Reflections: Inspiring Teaching and the 4D Experience

Dear community members, 

As we approach the closing weeks of the term, I am reminded of what makes the University of Denver so special. Our commitment to educating the whole person truly sets us apart. Thanks to our remarkable faculty and staff, our students are encouraged to explore how to become even more thoughtful, compassionate, kind, and intellectually curious. Our faculty continue to think broadly about new and creative ways to incorporate 4D principles into their courses. 

Provost Loboa and I recently met with seven members of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS) Center for World Languages and Cultures: Kate Rice, Virginie Cassidy, Andie Anderson, Polina Maksimovich, Quint Kopper, Rocio Moiron, and Silvia Comuzzi-Sexton. Together, they have created a teaching circle that connects their creative and valuable pedagogies to the 4D framework.  

Their passion and enthusiasm for teaching and their students, as well as the goals of the 4D Experience, was palpable. One key takeaway was that their teaching was already deeply connected to the 4D Experience’s ways of seeing—they just needed to map it out. They remarked that through the teaching circle, they developed a plan for peer observation and shared ideas for how to better identify and incorporate 4D principles into their first-year language study classes.  
 
For example, their classes teach students about character development through exploring intercultural perspectives and learning to listen and communicate with empathy. When accepting that taking risks or making mistakes are key parts of the learning process, students practice resilience—a skill that will serve them no matter where they go. These are the concrete outcomes we know the 4D Experience cultivates for our students and sets them up to succeed here at DU, and differentiate themselves in the job market.  

Thank you to our faculty and staff who have dedicated their time and effort to making the 4D Experience a success.  

I hope that you all are able to experience moments of curiosity and wonder this term.

Sincerely, 
 
Jeremy Haefner 
Chancellor