Office of Instructional

Innovation at UNC
August 2016- December 2016
Contributing Writers:
Lily Stine
Lydia Neill
Jack Joyce
Elizabeth Lane
Alex Crutchfield

Table of Contents

Introduction

Page 2

Methodology

Page 3

Audit diary

Page 4

Results of the Audit Process

Page 4

Conclusions and Recommendations .

SWOT

Page 5

Appendix

Page 7

2
Introduction
The Office of Instructional Innovation serves as a multidirectional liaison between
students, faculty, administrators, campus offices, and the greater community by promoting the
innovative teaching styles used by UNC-Chapel Hill faculty. The Office, founded in 2014,
contributes to UNCs mission to invest its knowledge and resources toward enhancing learning
and success for all students. It is aimed at educating fellow professors and outside press of
innovative practices through spotlighting the tactics used by various professors.
The office strives to bring effective, inclusive and innovative instruction to all UNC
students. It seeks to draw attention to specific teaching and learning styles on campus by
developing original stories about the faculty and students in classroom situations. The stories
are then broadcast to the rest of the campus community through the offices website and weekly
newsletter. Dr. Kelly Hogan, the director, is the sole point of contact for the organization and she
can be reached at leek@email.unc.edu. The current website is the organizations facebook
page, but Dr. Hogan is in the process of creating a UNC based website to better broadcast the
material. The office address is 3008 Steele Building, UNC Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, N.C. 27514.

Methodology
As the Office of Instructional Innovation is still in its trajectory stages, the primary mode
of conducting research for the communication audit was a consistent dialogue with Dr. Kelly
Hogan. Throughout our time with Dr. Hogan, we spent many hours examining why less than 100
users follow The Office of Instructional Innovations Facebook and Twitter pages with a potential
reach of tens of thousands of students, faculty and alumni. We also observed in meetings of the
planned construction the Offices website.
Audit Diary
Since most of this semester has been, in a sense, an audit of our clients communication
practices, its tough to specifically say when we did specific things for this audit, especially since

3
this was a group project, and many of us worked on things in complete isolation from the other
members of our group. I dont mean this to say we did things unbeknownst to each other, but
rather in the sense that we trusted the autonomy of each other to get things done, so we werent
breathing down each others backs asking them what they did and exactly when they did it. With
this in mind, Ill give a general overview of audit practices used, with ballpark estimations of
when they occurred.
In the first few days of receiving our client, we all researched exactly what content and
other various forms of communication the office uses. It was very difficult in the early goings to
find out much of anything about them since all they had was a Facebook page with just a
spattering of posts. Most of the posts on their page are links to other articles, and not much
original content, so we didnt have much information to analyze.
We then met with Dr. Hogan to discuss her office and what she has planned for the
future. Here, we learned the full scope of what her office does, that she is in the process of
making a website, and that she also sends out a newsletter to professors with updates and
news about innovation around campus. This is the meeting where we suggested to try to
incorporate the student body into their communications by offering spotlights on innovative
professors and classes unique to UNC.
Finally, throughout the semester we have conducted interviews and research about
various classes and professors to complete our profiles. We have also exchanged emails with
Dr. Hogan throughout the semester.
Results of Audit Process

The audit process resulted in a deeper understanding of the Office of Instructional

Innovation and allowed us to work with Dr. Hogan to develop a clearer vision for the offices
communication going forward. In exploring the offices social media, our team determined that
the office has two main audiences, both of which seek different information and access

4
information through different methods. The two audiences are the students of UNC Chapel Hill
and the faculty of UNC Chapel Hill. While it is a bit difficult to distinguish which audience
information is for on social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter, our meetings with Dr.
Hogan affirmed that the offices new website, to be launched in early 2017, would have
separate, clearly marked pages for each audiences. The bulk of the informative information will
be housed on the offices website, so social media will now be used to generate awareness for
the offices work and then to drive traffic to the website. While we were unaware of this new
platform at the start of the semester, the auditing process allowed our team to gain a deeper
understanding of the offices platforms, and from there we were able to strategies about the best
ways to use each.
The auditing process also revealed the sort of content the office currently produces and
where there may be gaps in content. Our team was pleased to see consistent content across all
platforms as well as cohesive branding that existed across all social media. This will also be
consistent on the new website. However, our team did notice that the majority of the current
content wa geared towards professors rather than student, revealing a place for improvement in
the future.
In sum, the auditing process allowed our team to better understand the diverse audience
of the Office of Instructional Innovation. From there we were able to study the ways in which
they are currently being reached and the content they were receiving. With this in mind, our
team was then able to create a gameplan for how to better spread awareness for the office.

