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Mark W. Hodginshodgins@msu.eduInstructional Technology and Development TeamResponsible for the instructional development of both video and computer-aided instruction. Joint coordination with other staff members within ITS and the Innovation HUB as well as other technical support people on campus. Technical consultant to the faculty, students and staff on the design/development/delivery of all forms of mediated instruction and administrative information systems.  Technical knowledge in the configuration and use of Learning Management Systems (i.e. Angel, Blackboard, and D2L) as well as Cloud services like Microsoft Office 365, Google Apps, Apple iCloud. Apple University and Kultura MediaSpace. Extensive experience in relational database system design and development.



Education:

Master of Arts in Educational Systems Development - Instructional Computing

Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI


Bachelor of Arts in Telecommunications

Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI


Associates of Applied Science (Digital Electronics)

Lansing Community College, Lansing, MI



Experience: 

Instructional System Designer - Michigan State University, IT Services | Instructional Technology and Development. Responsible for the instructional development of both video and computer-aided instruction. Joint coordination with other staff members within ITS and the Innovation HUB as well as other technical support people on campus. Technical consultant to the faculty, students and staff on the design/development/delivery of all forms of mediated instruction and administrative information systems.  2017 – Present
Training Program Developer III - Michigan State University, Health Information Technology. Responsible for the instructional development of both video and computer-aided instruction. Joint coordination with other staff members within HIT as well as other technical support people on campus. Technical consultant to the faculty, students and staff on the design/development/delivery of all forms of mediated instruction and administrative information systems.  2003 – 2017
Training Program Developer II - Michigan State University, College of Osteopathic Medicine.  Responsible for the development of video and computer-aided instructional programs. Joint-coordination with other staff members of the Learning Resource Center and Interactive Computer Lab. Technical consultant to the faculty, students and staff of COM on the design/development/delivery of all forms of mediated instruction and administrative information systems. 1991 – 2003
Television Production Engineer - Michigan State University, College of Osteopathic Medicine. Responsible for the operation of the college’s media production facility. Co-supervisor of Media Services and Learning Resource Center and in charge of Technical Services. Involved in the design and production of instructional video programs for the college's faculty. 1981-1991
Technical Production Assistant - Michigan State University, College of Osteopathic Medicine. Assisted staff engineer on television studio operations.  Involved in A/V system designs and installations. Assisted program director with the production of educational videotape programs. 1978-1980

Attended Conferences 

Interactive HealthCare Conference & Exposition - Washington, D.C. 
Information Technology in the Health Sciences - Memphis, TN, Houston, TX, New Orleans, LA. 
Society of Applied Learning and Technology (SALT) -Orlando, FL 
Slice of Life Conference - Salt Lake City, UT, Chicago, IL, Philadelphia, PA, Portland, OR, Munich, Germany 
Campus Technology Syllabus Conference -San Jose, CA, Boston, MA.
Apple World Wide Developers Conference – San Francisco, CA

Published Research 

Lovell K, Haf J, Hodgins M. Development of neuropathology interactive videodisk instructional units. Teaching and Learning in Medicine 1991;3:156-8. 
Bean P, Lovell K, Hodgins M, Parkhurst P, Sprafka S. Quantitative and Qualitative Evaluation of Interactive Videodisk Instructional Modules in Preclinical Neuropathology Education Teaching and Learning in Medicine 1993;5:3-9.
Oommen J Z, Hodgins M, Hinojosa R, et al. (June 21, 2021) Accuracy of Weight Estimation Using the Broselow Tape in a Peruvian Pediatric Population. Cureus 13(6): e15807. doi:10.7759/cureus.15807

Current Projects

Part of MSU's Institute for Global Health team working on curriculum revisions for the Armed Forces College of Medicine in Cairo Egypt.
Serving as an Instructional Technology Advisor for MSU's Global Health Studies Program.
Remediation of Medical Administrative Systems to integrate with MSU's new Student Information System.

