The Great Trinity Experiment

“The Great Trinity Experiment is a chance for the campus to celebrate what we do best—teaching and learning in collaborative ways.” - Sharon Schweitzer, assistant vice president for external relations, Trinitonian February 2016

To commemorate the inauguration of Trinity’s 19th president, Danny Anderson, the Trinity community flipped the traditional classroom model on February 18, 2016 for the Great Trinity Experiment. Energetic and innovative students, staff, and alumni took to the front of the classroom to teach hands-on sessions to other Tigers.

The idea was spurred when Anderson mentioned to his inauguration committee that he wanted to keep the focus of his inauguration on Trinity as a community rather than on him as an individual. He suggested holding a traditional academic conference, and the committee expanded on that idea, eager to change the traditional conference into something more reflective of Trinity’s values. They came up with the Great Trinity Experiment as a way to engage in the creative, collective, and forward-looking thinking that challenges the status quo of American higher education. Classes were cancelled and non-essential offices closed during the event to encourage community participation.

“[The committee] proposed an ‘unconference’...They thought about some of the real strengths at Trinity: the learning environment, the teaching, the small class groups, the creativity of our students, and they proposed that we flip the conference.” - Danny Anderson, 2016 Trinitonian

Geoscience professor Glenn Kroeger learned how to code from students Kim Nguyen '16 and Kylie Moden '17, while Mariah Wahl ’16 led her boss, staff member Michelle Bartonico, through an exercise on setting life priorities. Other sessions included crafting origami art, learning how to hand drum to Jackson Five and the Lion King, examining the Rocky Horror Picture Show with a scholarly eye, and using design thinking to creatively blend your passions.

“It’s a humbling experience, honestly. You realize just how much work your professors put into preparing labs and lectures because we had to do the same. So from a student’s perspective you realize just how much work goes into preparing for a class.” - Adrien Lhemann ’18, student teacher for the Great Trinity Experiment