Conclusion and Recommendations

The Office of Instructional Innovation is a fairly new resource to students and faculty. The
resource is extremely helpful to the UNC Chapel Hill community; however, many are unaware
that they have access. The Office of II has many strengths as a communication outlet, one of
which is its Facebook page: frequent posts are directed at its target audience with valuable links

5
to articles engaging professors. The page maintains consistent imagery within its default
pictures and descriptions, directly coordinated with the Twitter page. Additionally, there is a
weekly newsletter sent to promote events and showcase professors in certain departments. The
physical address of the office is located on the Facebook page to reinforce the easy access the
UNC community has to the office on campus.
Although this resource is extremely valuable to the community, there are certain aspects
that could be improved in order to effectively accomplish the mission. Many students and
professors may be on Facebook, but may not use Facebook for academic resources. The Office
of Instructional Innovation does not have an available website as of December 2, 2016.
Additionally, there are fewer resources available to students than to professors; many of the
posts are targeted towards professors incorporating innovative learning in the classroom.
Facebook may be an effective communication tool, but there is no incentive to like the page,
so there is a lack of engagement. There are only 95 total page likes with an average number of
post likes between 1 and 7. With a campus of around 20,000 members, this resource has the
opportunity to reach many more individuals. The Facebook and Twitter pages do not provide
any contact information or display a clear indication of who leads the organization. The About
Me section also does not clearly recognize the purpose and mission of the Office of II, only
including vague descriptions.
With these areas for improvement come many opportunities to grow as an extremely
valuable resource on campus. The Office of II can use its social media presence to post about
different departments in order to engage and unite differing areas into innovative learning.
Additionally, adding videos or interactive media to the social media sites can encourage
engagement or entertainment to attract likers. At the conclusion to the year, superlatives for
professors could be sent out to engage participation from users. Another opportunity to attract
Facebook users would be to tag professors in posts so that the friends of the professor will be
drawn to the page. Because the Office of II is fairly new, partnering with other on-campus

6
organizations may increase awareness and credibility of the organization. This resource has the
opportunity to reach many members of the UNC community, so beginning within the sphere of
professors and students, asking individuals or other UNC run departments to share and like the
page.
These opportunities promote growth and expansion of this resource, but there are
additional threats to this growth. Another resource is available to faculty, staff, communication
and students called Innovate Carolina with the label of the Vice Chancellors Office for
Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Economic Development located on campus as well. This
resource has a large social media presence, frequently updated website and financial
resources. The lack of knowledge of the Office of Instructional Innovate may pose a threat to its
existence in comparison with Innovate Carolina. Additionally, the lack of team members to assist
in social media and website design and financial support may slow the expansion of the office.
Our recommendations moving forward include creating an incentive for the UNC
community to like and interact with the social media accounts to spread awareness. The
content and resources are available, however, not many Facebook users on campus are aware
that this page exists. Therefore, we additionally recommend that the Office of Instructional
Innovation uses class spotlights, highlighting specific professors and courses, to provide
tangible resources useful to all students. These spotlights generate content for the Facebook
page and keeps users returning back to visit the site.

Strengths

Weaknesses

-Frequent posts on Facebook

-Weekly newsletter sent out to promote
events and showcase professors
-Consistent imagery (default pictures and
description) on all social media platforms
- Links to articles engage professors
-Address supplied on Facebook page
- Valuable information for professors

-No accessible website as of December 5,

2016
-Not relatable to students
- No incentive to like the page
-Lack of engagement
- 95 total page likes
-average post likes varies between 1-7
-Lack of contact information on Facebook
page
-Not apparent who leads the organization
- Poor description of the organization in about
me section
-Short description is longer than long
description

Opportunities

Threats

-Connect twitter page to Facebook page

-Post about different departments.
- Superlatives for professors at end of
semester
-Use of videos
-Tag professors & students in posts, more
views
-Partner with other campus organizations to
promote
- Ask professors, students and other
Department or UNC Run Facebook Pages to
share and like the page.