International Travel

Travele extensively around the world to attend Instructional Technology conferences, conduct project site visits, as well as  pleasure trips to visit family.
Destinations include British Columbia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Egypt, France, Germany, England, and Ireland.

This week, we are featuring Dr. Eleanor (Ellie) Louson, one of the Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation's educational developers! Ellie earned her bachelor’s degrees from Bishop’s University, her master’s degree in the History and Philosophy of Science from the University of Toronto, and her Ph.D. in Science & Technology Studies at York University. She has a joint-appointment as an educator in Lyman Briggs College, MSU, where she teaches courses in the History, Philosophy, and Sociology of Science. Her research interests include wildlife films’ representation of animal behavior and interdisciplinary, experiential teaching and learning. Her teaching, research, and learning design backgrounds have taught her the value of interdisciplinarity, storytelling, and engagement for higher education. Ellie is originally from the Montreal area and plays in a rock band. Ellie has also been a recipient of the #iteachmsu Educator Award!
Read more about Dr. Louson’s perspectives below. #iteachmsu's questions are bolded below, followed by her responses! 


In one word, what does being an educator mean to you?  
My one word is “care” but it’s more care-as-doing than the emotional dimension of caring. As a teacher, I want to support my students being able to thrive in our class and in their broader lives. I do many things before and during class to support them, including a pre-course survey to learn about their tech and accessibility needs, as well as anything relevant to their situation during the pandemic. I design my classes with lots of flexibility and many assignments are open format. I use an Annotated Syllabus activity so that students can ask questions and make suggestions before I finalize it.
What does this word/quality looks like in your practice? Have your ideas on this changed over time? If so how?
I check in with students in lots of ways. At certain points in the semester, I check in to make sure they understand their progress towards the learning goals and flag any missing assignments. I also start each class with a check-in to give them a mindful moment to reflect on how they’re doing in 3 words, and I turn those check-ins into a word cloud to visualize patterns and to help me be responsive to the class’ energy levels. [Here’s an example word cloud. I use www.wordclouds.com to generate them]
 

I don’t have late penalties, but weekly assignments are spread throughout the syllabus as a marker of the expected pace of work. Students have full lives beyond the course and sometimes it’s reasonable for them to focus on other things. But I also care about their learning. I build in tutorials and extra office hours leading up to major assignments to make sure they can get the help they need. Those assignments also have a draft stage where I give feedback on their in-progress work. And they can revise assignments to improve their grades. I hope this contributes to a climate where it’s ok to try things and fail.
Tell us more about your educational “setting.” This can include, but not limited to departmental affiliations, community connections, co-instructors, and students. (AKA, where do you work?)
I work as an educational developer in the Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation, MSU’s new teaching center, which launched this fall. My colleagues and I work to support and connect MSU’s educators. Before that, I was part of the Hub for Innovation in Learning and Technology. I’m also one of the teaching faculty in Lyman Briggs College, where I teach courses in the History, Philosophy, and Sociology of Science to mainly STEM undergrads. I’m also fortunate to be a director of the CTLI Grad Fellowship, alongside my colleague Makena Neal.
What is a challenge you experience in your educator role? Any particular “solutions” or “best practices” you’ve found that help you support student success at the university despite/in the face of this? 
One challenge for me is that I’m too eager to say “yes” to opportunities that improve academic communities. I like to help, and I know the value of academic service work, so I’m glad to be able to contribute my design or communications skills to a project. But if I take on too many commitments, I am less able to be useful to those efforts. Another downside is that I get overwhelmed! By having stronger boundaries around my downtime and waiting 24 hours before taking on any new commitments, I can better protect my time and energy and make more of a positive difference for the things I deliberately take on..
What are practices you utilize that help you feel successful as an educator?
I learned a lot during the pivot to online teaching about building effective and engaging online courses, and many of those things translate to hybrid and in-person courses as well. I try to give students clarity about expectations, assignments, and the cadence of the class. I think I feel most successful when I share practices that work for me and then fellow educators tell me that they tried them in their own courses and that it helped. I write (and co-author) pedagogy articles for my HPS disciplinary newsletter that I hope help people in my discipline improve their teaching or meet the challenge of online learning. My favorite so far is called “You Can Teach Online! Designing effective and engaging online courses.”
What topics or ideas about teaching and learning would you like to see discussed on the iteach.msu.edu platform? Why do you think this conversation is needed at MSU?
I love iteach.msu as a space for educators to connect and share our ideas and teaching practices. I like learning about new tools and teaching tips on the platform. And I’ve had great experiences sharing resources on iteach.msu. I’ve had MSU educators connect with me after they discovered our playlist for the Spartan Studios Playkit, which is a set of resources for interdisciplinary, experiential teaching based on a pilot project of courses. It’s also really useful that #iteachmsu articles can have audiences beyond MSU. For example, when I present the Spartan Studios project at external conferences, I can share links with the audience and the content is accessible.
I’m interested in learning more about ungrading, both because I think ungrading practices give students more ownership into their own learning and metacognitive reflection, and (probably more selfishly) because I want less grading to do.
What are you looking forward to (or excited to be a part of) this semester?
I’m teaching a Science and the Environment course for Lyman Briggs, and one of the major assignments has students researching conservation initiatives. They also vote (as well as decide on a voting process) to make a real donation to one of the initiatives. It can be a conservation charity, awareness campaign, research institute; any organization that is focused on conservation research or practice. In the past this activity really engaged the students because they end up advocating for the groups, they think are the most impactful or need our donation the most. Since it’s “real” in a way that many academic assignments aren’t, they seem to care about how we make the decision. They also learn about the economics of conservation, and last year a few students got really interested in ranked-choice voting processes. I’m looking forward to improving the assignment based on feedback from last year and learning more about how to teach students to build effective presentations, because communicating in a variety of formats is a key learning objective for the course.
 
