We found 312 results that contain "college of education"
Posted on: MSU Extension
Educational Technologies
Different online tools to support teaching and learning + Playlist: Introductory Resources for Teaching Online
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Expanded Educator Resources
Educators interested in:
professional development opportunities & resources; inclusive teaching & pedagogy; faculty rights & responsibilities; course design; and supporting students should start here!
professional development opportunities & resources; inclusive teaching & pedagogy; faculty rights & responsibilities; course design; and supporting students should start here!
NAVIGATING CONTEXT
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Educator Development Opportunities
This playlist includes information about various educator development opportunities across the university. This includes tools and technology workshops from IT Services, workshops from MSU Libraries, and pedagogical design workshops from the Teaching, Learning and Innovation team.
note: this is not an all-inclusive list. If you have an article you'd like added to this playlist, let us know at iteach@msu.edu!
note: this is not an all-inclusive list. If you have an article you'd like added to this playlist, let us know at iteach@msu.edu!
PEDAGOGICAL DESIGN
Posted on: MSU Online & Remote...
Implementation of Remote Teaching
To implement your new plans and modifications, your considerations should be given to six key focus areas: Communication, Assessment, Assignments and Activities, Lecture, Participation & Engagement, and Library Resources. Content on each of these areas can be found in this playlist.
PEDAGOGICAL DESIGN
Posted on: MSU Online & Remote...
Keep Teaching: Video Series on Implementation of Remote Teaching
PEDAGOGICAL DESIGN
Posted on: GenAI & Education
AI for MSU Educators
This playlist, developed by the Instructional Technology and Development Team at IT, includes some general and MSU-specific resources about using ChatGPT and similar AI tools in teaching and learning. Currently, it consists of a list of FAQs about ChatGPT and an interactive Padlet site for you to share your experiences with AI and get connected with other MSU educators.
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Preparing for teaching at the beginning and end of a course
This playlist provides useful strategies, asks critical questions, and helps support educators in preparing for the beginning of the semester.
DISCIPLINARY CONTENT
Posted on: #iteachmsu
2023 Fall Educator Seminars
Join MSU IT, MSU Libraries, the Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation (CTLI), and the Enhanced Digital Learning Initiative (EDLI) at the virtual 2023 Fall Educator Seminars, August 23 - 25. Various free trainings and webinars are offered each day to help prepare MSU educators for the new academic year. Sessions will dive into topics such as how to design effective, interactive courses for students or how to connect with library resources, and more.
PEDAGOGICAL DESIGN
Posted on: The MSU Graduate Le...
College of Education Leadership Fellows
Leadership Fellows
2016-2017: Christine Pacewicz
2016-2018: Tayo Moss
2018-2020: Stephanie Aguilar-Smith
2019-2020: Adrianna Crossing
2020-2021: Briana Green & Madison Allen
2021-2022: Sarah Galvin & Amit Sharma
2021-2023: Sanfeng Miao
Christine Pacewicz (2016-2017) and Tayo Moss (2016-2018)The first two College of Education Leadership Fellows, Christine and Tayo, worked to build recognition for the Leadership Fellows Program among graduate students and College leadership. Tayo organized a pizza night to promote the Leadership Institute’s resources and build community among College of Education graduate students. Tayo also conducted a needs assessment survey with graduate students to gain a greater understanding of the resources needed to best support their teaching and research. He then presented these findings in a meeting with the Associate Deans. Christine and Tayo ended their Fellowship working to recruit Fellows to take their place the following year.Stephanie Aguilar-Smith (2018-2020) and Adrianna Crossing (2019-2020)Stephanie Aguilar-Smith and Adrianna Crossing worked together to identify leadership opportunities for graduate student within the College’s governance. After meeting with the department chairs in the College of Ed for the purposes of needs assessment and data gathering, Stephanie and Adrianna learned about existing structures for shared governance, graduate student opportunities represented in department bylaws, and areas of potential growth for shared governance. One example of shared governance opportunities uncovered by Stephanie and Adrianna was the Student Advisory Committee (SAC), a joint body composed of graduate and undergraduate students who bi-annually advise the dean. This Committee had never been convened. After a year and a half of work, the CoE released a call for applications for representatives of SAC.