-Lack of knowledge on campus

- Lack of financials to support big expansion
-No team members to assist in website/social
media management
-Website through UNC, lack of direct control
over content
- Professors do not like to brag about
themselves

Appendix
Course Spotlights
UNC COURSE SPOTLIGHT!
Not sure what to register for next semester? The Office of Instructional Innovation has created a
website which showcases innovative classrooms at U.N.C. The purpose is to give students easy
access to interesting courses they may not discover on their own.
The office is still accepting course suggestions and the current list can be found on Facebook.
Students should submit academically stimulating courses that take a non-typical teaching
approach.
Course to Feed Sustainability Venture
EATS 101
Student recommender: Rachel Murray, Elise Stephenson

8
What is it? Innovative honors seminar about food and culture, formally known as Honors 352
Who? Dr. James G. Ferguson created the class 13 years ago and still teaches the interactive
and interdisciplinary course. Former student, Elise Stephenson, said, It is unlike other courses
at UNC and is fully funded by Dr. Ferguson. She said: Dr. Fergusons personal generosity and
true passion for the topic of food encouraged each of us to engage to a degree that is well
beyond the standard in undergraduate education.
What do Students do? Study of a range of local, national and international food issues. Each
week students in Eats 101 do a significant amount of reading and writing on food-related
topics, participate in an interactive seminar, and work in groups on food projects. At the end of
the semester students must turn in a term paper on a food-related topic of their choice.

Why? Instead of progressing in a typical linear fashion the course requires students to
simultaneously learn all 10-12 topics covered. Students learn outside the traditional classroom
setting through field trips to grocery stores, markets, farms, restaurants, a commercial bakery
and a coffee roaster both statewide and locally in Chapel Hill. Sustainability is explored in the
class through an additional credit hour (apart from the Tuesday night class). Stephenson said:
If given the opportunity to participate in EATS 101, there is no decision other than yes. It is a
once in a lifetime experience that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. It is a time and studyintensive commitment, but it is such valuable learning and the overall return is beyond worth it.
When asked about the classroom environment Stephenson said: I have never taken a course
with such genuinely engaged discussion. Every student took the class very seriously and our
professor was so genuinely passionate about the topic, as well as generous and caring for his
students. He hand selected the class members from diverse backgrounds to create a dynamic
room for camaraderie and discussion.

Course structure? Stephenson explained the course structure as, Unlike any other class that I
took at Carolina! The students meet twice a week for several hours at a time. For
Stephensons term they met on Tuesdays from 2-5pm and had a visiting lecturer speak on a
particular topic (usually very interactive), followed by a walk to the professors home where the
students networked with visiting lecturers and prepared a four-course meal that was enjoyed
over the course of the evening. All students in the class (15 total) read fairly extensive reading
assignments by the weekend prior to the class and wrote a 1-page reflection each week that
was sent out to the entire class before the lecture to facilitate discussion and reflection. On
Thursdays the students had variable length class periods that often included meals at local
restaurants or field trips. Three times during the semester Stephenson went on longer class
retreats to areas with strong food presence and history. She said, My term we spent a weekend
in Asheville, a weekend in NYC, and a week in San Francisco, funded almost entirely by the
personal resources of our professor.

In class work? When class is held at UNC, Ferguson is often assisted by professors in other,
non-food specific departments from UNC as well as other universities throughout the country to
allow students to learn from all different perspectives and teaching styles. The preparation and
consumption of food is essential to learning about all topics covered in class, so weekly meals
are prepared by both the instructor and students as part of the course curriculum.