Don't forget to celebrate individuals you see making a difference in teaching, learning, or student success at MSU with #iteachmsu's Thank an Educator initiative. Submitted educators recieve a message of gratitude from #iteachmsu and are recognized annually with the Provost's #iteachmsu Educator Award. Submissions are also used to select educators to appear in our Educator Stories features! 

This week, we are featuring, Dr. Gary Roloff, Professor and Chair in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. Dr. Roloff was recognized via iteach.msu.edu's Thank and Educator Initiative! We encourage MSU community members to nominate high impact Spartan educators (via our Thank an Educator form) regularly!
Read more about Dr. Roloff’s perspectives below. #iteachmsu's questions are bolded below, followed by his responses!
 

 
In one word, what does being an educator mean to you? 
Empowering
Share with me what this word/quality looks like in your practice? 
As an educator, I look to facilitate critical thinking, synthesis of ideas and information, acquisition of contextual knowledge, and informed judgment that ultimately results in empowered, confident decision-making and choices by our students.
Have your ideas on this changed over time? if so how? 
My philosophy on this has absolutely changed over time. When I initially started teaching I leaned towards emphasizing contextual knowledge (e.g., why snowshoe hare are white in winter, why pigs turn feral so fast when released into an unconstrained environment), where there was a clear answer that could be assessed for correctness. I quickly realized that guidance for students on synthesizing and integrating contextual knowledge (and other pieces of information) to make informed arguments and decisions was a gap in my learning outcomes. Since then, I’ve worked to correct that deficiency in my course offerings.
Tell me more about your educational “setting.” This can include, but not limited to departmental affiliations, community connections, co-instructors, and students.
I am lucky enough to teach a field-based course in wildlife research and management techniques (I also teach a graduate-level course), which includes a blend of classroom and field experiences. Much of the class is hands-on and outside, and I involve our agency partners like the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and USDA Wildlife Services to teach sections of the class. This professional-student interaction is often a highlight for the students, providing an important opportunity to help build a professional network that is so critical to success. Some students in my class have gone on to work for the agencies that help me teach.
What is a challenge you experience in your educator role? 
My biggest challenge is reading the classroom early and trying to adjust my delivery of content to the different learning styles that I know occur in the room. As instructors, if we fail to recognize and adjust our content and delivery to appeal to diverse learning styles we are not being fair.
Any particular “solutions” or “best practices” you’ve found that help you support student success at the university despite/in the face of this? 
I started implementing a brief survey at the start of the semester in my undergraduate class to gauge personality types. The students work in groups in that class on a semester project that looks for integration and synthesis across the semester. One of my PhD students, as part of her FAST Fellows program, showed that “introverts” were at a significant disadvantage in these types of settings, unless we were able to integrate them into “extrovert” groups from the start. I stopped letting students form groups on their own, as the “introverts” and  “extroverts” tended to group together; instead I purposefully mix the personality types to help create a more equitable chance of success for all students in the class.