Stephanie and Adrianna’s work inspired Associate Dean Bowman to request a graduate student advisory council to advise her office. Stephanie and Adrianna devised a plan consisting of qualifications, number of students from each department, recruitment strategy, application form, and recruitment email. Work on establishing the council was unfortunately suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Stephanie and Adrianna’s work was incredibly important for both the College of Education and the Leadership Institute, as it drew attention to the tendency of undergraduate student representation to dominate the spaces of shared governance outlined in many Colleges’ bylaws.Madison Allen (2020-2021)Madison worked with seven other women PhD students to call attention to barriers to education for BIPOC students in the wake of the murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. Together, they authored an open letter to the administrators, faculty, and staff of the Counseling, Educational Psychology, and Special Education (CEPSE) department. After working with College- and department-level leadership, the authors of the letter, Madison Allen, Joi Claiborne, Andryce Clinkscales, Adrianna E. Crossing, Briana Green, Brook Harris-Thomas, Lindsay Poole, and Briana J. Williams, were catalysts for change within the CEPSE department admissions requirements and student representation.Briana Green (2020-2021)Briana decided to broaden her project focus beyond the College and sought to support Teaching Assistants (TAs) across the university with digital support for their remote learning experience. In partnership with the organizers of DISC, a Digital Instruction Support Community, based out the College of Education, she increased awareness of this support community across campus and offered a mini-series of workshops this spring semester to TAs that are catered to their specific needs. Briana Green also worked with Madison Allen to author an open letter to the Counseling, Educational Psychology, and Special Education department that led to real and lasting change within the department’s admissions requirements and student representation.Sarah Galvin (2021-2022)Sarah wanted to work collaboratively with other Fellows while retaining a focus on curriculum development for her own professional development. She worked with College of Ag & Natural Resources Fellow, Liz Stebbins, to find ways to connect graduate students, old and new, to community resources within and external to MSU. They made plans for an involvement fair to be launched in the Fall of 2022. Sarah also worked as a curriculum consultant for the Leadership Fellows Program. Her goal was to center the Fellows Program curriculum around a holistic approach to leadership and to bring disparate elements of our curriculum into alignment. She met with our leadership team and began assessing the existing learning outcomes, curriculum, and assessment plans as well as exploring content organization options. She outlined ideas for how to best incorporate leadership and wellness topics into all learning experiences within the Fellowship. Her comprehensive curriculum plan included ideas for Leadership Huddles, small groups of Fellows meeting monthly around a common interest. We put all of her ideas into effect for the 2022-2023 Fellowship, and our curriculum has never been stronger or more cohesive.Amit Sharma (2021-2022)Amit wanted to increase the sense of community in his living environment on campus at 1855 Place where a number of international graduate student families live. He started a community garden last summer and wanted to extend the used of that space. He developed plans to create a community learning space. Sanfeng Miao (2021-2022)Sanfeng was interested in learning about professional development resources and workshops for graduate students in the College of Ed. As she explored what had been done before, she got connected to Associate Dean Kristine Bowman. This interested turned into a paid position where Sanfeng is helping plan professional development workshops. She is also exploring the idea of rebooting a professional development Graduate Student Organization within the College of Ed.
2016-2017: Christine Pacewicz
2016-2018: Tayo Moss
2018-2020: Stephanie Aguilar-Smith
2019-2020: Adrianna Crossing
2020-2021: Briana Green & Madison Allen
2021-2022: Sarah Galvin & Amit Sharma
2021-2023: Sanfeng Miao
Christine Pacewicz (2016-2017) and Tayo Moss (2016-2018)The first two College of Education Leadership Fellows, Christine and Tayo, worked to build recognition for the Leadership Fellows Program among graduate students and College leadership. Tayo organized a pizza night to promote the Leadership Institute’s resources and build community among College of Education graduate students. Tayo also conducted a needs assessment survey with graduate students to gain a greater understanding of the resources needed to best support their teaching and research. He then presented these findings in a meeting with the Associate Deans. Christine and Tayo ended their Fellowship working to recruit Fellows to take their place the following year.Stephanie Aguilar-Smith (2018-2020) and Adrianna Crossing (2019-2020)Stephanie Aguilar-Smith and Adrianna Crossing worked together to identify leadership opportunities for graduate student within the College’s governance. After meeting with the department chairs in the College of Ed for the purposes of needs assessment and data gathering, Stephanie and Adrianna learned about existing structures for shared governance, graduate student opportunities represented in department bylaws, and areas of potential growth for shared governance. One example of shared governance opportunities uncovered by Stephanie and Adrianna was the Student Advisory Committee (SAC), a joint body composed of graduate and undergraduate students who bi-annually advise the dean. This Committee had never been convened. After a year and a half of work, the CoE released a call for applications for representatives of SAC.
Stephanie and Adrianna’s work inspired Associate Dean Bowman to request a graduate student advisory council to advise her office. Stephanie and Adrianna devised a plan consisting of qualifications, number of students from each department, recruitment strategy, application form, and recruitment email. Work on establishing the council was unfortunately suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Stephanie and Adrianna’s work was incredibly important for both the College of Education and the Leadership Institute, as it drew attention to the tendency of undergraduate student representation to dominate the spaces of shared governance outlined in many Colleges’ bylaws.Madison Allen (2020-2021)Madison worked with seven other women PhD students to call attention to barriers to education for BIPOC students in the wake of the murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. Together, they authored an open letter to the administrators, faculty, and staff of the Counseling, Educational Psychology, and Special Education (CEPSE) department. After working with College- and department-level leadership, the authors of the letter, Madison Allen, Joi Claiborne, Andryce Clinkscales, Adrianna E. Crossing, Briana Green, Brook Harris-Thomas, Lindsay Poole, and Briana J. Williams, were catalysts for change within the CEPSE department admissions requirements and student representation.Briana Green (2020-2021)Briana decided to broaden her project focus beyond the College and sought to support Teaching Assistants (TAs) across the university with digital support for their remote learning experience. In partnership with the organizers of DISC, a Digital Instruction Support Community, based out the College of Education, she increased awareness of this support community across campus and offered a mini-series of workshops this spring semester to TAs that are catered to their specific needs. Briana Green also worked with Madison Allen to author an open letter to the Counseling, Educational Psychology, and Special Education department that led to real and lasting change within the department’s admissions requirements and student representation.Sarah Galvin (2021-2022)Sarah wanted to work collaboratively with other Fellows while retaining a focus on curriculum development for her own professional development. She worked with College of Ag & Natural Resources Fellow, Liz Stebbins, to find ways to connect graduate students, old and new, to community resources within and external to MSU. They made plans for an involvement fair to be launched in the Fall of 2022. Sarah also worked as a curriculum consultant for the Leadership Fellows Program. Her goal was to center the Fellows Program curriculum around a holistic approach to leadership and to bring disparate elements of our curriculum into alignment. She met with our leadership team and began assessing the existing learning outcomes, curriculum, and assessment plans as well as exploring content organization options. She outlined ideas for how to best incorporate leadership and wellness topics into all learning experiences within the Fellowship. Her comprehensive curriculum plan included ideas for Leadership Huddles, small groups of Fellows meeting monthly around a common interest. We put all of her ideas into effect for the 2022-2023 Fellowship, and our curriculum has never been stronger or more cohesive.Amit Sharma (2021-2022)Amit wanted to increase the sense of community in his living environment on campus at 1855 Place where a number of international graduate student families live. He started a community garden last summer and wanted to extend the used of that space. He developed plans to create a community learning space. Sanfeng Miao (2021-2022)Sanfeng was interested in learning about professional development resources and workshops for graduate students in the College of Ed. As she explored what had been done before, she got connected to Associate Dean Kristine Bowman. This interested turned into a paid position where Sanfeng is helping plan professional development workshops. She is also exploring the idea of rebooting a professional development Graduate Student Organization within the College of Ed.
Posted by: Megumi Moore
Navigating Context
Posted on: #iteachmsu Educator...
College of Education 2021 #iteachmsu Educator Award Recipients
The following is a list of the educators receiving the #iteachmsu Educator Award from the College of Education. For more information on these awards, check out the article entitled "#iteachmsu Educator Awards".
Kris Surla: Kristen’s impact on me has been so great that you’re just going to have to wait to read about it—in my book.
That’s right. That’s how deep it is and how deep it goes.
Kris, from infinity to infinity. There are no words in this language we share to describe the depth, the vastness, the expansive nature of my love and gratitude for you and all that you have done for me, with me, and alongside me.
You are the greatest of all time — a supernova in my galaxy! Shine bright, fight on. You’re the Yuri to my Malcolm.
Candace Robertson: Candace, has been major help as my advisor and mentor. She continues to see the great in me and wants my education at Michigan State to be the best. Setting me up for success in a way my undergraduate never did. Always, checking in to make sure I have what I need and that I'm okay! Candace is what Michigan State is all about. She also has provided me with the resources to begin un-grading in my classroom becoming the first teacher in AACPS to issue that grading policy. I'm so happy to have Candace as apart of my Michigan State experience and I hope she continues to stay proud of me! Thank you for all you do!
Brittany Dillman: Brittany demonstrates the epitome of student support, critical analysis, and curriculum development. For me, she was *hands down* the most supportive educator at MSU during a very difficult Fall 2020 semester due to socioeconomic and health issues caused by the pandemic. Brittany was caring and persistent in her communication with me to make sure I developed a plan to successfully manage my coursework. For many students undergoing a crisis, this kind of "hands-on" advising is needed. Brittany understood that and never once made me feel like I was a "burdensome" or "irresponsible" student-- because that's not who students are when they are going through traumatic experiences. I am not working again with Brittany in Spring 2021 and have received so much practical and thoughtful feedback on my course content. All of the advice and suggestions that Brittany gives me feel so tangible because she takes the time to provide detailed feedback. I have implemented many of the ideas and content I've gained through the MAET program in my other roles at MSU and have received nothing but positive feedback. Brittany is leading the hell out of this program and I have learned so much from her. Thank you for everything you do Brittany, because I see you and am deeply grateful that you are in this role.
Spencer Morgan: Spencer served as the graduate coordinator for the MSU Community Engagement Scholars Program for the 2020-2021 academic year. He is a valuable member of the team in the Center for Community Engaged Learning. Spencer developed positive and sincere relationships with the undergraduate scholars, community partners, and colleagues in our center. His thoughtful planning and willingness to guide the program in a totally virtual format are impressive and appreciated. Spencer is creative, professional, kind, and an outstanding mentor. He facilitated and led professional development sessions for students and partners and has assisted in further developing our program assessment strategies. I am so thankful for his patience and perseverance through a challenging time in the lives of so many. He contributed greatly to our ability to offer this important program during a global pandemic. Thank you Spencer! Your contributions are appreciated and your impact on the lives of the scholars and partners will be lasting. I am confident that your future as a Student Affairs Professional is going to be amazing!
Anyone can recognize a fellow Spartan for their contributions to MSU's teaching and learning mission or for how they made a lasting impression on your experience. All you have to do is click "Thank an Educator" in the left panel of iteach.msu.edu. From there you'll see a short form where you can enter the name, netID, and a short story of the educator you'd like to recognize.
Kris Surla: Kristen’s impact on me has been so great that you’re just going to have to wait to read about it—in my book.
That’s right. That’s how deep it is and how deep it goes.
Kris, from infinity to infinity. There are no words in this language we share to describe the depth, the vastness, the expansive nature of my love and gratitude for you and all that you have done for me, with me, and alongside me.
You are the greatest of all time — a supernova in my galaxy! Shine bright, fight on. You’re the Yuri to my Malcolm.
Candace Robertson: Candace, has been major help as my advisor and mentor. She continues to see the great in me and wants my education at Michigan State to be the best. Setting me up for success in a way my undergraduate never did. Always, checking in to make sure I have what I need and that I'm okay! Candace is what Michigan State is all about. She also has provided me with the resources to begin un-grading in my classroom becoming the first teacher in AACPS to issue that grading policy. I'm so happy to have Candace as apart of my Michigan State experience and I hope she continues to stay proud of me! Thank you for all you do!
Brittany Dillman: Brittany demonstrates the epitome of student support, critical analysis, and curriculum development. For me, she was *hands down* the most supportive educator at MSU during a very difficult Fall 2020 semester due to socioeconomic and health issues caused by the pandemic. Brittany was caring and persistent in her communication with me to make sure I developed a plan to successfully manage my coursework. For many students undergoing a crisis, this kind of "hands-on" advising is needed. Brittany understood that and never once made me feel like I was a "burdensome" or "irresponsible" student-- because that's not who students are when they are going through traumatic experiences. I am not working again with Brittany in Spring 2021 and have received so much practical and thoughtful feedback on my course content. All of the advice and suggestions that Brittany gives me feel so tangible because she takes the time to provide detailed feedback. I have implemented many of the ideas and content I've gained through the MAET program in my other roles at MSU and have received nothing but positive feedback. Brittany is leading the hell out of this program and I have learned so much from her. Thank you for everything you do Brittany, because I see you and am deeply grateful that you are in this role.