What makes this course special? Directly after final exams, students take a trip to France to
study the ways in which the community is built and sustained in the food history and culture.
Students spend one week traveling the country and visit farms and professional kitchens to see
the production and preparation of food in France, first-hand. Stephenson said the most
important thing she learned from the course was, The power of conversation and human
connection as a discourse for education, advocacy, and personal development. She would
suggest the course to UNC students because The experience of EATS 101 is a once in a
lifetime opportunity. It provides the unique opportunity to study an incredibly important topic from
diverse perspectives. Furthermore, unlike most courses which are primarily pedagogical, EATS
is a dynamic balance of independent research, group discussion, and experiential education
that has never been paralleled in my educational experience.
Stephenson said: I am currently finishing my last year of medical school and applying into
psychiatry residency programs. I believe that EATS certainly influenced my ultimate decision to
pursue psychiatry. While many different experiences opened my eyes to the importance of
communication and human connection, EATS was a profound contributor.

School of Media and Journalism Sports Certificate

Student Recommender: Jack Joyce
What is it?
In 2002, UNCs School of Media and Journalism launched a Sports Communication Certificate.
The program provides courses about sports and the media, offers internships and scholarships
for students, and brings visiting lecturers to the school. There is no other program like it in the
U.S., and UNCs unique position in the world of collegiate and professional sports provide the
perfect environment to learn about this topic.
Who?
Professor John Sweeney created the certificate and teaches three of the four courses available
to take in the program.
What do students do?
To complete the certificate, students must complete three of four classes: Sports
Communication, Sports Writing, Ethical Issues in Sports Communication, and Sports Marketing

10
and Advertising. Professor Sweeney uses a mix of in-class lectures, and real-world projects to
teach these courses.
Why?
This certificate provides students interested in sports communication a unique and intensive
learning environment that gives them hands on experience in the field. Sports communication is
a widely popular area for students to pursue as a career, and these classes give you a first look
into some of the practices and concepts involved in this area.
In class work?
Recently, in the Ethical Issues course, students had to create an event plan for a Standup
Paddle Board event in Miami for the Orange Bowl. This plan wasnt purely theoretical. At the
end of the process, representatives from the Orange Bowl came to class, and students
presented their ideas, and gave them 30-40 page briefs detailing their event plan. Junior Jack
Joyce said, going into this project, I was really nervous because I thought I wasnt prepared to
create an actual brief for an actual client, but our finished project was really professional, and
the people from the Orange Bowl said they want to use some of our ideas.
What makes this class special?
Professor Sweeney uses a mix of teaching styles that gives students the best of both worlds.
Some days, you may get a standard lecture, while other days you may be teaching yourself how
to develop a marketing strategy for an actual client. You never know what youre going to get,
keeping you on your toes, and helping you learn in a variety of ways that will truly prepare you
for the sports communication world.

Global Whiteness
GLBL 383- Mark Driscoll
TuTh 9:30-10:45
Student recommender: Lydia Neill
What is it?
An innovative course discussing the concept of race and emergence of racial conflicts from the
beginning of slavery until the most recent presidential election
Who?
Dr. Mark Driscoll, an associate professor of Asian Studies at UNC Chapel Hill with an
unconventional teaching style, brings innovative learning to the classroom. His light-hearted
comments within captivating lectures allow students to grasp difficult concepts.
What do students do?
Each student has the opportunity to choose a present day topic on race relations. Presentations
and class discussions range from Stigmas of Interracial Dating on UNCs Campus to Racism
under Trump.

11

Why?
Students have the opportunity to discuss and learn about topics that other professors and
courses tend to avoid. Topics such as race relations and the invention of the white race are
typically left outside the classroom. Dr. Driscoll incorporates typically avoided concepts into
engaging academic discussions.
In class work?
Mostly discussion-based. Dr. Driscoll encourages all opinions and perspectives to keep the
class engaging and representative of all students present. . One student described Dr. Driscoll
as a professor interested in student feedback, handpicks the readings from his personal study
and [makes] a point to apply class topics to current events on and off campus.
What makes this course special?
A class devoted to race relations is very difficult to find. More often than not, Dr. Driscoll
mentions how depressing and challenging many of these concepts are to face and discuss,
reminding students that this course encourages you to think about what a lot of professors leave
out of a classroom setting. Whether or not these concepts may be hard to face, this course
gives you the opportunity to explore what race means in todays world.
New Media Technologies
MEJO 477
Gary Kayye
MW 12:30-1:45
Student recommender: Elizabeth Lane and Elizabeth Grady
What is it? A 400 level course in the School of Media and Journalism that explores new media
technology and its impact on the future of advertising, marketing and PR.
Who? Professor Gary Kayye, founder of rAVe [Publications] and one of the most prominent
personalities in the audiovisual industry. Kayye is also a product, marketing and business
operations consultant to AV companies around the world.
What do Students do? Along with studying the ways in which emerging technologies affect the
worlds of marketing and advertising, students spend the semester working as an advertising
and public relations agency to conduct a full company rebrand with a real business as the
classs client.
Why? Rather than teaching students about the logistical operations of an agency, Kayye turns
the class into a agency and links the class with a local business seeking to rebrand. Students
gain real life experience working in an agency with a client who will be using the groups work to
rebrand their company.