What are practices you utilize that help you feel successful as an educator? 
Last fall, I changed my standard assessment technique for the mid-term. I used to implement a standard type test, where students identify things and answer questions on paper. This fall I changed the mid-term to a field practical, where I interacted verbally with the students (i.e., an oral exam) and had them show me how to do things and explain their answers. This one-on-one assessment, though time-consuming, gave me a better sense (I believe) of how the students were learning the course content.
What topics or ideas about teaching and learning would you like to see discussed on the iteach.msu.edu platform? Why do you think this conversation is needed at msu? 
Efficient, effective ways to teach our students better oral and written communication skills as part of the classes they take.
What are you looking forward to (or excited to be a part of) next semester? 
I really miss the energy of campus; I’m hoping we can return to some sense of post-pandemic normalcy soon.
 

Don't forget to celebrate individuals you see making a difference in teaching, learning, or student success at MSU with #iteachmsu's Thank an Educator initiative. You might just see them appear in the next feature! Follow the MSU Hub Twitter account to see other great content from the #iteachmsu Commons as well as educators featured every week during #ThankfulThursdays.
 

For years, the Office of Admissions has provided our campus with an academic profile of each incoming class. Admissions is now positioned to provide a similar profile of admitted students' co-curricular activities. The data-informed profile provides opportunities to assess how many such activities were tied to areas such as athletics or find more narrow measures, such as the scale of first-year Lyman Briggs College student involvement within the fine arts. Additionally, our institution can identify involvements in areas such as research activity, with such involvements potentially providing students with a foundation for future involvement in high-impact experiences at the undergraduate level.To access a PDF of the "What is the Activities Profile of our Fall 2021 First-Year Class?" poster, click here.
Description of the Poster 
 
What is the Activities Profile of our Fall 2021 First-Year Class? 
Terence Brown 
Abstract 
For years, the Office of Admissions has provided our campus with an academic profile of each incoming class. Admissions is now positioned to provide a similar profile of admitted students’ cocurricular activities. The data-informed profile provides opportunities to assess how many such activities were tied to areas such as athletics or find more narrow measures, such as the scale of first-year Lyman Briggs College student involvement within the fine arts. Additionally, our institution can identify involvements in areas such as research activity, with such involvements potentially providing students with a foundation for future involvement in high-impact practices at the undergraduate level.  [The abstract is accompanied by word cloud that forms a two-dimensional Spartan helmet from the Common Application’s categories for student co-curriculars.]  
Introduction 
MSU’s adoption of the Common Application, now allows Admissions for to collect descriptive information for applicants’ cocurricular activities. The additional information includes applicant descriptions of their high school cocurriculars, categories assigned to each activity and whether a student wishes to continue participation in the activity during their collegiate years. Currently, approximately 71% of first-year students apply to MSU via the Common Application.    This assessment fundamentally asks two questions: 

What does the profile look in the aggregate and by college? 
Can the profile information support our institution’s efforts in the realm of offering high-impact practices (Kuh et al., 2008; AACU, 2018) to our students? 

