Faculty Spotlights

The L.E.D. (Learning Excellence Design) Faculty Spotlight is a place to showcase exceptional collaborative projects between faculty and members of the Instructional Design and Learning Excellence Team. Our spotlight features will be expanded throughout the year, so check back often! 

Spotlight on Dr. Jim Funai, Assistant Professor, Plant Science and Landscape Technology, Eastern Campus 

Jim collaborated with Senior Instructional Designer Heather Young Mandujano on a series of videos for two plant ID courses. Rather than a traditional lecture video, Jim traveled around the state of Ohio filming and interacting with various plants that students needed to learn. Heather turned the raw footage into a TV series (Plant Walks with Jim), using music, sound effects, and graphics to keep students engaged while playing up the comedic elements of Jim’s videos. The result? The student experience improved, the Plant ID courses are permanently online, and these changes have allowed the department to reach a broader student base while providing a much-needed resource to the green industry.