The Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs is pleased to invite you to two Creative Teaching Grant Presentations from award winners Dr. Tong Li and Dr. Robin Blom from the School of Journalism and Strategic Communication.
Dr. Tong Li will present A Magic-based Innovative Approach to Facilitating Creativity and Teaching Design Principles
Thursday, October 23, 2025
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Student Center (SC), Forum Room
Dr. Tong Li is a faculty member from Ball State University. He is also a professional magician. He has been using magic performance as a pedagogical tool to engage his students for over a decade. In this presentation, he will not only introduce his magic-based teaching but also discuss how magic transforms students’ learning in his class. Please join his presentation and experience “magic” in education!
Dr. Robin Blom will present Disney Culture and Culture in Disney: Depicting Diversity in Parks and Movies
Wednesday, November 5, 2025
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Student Center (SC), Forum Room
Dr. Robin Blom’s presentation reviews the "Disney Culture and Culture in Disney" course that included a six-day visit to Walt Disney World during the 2025 summer semester. Seventeen students participated in workshops offered by the Disney Imagination Campus, making the theme parks their classroom. The students learned about "Immersive Storytelling" by walking through the Africa and Pandora (Avatar) sections of Animal Kingdom, "Leadership the Disney Way" throughout EPCOT, and "Theme Park Design" in Fantasyland and Adventureland in the Magic Kingdom. Students received behind-the-scenes experiences in all those parks. During the visits to all four theme parks (Disney's Hollywood Studios was visited as well), students took photos of cultural depictions presented in the parks and analyzed their meanings in reflection papers afterward. The presentation discusses the opportunities and challenges of educational experiences in the busiest theme parks in the world during the hottest part of the Florida summer.
Intrigued by the Creative Teaching Grant, view the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs webpage for more information.