Results 
In assessing the 204,672 admitted student activity entries as of April 19, 2021, there were a few general findings. First was that students wished to continue with approximately 66% percent of these activities. Second was that the leading activity categories were athletics, community service and work. The collective of academic activities was ranked fourth, with the category having been in the top three in the two preceding years. The test case of Lyman Briggs majors with fine arts experiences was a significant (378 total) but small 5.5%. A full review of results across colleges is pending, but early findings only showed occasional reordering of the established top four categories.   This data must be viewed with the understanding that many applications are completed by the parents of applicants (Jaschik, 2017). However, the data still provides a good foundation for identifying activities that can serve as a gateway to high-impact practices at MSU. There were lower rankings for high school activities categories covering involvements that would most-readily prepare students for Internships, Diversity/Global Understanding and Research.  [The “results” section includes an Excel chart that lists the total activities reported by category, the Common Application’s activity categories, high impact experience categories and MSU Student Activities categories for student organizations.]  
Methods 
During the three most-recent admissions cycles, an iterative process has been used to collect and organized the cocurricular data from applications submitted via the Common Application platform. The Common Application is one of three platforms available to students, but was used by the majority of applicants in each of the last three admission cycles.   Summary data was compiled and applied to a matrix that incorporates all 30 Common Application categories for activities, five of the 11 high-impact practice categories and 12 of MSU’s Student Activities Office’s applicable student organization categories. Additional keywork searches were conducted, identifying student involvement in popular activities such as DECA and rare research areas such as CRISPR, but the activity profile’s assessment mainly focused on the broader categories.  [This section includes seven small, unconnected circles that are collectively placed in an array that forms a larger circle. Each circle includes text that describes a different step in the process used to gather, compile and share the data used in this poster presentation.]  
Conclusions 
The dominant application categories have largely held steady for three admission cycles. There was a notable change with the emergence of work moving into the top three. Incidentally, the top three categories have slightly varied in previous comparisons between MSU college cohorts. A similar assessment will be made after the closing of our MSU’s deposit deadline.  Future work in this area can be supported through use of the Educational Development Plan which Michigan schools maintain starting in middle school. To determine whether a particular high school activity helps prepare for high-impact involvement, the assessment portion of the EDP (Michigan Department of Education) could be used to identify traits that George Kuh associates with high-impact practices. Were the EDP to identify activities that provide students with sustained involvement, advisor involvement or a relevant coaching philosophy, such data could be inputted into the Slate CRM, and shared with appropriate campus partners prior to admitted student matriculation.  
Citations 

Association of American Colleges & Universities (2018). High-impact educational practices. Retrieved from https://www.aacu.org/node/4084 
Jaschik, S. (July 26, 2017). Survey: Parents finishing parts of college applications. From Inside Higher Education 
Kuh, G. D., Schneider, C. G., & Association of American Colleges and Universities. (2008). High-impact educational practices: What they are, who has access to them, and why they matter. Washington, DC: Association of American Colleges and Universities 
Michigan Department of Education (n.d.). The Educational Development Plan, p. 3. Retrieved from https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/EDP_Fundamentals_ADA2017_570694_7.pdf 

This week, we are featuring Ken Szymusiak, Managing Director – Academic Programs, within the Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at MSU. Ken was recognized via iteach.msu.edu's Thank and Educator Initiative! We encourage MSU community members to nominate high-impact Spartan educators (via our Thank an Educator initiative) regularly!
Read more about Ken’s perspectives below. #iteachmsu's questions are bolded below, followed by their responses! 


