Interview with Ava Wolfe (PhD)

I had the opportunity to conduct a brief interview of Ava Wolfe during the Mortenson Associates Program. Ava is the Assistant Director, Teaching and Learning Environments at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. The interview comprised of three key questions which Ava responded to and a summary presented as follows;

Q1: Briefly describe your current role and what motivates you to keep performing your role (It could be personal/institutional).

Ava:

My background is in Instructional Design, so I have always had an interest in the effective design and delivery of instruction. When I first joined the University, it was in the central IT unit in the area of academic technologies. My role included assisting faculty in using the learning management system effectively and incorporating best practices of instructional design into their courses. Then when the campus formed the Center for Innovation in Teaching & Learning (CITL) I was identified as an asset to be moved into this new area, although my role was not entirely known. At first it seemed that I would help to build the understaffed faculty development area, but it soon became clear that my faculty-facing experience and excellent relationships with staff in other campus units made me a good liaison between teaching pedagogy and the development of new active learning classrooms on this campus.

When our campus began building its first active learning/flexible classroom, I was asked to design a similar space in CITL where faculty could learn to use this new kind of classroom. I did, and this propelled me into consulting on more campus projects where new classrooms were to be developed, and into the creation of workshops and resources to support faculty learning to teach in these new classrooms. Today I continue to be part of every classroom or campus building project that involves general assignment classrooms, and I have fought hard for campus to understand and value the role these classrooms play in student learning outcomes, the specific ways they support newer student-focused pedagogies and emerging technologies, and the specific needs of faculty and staff who are teaching in and supporting these rooms. 

Q2: How challenging has this role been for you and how did you overcome it?

Ava:

Very challenging. Although ample research findings support the idea that active learning improves student learning outcomes, it can still be hard to convince faculty that they can significantly improve student success by including at least some active learning activities in their courses. Similarly, despite ample findings showing a direct relationship between how classrooms are designed and the kind of teaching and learning that happens there, we still see many more traditional styles of classrooms being promoted over newer active learning classrooms. I do have hope, however. I have seen an enormous change on this campus already and believe that we are moving in the right direction. Especially as we come out of the pandemic, people are looking around and realizing not only that they want and need to be together again, but that classroom design and teaching strategies really matter to students. 

Q3: What advice will you give me as an upcoming library leader to build my leadership skills and be successful at my job?

Ava:

I am not a librarian, but it seems pretty clear that the role of libraries is changing dramatically. Every library renovation I’ve seen recently has been toward patron or student-centered services and open, collaborative spaces outfitted with emerging technologies and maker-space equipment. This means that the role of the librarian is also changing, expanding to include new skills like space design and collaborative engagement. 

I think if you want to lead, you first thing you need is to give yourself permission to think independently from others. Not that you should ignore others or be a lone wolf, but that you must be confident in knowing what you believe and believing in what you know. The second thing is to have courage to act on doing what is right. Sometimes that means working harder than anyone else, or working alone to get something done, or doing things that no one else wants to do, just to prove your idea has merit. Hang in there and people will begin to take you seriously. The third thing you need is excellent communication skills. You need to be able to write, draw, explain, and demonstrate your ideas to all kinds of people —and this is especially important when you’re trying to introduce something new and unproven. Courage, Commitment, and Communication (the Three Cs) have been my constant friends, and they have never let me down. Good luck!

Thank you so much Ava, for making time to chat with me. I really appreciate your advice.

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