University of Mobile is implementing a new approach to teaching college courses — Prac-ademics™, an initiative that will expand traditional classroom learning into “living laboratories” where students have practical learning experiences to enrich the learning process.
“The old model of a professor lecturing in front of a classroom all semester just isn’t relevant to today’s students,” said University of Mobile President Tim Smith. “Students want to be in the classroom to pick up the theory in the professional discipline, but once that theory is learned from the textbook or from the professor, they will move to application and hands-on, where they can learn auditorily, visually and tactilely.”
Smith said today’s college students learn best when they have the opportunity to apply the theories they learn in the classroom to real-world settings while they are still in school, instead of waiting until they land their first job.
So the university is creating living laboratories like the new $4.6 million renovation in Weaver Hall, with cutting-edge healthcare and science labs in the College of Health Professions and College of Arts and Sciences. The project involves gutting two of the three floors of the university’s signature building on campus and creating spaces such as an operating room and anatomical laboratory, while bringing in the newest technology for healthcare and science education.
The new Center for Excellence in Healthcare Practice opening fall semester includes an augmented reality human patient simulation laboratory, where special glasses give students the ability to view a virtual 3-D model of the circulatory system and walk around the room to see it from different angles. Other simulation labs use high-fidelity patient simulators that can be programmed to replicate scenarios students will encounter in a hospital, from a heart attack to birthing a baby.
The project expands on living laboratories already on campus, such as the Roger Breland Center for Performing Arts in the Alabama School of the Arts that gives music, theatre and worship leadership students practical experiences traveling and performing in front of audiences. In the School of Business, a new student-run marketing and advertising agency will enable students to put their classroom lessons into practice while also offering low-cost services to churches and non-profit agencies.
Living laboratories extend into the community, as students in the School of Christian Studies gain experience serving in churches, the School of Education sends student teachers into public and private schools where they are mentored by experienced educators, the College of Arts and Sciences connects students to professional experiences across all majors, and students in the College of Health Professions have internships in healthcare settings throughout south Alabama.
The shift toward innovative teaching methods began two years ago when Smith arrived as the university’s 4th president.
Since then, the university has rebranded, expanded the academic program to offer more than 90 areas of study, and moved to a four-day academic week with Focus Fridays for relaxation, study, missions and service projects, and internships.
When the university starts fall semester classes on Aug. 20, it will be with the addition of 19 bachelor’s degrees and its first doctoral degrees, the Doctor of Nursing Practice and the Doctor of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance.
Faith and learning
Smith said the changing methods and new academic programs are just part of what makes learning innovative at University of Mobile.
“As a Christian university, we deliver an education that goes far beyond simply providing the knowledge and skillset needed for a job. We provide ‘Higher Education for a Higher Purpose’ that integrates faith and learning for the purpose of fulfilling one’s professional calling,” Smith said. (UM)
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2018 rankings
- #1 Best Regional Colleges in the South — College Consensus
- #1 Best Regional Colleges in the South for Veterans — U.S. News & World Report
- #2 Best Colleges & Universities in Alabama — College Consensus
- #5 Best Regional Colleges in the South — U.S. News & World Report
- #8 Best Christian Colleges & Universities in the Nation — College Consensus
- 10 Best Colleges for Jobs in Alabama — Zippia
- Best Value Regional Colleges in the South — U.S. News & World Report
- America’s 100 Best College Buys — Institutional Research & Evaluation Inc.
- America’s Best Christian Colleges — Institutional Research & Evaluation Inc.
- Top 5 Best College Dorms in Alabama — Niche
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Our ‘why’
It matters that students know their professors, know one another and know Christ.
University of Mobile’s strong academic program is committed to graduating students with a reputation of being outstanding in their character and their careers.
We educate through hands-on environments we call Prac-ademics™ so our students will be the most experienced, well-equipped experts in their field.
Our motto, Higher Education for a Higher Purpose, means our students are prepared to pursue their professional calling for a Great Commission purpose.
Our core values stand at the center of what we do: Christ-Centered • Academically-Focused • Student-Devoted • Distinctively-Driven. (UM)
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UM fast facts
- 1,600+ students from 34 states and 21 nations
- 13,000+ alumni in 56 nations
- 10 colleges and schools
- 90+ Areas of Study
- 880+ acres
- 100% classes taught by faculty (not grad students)
- 14:1 student to faculty ratio
- Founded 1961 by Alabama Baptists
- Affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention
- www.umobile.edu
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