Six MIT faculty and instructors receive awards for exemplary teaching with digital technology
The student-nominated and student-judged awards recognize faculty and instructor innovations in teaching with technology.
By Jovi Nazareno
Six MIT faculty and instructors have received the 2024 Teaching with Digital Technology Awards. The student-nominated and student-judged awards recognize faculty and instructors who have effectively used digital technology to improve teaching and learning at MIT.
Co-sponsored by MIT Open Learning and the Office of the Vice Chancellor, the awards recognize MIT educators for their innovations and give the Institute’s community the opportunity to learn from their practices. The 2024 awardees join the ranks of 96 previous recipients since 2016, all of whom demonstrate commitment to improving teaching and student learning.
This year, students submitted 136 nominations. “Students wrote nominations for faculty and instructors who used technology — ranging from R coding, different programming languages, and demos with iPads, to playlists, exemplary slides, and Plickers cards,” says Daniel Hastings, interim vice chancellor for undergraduate and graduate education, “all in ways that engaged students and aided their learning.”
The winners of the 2024 Teaching with Digital Technology Awards are:
Josh Angrist
Ford Professor of Economics
In 14.32 (Econometric Data Science) Josh Angrist used simple yet effective tools to support lectures and presentations. A student shared, “[He uses a] digital tablet instead of chalkboard when lecturing, so that resulting notes can be shared with students.” Marking up graphics such as tables and figures and writing out theoretical derivations are all possible using an iPad, and support student engagement with real data.
Cong Cong
Lecturer in Urban Studies and Planning
Students expressed deep appreciation for how Cong Cong helps them learn to code and visualize data in 11.S954 (Applied Data Science for Cities). She ensured students had necessary equipment and supported them through R workshops and office hours. A student said, “She served as a profound inspiration, instilling in us the belief that despite lacking technical backgrounds, we are capable of achieving remarkable things.”
Ben Fry
Lecturer in Architecture
Ben Fry developed his own course website to engage students in their projects for 4.032 (Information Design and Visualization). “He uses p5.js and other programming languages to make the design interactive, creating a dynamic and engaging user experience,” shared a student. “This approach not only showcases the versatility of students’ work but also emphasizes the practical application of coding and design skills in contemporary digital environments.”
Michael Maune
Lecturer in Comparative Media Studies/Writing
Students expressed appreciation for the variety of tools used by Michael Maune to present content and streamline student tasks in 21W.747 (Rhetoric). “The way information was presented made the content much easier to learn and [was] a great visual aid to lecturing. It was so clear to me that he put a lot of effort into those slides, and also his running of the class in general,” said a student.
Rama Ramakrishnan
Professor of the Practice in Management
Rama Ramakrishnan used live demos and incorporated generative AI in 15.773 (Hands-on Deep Learning) and 15.060 (Data, Models, and Decisions). A student said, “Professor Ramakrishnan has used a combination of real-time Colab notebooks, real-time sketching on iPad and PPT slides to enhance his students’ learning. He combines all three mediums and uses each in a way that best suits the message he is getting across to his students.”
Nancy L. Rose
Charles P. Kindleberger Professor of Applied Economics
Students remarked that Nancy Rose’s use of Plickers cards facilitated engaging discussions in 14.20 (Industrial Organization: Strategy & Public Policy). “She would ask a question in class, and have us hold up these cards to vote,” a student described, and “she knew which student voted which way, so she could cold-call students to explain their reasoning which kept us engaged and facilitated discussion.”