You were recognized via the Thank an Educator Initiative. In one word, what does being an educator mean to you?  
Trust 
Share with me what this word/quality looks like in your practice?
I feel like students have entrusted me with their time and I want to make sure they leave my classroom feeling that they gained something useful for the adventures that lie ahead.
Tell me more about your educational “setting.” This can include, but not limited to departmental affiliations, community connections, co-instructors, and students. (Aka, where do you work?)
I have a really unique setting. Although my home base for teaching is within the Management department in the Broad College of Business my classes are open campus wide. One of the hallmark qualities of the Burgess Institute’s programming is that it is open to all students from the Minor in Entrepreneurship & Innovation, to our New Venture Creation Programs, to our Innovate Speaker series, and many more. Entrepreneurship and innovation thrive on diversity and creativity and I love that MSU has fully embraced this mission.
What is a challenge you experience in your educator role?
I think the biggest challenge as an educator is empowering students to participate in the path the class takes. The best learning happens when students feel like they are co-creating and not just being “lectured to.”
Any particular “solutions” or “best practices” you’ve found that help you support student success at the university despite/in the face of this? 
I think the key to unlocking student engagement is really getting to know what their interests are and trying to provide them with relevant and realistic examples of how the material is being applied in fields that really excite them.
What are practices you utilize that help you feel successful as an educator?
I don’t know if I have any particular practices, but I really love when students reach out after they had my class for more information or resources which show genuine curiosity. I also really enjoy it when students refer a friend to take one of my classes…there’s no greater compliment.
What topics or ideas about teaching and learning would you like to see discussed on the iteach.msu.edu platform? Why do you think this conversation is needed at MSU?
I think we have a unique opportunity with the current generation of students to reimagine the value of higher education. I get a sense that there is quite a bit of anxiousness and cynicism amongst this group of students. I think it should be our mission to transform the college experience so that every student feels as if they truly get their monies worth regardless of major. I think all ideas should be on the table to reimagine the college experience.
What are you looking forward to (or excited to be a part of) next semester?
Seeing people...haha
But in all seriousness, I think the big lesson from 2020 was not to take anything for granted. I wonder if this will affect how we engage with students and how they engage with us. I’m most curious to see if there are any cultural changes on this front

Don't forget to celebrate individuals you see making a difference in teaching, learning, or student success at MSU with #iteachmsu's Thank an Educator initiative. You might just see them appear in the next feature! Follow the MSU Hub Twitter account to see other great content from the #iteachmsu Commons as well as educators featured every week during #ThankfulThursdays.

How many times have you been on campus at MSU - using a restroom, walking by a bulletin board in a hallway, waiting for an elevator - and saw a flyer or poster for an upcoming event. "Ooo, that sounds super interesting!" You scan the printed sheet of paper for details. "Bummer! I missed it." I have been at MSU in a variety of capacities since 2008 and I cannot count the number of times this has happened to me. If I happened to walk through a building that was outside my usual route and see a program or event of interest, it usually had already passed. Once I began my work in educational development, alongside with my doctoral studies in HALE, this became increasingly frusterating. I saw really cool topics, relevant across disciplines, being offered to limited groups - or even worse, being open to all MSU educators but not being promoted broadly. I was missing out so I knew others were as well. So when I saw the #iteachmsu Commons Educator Events Calendar, I was super excited. There is now a common calendar that, just like all of the #iteachmsu Commons, is for educators by educators. Anyone with MSU credentials can log in to iteach.msu.edu and share an event on the calendar. From unit, college, or organization-sponsored programs like educator trainings and workshops, to individual initatives like communities of practice, coworks, or meet-ups, any scheduled activity with an intended/open audience of folx who support the teaching and learning, student succes, and/or outreach mission of the university can be shared here!
      
From a self-proclaimed lifelong learner, I'm really excited to have a "one stop shop" where I can determine MSU personal growth and professional development activities, but as an educator at the Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation I am also thrilled about some of the ways the new #iteachmsu site functionality supports program facilitators. The "Going" button on an event details page can be linked directly to your event's registration. You can upload supporting materials or pre-activity details. There are easy ways to designate both face-to-face and virtual events. There's even a discussion thread for comments on each event!            If you have events that support MSU educators, start sharing them on the #iteachmsu Events Calendar today!Article cover photo by Windows on Unsplash

