward.