Vision
The iFisher Next Generation Learning Initiative transforms the teaching and learning experience provided to Fisher students. Through iFisher, students receive an iPad, keyboard case, and Apple Pencil beginning in their first year that will stay with them throughout their time at Fisher and beyond. Students strengthen collaboration, increase critical thinking, and expand their creativity through this technology and integrated approach, all with an eye toward career readiness for the complex global and digital world around us.
DePeters Family Center for Innovation and Teaching Excellence
St. John Fisher University announced the creation of the DePeters Family Center for Innovation and Teaching Excellence in September of 2020 thanks to a $1 million gift from Jack ’73 and Donna DePeters. Jack retired from Wegmans Food Markets after 52 accomplished years of service to the food company, and in honor of his retirement, Wegmans matched the $1 million gift in December 2019.
Not by coincidence, the timing of the creation of the DePeters Family Center for Innovation and Teaching Excellence aligns closely with the timeline in which iPads were expanding from pilot use to full faculty deployment. Many projects were aligning at this moment in time, including the work related to iPads, the exploration of the renovation of learning spaces, as well as the start of a global pandemic, and the rapid transition to online learning. All of these circumstances aligned to raise awareness for the need to expand support for faculty on effective, evidence-based teaching practices and educational technology use in the classroom. This was the main driver behind the creation of the DePeters Family Center. The DePeters Family Center for Innovation and Teaching Excellence provides the Fisher community with collaborative leadership for the design and delivery of innovative teaching and learning activities both on campus and to the broader community. The Center encourages new and flexible instructional approaches while providing tools and processes that are both efficient and high-quality. In partnership with faculty, the Center both disseminates and contributes to the scholarship of teaching and learning, preserving pedagogically sound, evidence-based teaching practices as a key guiding principle.
Catalyst for Innovation
The iFisher Next Generation Learning Initiative has become a catalyst for further innovation and philanthropic support from external sources.
Randy & Susan White
St. John Fisher University iFisher: Next Generation Learning Initiative has received further financial support thanks to a $350,000 gift from Randy M. ’75 and Susan White.
Lucy P. Malmberg
In a continuation of her generous support of the Wegmans School of Pharmacy at St. John Fisher University, nationally renowned pharmacist and entrepreneur Lucy P. Malmberg has given $500,000 to support student scholarships and educational technology.
Renovation of Learning Spaces to Support Mobile Teaching and Learning
A major component of the iFisher Next Generation Learning Initiative is not only the deployment of iPads to create a common learning platform, but also the renovation of the spaces where learning takes place to support the types of active and mobile learning that faculty and students want to create and participate in during their classes.
Emerson Foundation
Emerson Foundation awarded the DePeters Family Center with $300,000 to support the renovation of three innovative learning spaces in Basil Hall, adjacent to the Center.
Davenport Hatch Foundation
Davenport Hatch Foundation awarded the Center with $225,000 to support the creation of a Professional Development and Prototype Classroom within the Center.
HECap Grant
HECap grant from New York State awarded the Center with $52,000 to support the purchase of active learning furniture for nine classrooms in Basil Hall.
Office of Information Technology and DePeters Family Center Partnership
The success of the iFisher Next Generation Learning Initiative is due much in part to the partnership between the DePeters Family Center for Innovation and Teaching Excellence and the Office of Information Technology (OIT). While many areas on campus support the initiative, these two areas play a vital role in the design, implementation, and maintenance of the initiative. The Office of Information Technology takes the lead on the equipment purchasing, inventory, deployment, mobile management system, support requests, as well as any break/fix or maintenance issues with devices. OIT also oversees a specialized group of student employees who are trained to respond to and support iPad-specific questions and issues. The student employees are called iCardinals. The DePeters Family Centers takes the lead on the training and professional development aspects of the initiative. This includes the Fisher Apple Academies, both 1.0 and 2.0, as well as the Appy Hour events and partners with our Apple Faculty Fellows to provide 1-1 consultation to faculty on the use of their iPads for educational experiences. Members from each group meet bi-weekly in iFisher Status Meetings to continually discuss and reflect on the current state of the initiative, plan for upcoming training and iPad orders, craft policies, as well as seek areas for improvement and plan for future expansion.