Dr. Crystal Eustice (Department of Community Sustainability Studies Assistant Professor of Practice, Academic Advisor, Internship Coordinator) & Jackie Martin (MSU Extension Leadership & Civic Engagement Educator, 4-H Program Supervisor)
 
The Thank an Educator Initiative was born out of the #iteachmsu Commons project, an effort to recognize the great practices of individuals on campus who contribute to student success by supporting MSU’s teaching and learning mission. On such a large decentralized campus, it can be difficult to fully recognize and leverage the expertise of educators. The #iteachmsu Commons' current focus has been to develop and launch a web platform for educators across campus to share their expertise and experience, connect with others, and grow in their practice.
 
You’ll notice that we’ve specifically chosen to denote the audience of this platform as “educators” which the #iteachmsu Commons’ founding units (the Hub for Innovation in Learning and Technology, the Academic Advancement Network, and the Graduate School) define in the broadest sense – anyone who contributes to MSU’s teaching and learning mission. This includes but is not limited to faculty, academic advisors, librarians, coaches, graduate teaching assistants, undergraduate learning assistants, infrastructure planning and facilities, learning designers, IT, planning and budget, staff, etc.
 
We (the #iteachmsu Commons team) have had unwavering enthusiasm for the platform, which is now live at iteach.msu.edu, but we weren’t sure that the Spartan community would identify with the goals of the project (despite the platform’s for educators – by educators development). As a part of my 2018-19 Hub Graduate Student Fellowship, I was able to further observe and investigate how individuals on our campus qualified their work (as it related to the mission and vision) and how they identified with the role of educator. While I found overwhelming support for the type of platform we were building, many of the individuals I spoke with did not personally identify as an educator despite their work contributing to teaching and learning at State. Thus Thank an Educator was born.
 
I designed and launched the inaugural year of Thank and Educator as a part of my Hub fellowship last year as a way to celebrate all the individuals who contribute every day to helping MSU be the institution of higher learning that it is today. By intentionally launching the initiative across the MSU community and asking for individuals to share stories of the positive impacts made by MSU educators, we were able to not only recognize the great efforts of invaluable Spartan community members but also showcase the diverse roles and ways in which people take up being educators on our campus. 80 Educators were nominated by fellow Spartans and were recognized at the first annual #iteachmsu Educator Awards during last year’s Spring Conference on Student Learning and Success. This initiative wouldn’t be possible without the support of Dr. Jeff Grabill (Associate Provost for Teaching, Learning, and Technology) and the Provost’s office, and I am excited to say that it is continuing in this 2019-20 academic year.
 
I have been at Michigan State for the entirety of my postsecondary experience. I came here in 2008 for my B.S., finished a M.S., and plan to complete my doctoral degree by the end of this academic year. Throughout my time as a Spartan, I have encountered countless individuals who were invaluable to my experience but weren’t limited to those who stood at the front of my classes. Thank an Educator gives me the opportunity to recognize those people who made a difference in my MSU experience (as both a learner and a colleague), and for that I am thrilled. I have received correspondence from individuals directly, saw posts featuring educator awards on Twitter, and have even seen award certificates hanging in offices or by desks. I am deeply honored by the idea that I have played a small part in amplifying the work educators do at MSU, and reinforcing the value of that work through this initiative and community.
 
Anyone can recognize a Spartan educator who has made an impact in their lives by clicking “Thank an Educator” in the left panel of this site! You can also read about educators who have been recognized in our "Featured Educator" posts!
 

