Workforce Training- Mobile Teaching
🔎 Project Overview
Faculty at PSU were eager to use mobile technology more effectively in their teaching, but lacked the training and confidence to design mobile-first learning experiences. To address this, I created the Mobile Teaching Unit — a flipped professional development course that guided faculty in designing with smartphones, tablets, and mobile apps to make learning more flexible, authentic, and engaging.
🛠️ My Role
Designed and delivered the flipped PD curriculum (Activate → Demonstrate → Apply → Reflect).
Partnered with OAI instructional designers and multimedia staff to coach faculty in mobile multimedia creation.
Built assignments around real-world applications, like place-based video feedback and community engagement projects.
Modeled accessibility and universal design in all course materials.
📘 Deep-Dive Narrative
The Mobile Teaching Unit was built around a constructivist learning cycle:
Activate: Faculty began by watching short screencasts and exploring curated resources on mobile learning.
Demonstrate: In guided workshops, they experimented with creating multimedia using their own devices.
Apply: Faculty developed a mobile learning plan for their own course, supported by one-on-one coaching.
Reflect: At the end, faculty presented their plans and multimedia projects to peers, receiving feedback and support.
The flipped model let faculty experience mobile learning as students first, before applying it as teachers. This design both increased faculty confidence and inspired creative new applications in their courses.
Screenshot of the title of the PSU Faculty Training Module “Flipping your Classroom Without Flipping Out”
“Core learning cycle from the Mobile Teaching Unit — guiding faculty through Activate → Demonstrate → Apply → Reflect using mobile-first tools.”
👥 Leadership in Action
I built this program not only to train, but to empower faculty to experiment. By modeling creativity and accessibility myself, I encouraged them to take risks in their own courses.
As one participant put it:
“Molly gave us the tools and the confidence to experiment with mobile learning in ways I’d never considered before. The flipped approach let us feel the student experience — and that made all the difference.”
✨ Key Outcomes
Faculty adopted mobile-first practices such as video feedback, place-based projects, and authentic multimedia assignments.
OAI established a repeatable model for PD workshops that could be applied to flipped, mobile, or media-rich teaching.
The project positioned PSU as a leader in agile, innovative professional development.