12
In class work? The class is divided into various teams identical to the teams that exist in an
agency. Students are placed in various leadership positions and Kayye allows the students to
run the class. Class sessions involve meeting with the client, working within and amongst
teams, and presenting the final portfolio rebrand.
What makes this course special? This course is special as the class structure gives students a
real life experience working within an agency for a real client whos work will be used in their
business.
Student Elizabeth Grady says, I really enjoyed the opportunity to craft a project based on a
clients actual concerns. We were able to look at the Office of Outdoor Educations marketing
problems and tailor a specific set of solutions to meet their needs. Since it was a real world
client, thinking about adoption and implementation strategies gave me a stronger and more
well-rounded perspective that I would have had for a simulation.

MEJO 433
Student recommender: Ashton Copeland and Miller Winston
Alex Crutchfield
What is it?
This is a hands-on practical approach to learning crisis communication strategies and
understanding the role public relations professionals play in multiple types of organizations
when a crisis occurs.
Who? Valerie VK Fields is no stranger to crisis communication. She has worked in public
relations for some of the most recognizable clients in the world including Walt Disney World
Resort, McDonalds Corporation Regional Headquarters and the Ronald McDonald Childrens
Charities of North Carolina. She also founded her own award-winning public relations and
copywriting agency, V.K. FIELDS & CO. VK guides her students with real-world experiences that
supplements the theoretical aspects of the class.
What do Students do?
The first half of the course is spent learning about crisis management theories and examining
what types of strategies work for different situation. After learning what to do and what not to do
in the news media and completing online federal government mandated courses in crisis
communication, you will break up into teams to handle your own client or organization in crisis.
The rest of the semester will be spent conducting self-led research, preparing a crisis
communication plan and messaging strategies for a 20-minute press conference.
Why If you want to learn how to remain calm under pressure with lights, cameras and an
audience brimming with questions, this class is for you. You will receive certification from the

13
Federal Emergency Management Agency that you have completed basic courses on how to
communicate during a natural disaster. And this is course if definitely character-building.
In class work? Current events, lectures, tabletop exercises, external readings and class
discussions about individual and organizational crisis management are the teaching tools for
this course. VK presents lecture material relevant to crisis cases and, along with guest speakers
and supplemental readings, provide real-world examples of a variety of high-profile crisis
situations for review and analysis. Group discussion, critical review and practice presentations
for crises are the core of the class. However, crisis are naturally unexpected. Expect to wake
up to the occasional email sent at 4 oclock in the morning totally throwing off everything you
had prepared for the night before! warns former student Ashton Copeland.
What makes this course special? Students often enter MEJO 433 with a few preconceived
notions of this fast-paced realm of public relations. Shows like ABCs Scandal starring Kerry
Washington as the impossibly glamorous and efficient fixer, Olivia Pope with her team of
gladiators solving crises within a half-hour. It is not that easy. Crisis is messy. Crisis is
sometimes painful. And crisis is kind of never-ending, former student Miller Winston said. But,
VK is there to help you along the way. And the culmination of the class ends with a team-led
press conference with a press pool made of business journalism students, professors and guest
public relations and crisis communication consultants from the community. This years guest
visitors included professionals from Duke Energy. It is a great opportunity to network and show
off your skills learned directly from the course.