Vivek Vellanki (College of Education Doctoral Student) & Terry Edwards (Assistant to the Chair, Department of Teacher Education)
 
https://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2019/honoring-msus-educators/ 

EGR 193: Introduction to Engineering Research was piloted in Fall 2020 as a fully online, entirely asynchronous course to introduce first-year, first-semester undergraduates to engineering research. All of the course materials for the entire semester were available on the first day of class, and students could “choose their own course” by selecting activities and assignments that matched their own experiences and goals. The design and content of this course were evaluated using anonymous feedback and a review of reflective discussion posts in order to determine whether the course supported the stated learning goals. Results indicated that students found the course helpful in understanding their role as undergraduate research assistants and in learning the professional skills (communications, teamwork, organization, etc.) necessary for success. While most students opted to follow the suggested schedule, about 15% of students chose to delay participation until later in the semester. This varying pace of engagement had an unexpected impact on some of the most dedicated students, who found it difficult to engage in productive discussions online when not all of their classmates were working as quickly through the materials. A number of other interesting themes emerged from the discussion boards, which offer areas for future study.To access a PDF of the "Entering Research Online: Developing a Virtual Course to Support Undergraduate Research Assistants" poster, click here.
Description of the Poster 
Background Image Description: 
A light green background with an imprint of the Spartan helmet logo; the words Michigan State University College of Engineering appear in the top right. 
Poster Title: 
Entering Research Online: Developing a Virtual Course to Support Undergraduate Research Assistants 
Authors: 
Katy Luchini Colbry, Candyce Hill 
Learning Goals: 
By participating in this course, students will: 

Learn about research mentoring styles and build skills for communicating about goals and expectations with research mentors 
Examine and apply time management skills for balancing academic, research and personal goals during college 
Gain an understanding of the structure of research literature and develop skills for identifying and organizing appropriate references within their field of research 
Explore methods for documenting and disseminating research results in engineering 
Learn about ethical practices for research, and be able to articulate key principles for conducting research responsibly within engineering domains 
Gain experience in working in research teams and communicating with individuals from different backgrounds, cultures, and research disciplines 
Reflect on their initial research experience and develop goals for the remainder of their undergraduate research appointment 

Suggested Timeline for Course Activities: 




Week 


Topic 


Assignments 




1 


Welcome 


Introduction Survey 




2 


Introduction to Research 


Mentoring Styles Worksheet 




3 


Establishing Goals and Expectations with your Mentor 


Mentor-Mentee Contract 




4 


Time Management 


Time Log / Timeline 




5 


Library Resources & Citation Management Systems 


Install Citation Management 




6 


Tools and Techniques for Literature Reviews 


Article Review Worksheet 




7 


Developing Research Abstracts and Posters 


Poster Review Worksheet 




8 


Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) 


CITI Module 1 (RCR Training) 




9 


Understanding Graduate School 


CITI Module 2 (RCR Training) 




10 


Academic Resumes 


CITI Module 3 (RCR Training) 




11 


Planning the Rest of Your Research Experience 


CITI Module 4 (RCR Training) 




12 


Nothing. Happy Thanksgiving! 




13-15 


Wrap Up / Catch Up: Final deadline to submit assignments and/or earn points is 5:00pm Eastern (GMT -5) on Friday of exam week 




Lessons Learned: 

Overall, student feedback and review of discussion posts indicate that the design and implementation of the course was effective in meeting the established learning goals 
Online, asynchronous delivery and “choose your own course” structure allowed students to focus on activities that were of most benefit to them 
Students who kept pace with the suggested timeline experienced frustration with later discussion boards, when fewer students were posting in a timely manner 
Asynchronous discussion boards can be good places for reflection and synthesis, but real-time feedback and encouragement is important for activities where students might feel vulnerable, such as self-assessments of their skills and abilities 

Future Work: 

Students expressed preference for email communications so as not to “interrupt” their advisors, entirely missing the idea that many research questions are more effectively asked in real time; this may be an artifact of the all-virtual experience in Fall 2020, and would be interesting to compare with experiences of future cohorts 
Students demonstrated an understanding of authorship as important academic “currency” and that different levels of research input merited different types of authorship or acknowledgement; what was missing was any discussion of paid compensation as sufficient remuneration for research in at least some contexts 

Acknowledgments: 
We are grateful for support from the MSU HUB Faculty Fellowship Program, the MSU College of Engineering, The Center for Spartan Engineering, and the MSU Honors College.