Spencer Morgan: Spencer served as the graduate coordinator for the MSU Community Engagement Scholars Program for the 2020-2021 academic year. He is a valuable member of the team in the Center for Community Engaged Learning. Spencer developed positive and sincere relationships with the undergraduate scholars, community partners, and colleagues in our center. His thoughtful planning and willingness to guide the program in a totally virtual format are impressive and appreciated. Spencer is creative, professional, kind, and an outstanding mentor. He facilitated and led professional development sessions for students and partners and has assisted in further developing our program assessment strategies. I am so thankful for his patience and perseverance through a challenging time in the lives of so many. He contributed greatly to our ability to offer this important program during a global pandemic. Thank you Spencer! Your contributions are appreciated and your impact on the lives of the scholars and partners will be lasting. I am confident that your future as a Student Affairs Professional is going to be amazing!
Anyone can recognize a fellow Spartan for their contributions to MSU's teaching and learning mission or for how they made a lasting impression on your experience. All you have to do is click "Thank an Educator" in the left panel of iteach.msu.edu. From there you'll see a short form where you can enter the name, netID, and a short story of the educator you'd like to recognize.
Posted by: Makena Neal
Pedagogical Design
Posted on: #iteachmsu
College of Education's Mini-MOOC on Remote Teaching
The Master of Arts in Educational Technology Program (MAET) at Michigan State University is honored to support the amazing work that educators are doing around the world as they transition to a range of remote teaching contexts. Our Mini-MOOC on Remote Teaching focuses on high-priority, digestible topics with the intent of applying them to practice tomorrow. Because educators are teaching across a range of remote teaching contexts, we include no-tech, low-tech, and high-tech strategies throughout the experience. This Mini-MOOC is a self-paced learning experience. For more information, including enrollment information, please go to the College of Education MAET Blog: https://edwp.educ.msu.edu/maet/2020/03/30/maetminimooc/
Authored by: Breana Yaklin
Pedagogical Design
Posted on: #iteachmsu Educator...
College of Education 2020 #iteachmsu Educator Award Recipients
The following is a list of the educators receiving the #iteachmsu Educator Award from the College of Education. For more information on these awards, check out the article entitled "#iteachmsu Educator Awards".
Alexandra Lee: Alexandra’s research focuses on the social-psychological processes underpinning achievement motivation specifically implicit theories of intelligence, competence beliefs, and achievement goals. She has taught in the K-12 setting and in a variety of cultural contexts, prior to coming to MSU (in Thailand, Singapore, rural Mississippi, and Denver, CO). As is currently the instructor of record for TE 150 (Reflections on Learning). Alexandra shared her teaching expertise and enthusiasm at a recent Lunch and Learn session with Graduate Teaching Assistants at MSU. Those in attendance really enjoyed learning from her and her expertise. We hope to have Alexandra share more of her great work in the teaching space for all those interested in teaching.
Lori Bruner: For always having my back! For being patient and flexible when I was diagnosed with arthritis. For teaching me how to be organized and new technology tricks. For being a great leader and mentor to other graduate and undergraduate students! Thank you for being there and helping me with teaching tasks when I needed it the most!
Eliana Castro: In addition to being an incredible, brilliant scholar and a devoted, compassionate teacher educator, Eliana Castro is a generous, contributing citizen in our Department. She provides invaluable service in myriad ways: mentoring other doctoral students, serving on a search committee for a new social studies colleague, helping to recruit incoming doctoral students, among many other ways. She is also a warm, kind person of whom we are all so proud. Thank you, Eliana!
Marilyn Amey: I cannot say enough positive things about Dr. Amey. After taking one of her doctoral courses as a part of my PhD electives, I asked Marilyn to be the chair of my dissertation committee (and while the HALE department is filled with talented educators - I feel this was one of the best decisions of my doctoral career). Not only is Marilyn competent in her field and extremely knowledgeable, she is a fantastic educator who creates spaces where learning happens in multiple directions. She is kind, compassionate, and thoughtful - all things she demonstrates as my committee advisor and as a departmental leader. There are few people who have recognized and accommodated me as a "whole person" (with things in my life outside of school), and I will feel forever indebted to her for that. MSU needs more faculty, administrators, and educators like Dr. Marilyn Amey!
Courtney Kosloski: Courtney truly has "the backs" of the graduate students in the HALE Department. Every time I interact with her she is professional and kind in helping answer questions and connect me with relevant resources. She keeps students' best interests in mind and takes it upon herself to reach out when better supports can be accessed. She's a wonderful person, and an asset to HALE and MSU.
Mallory Weiner: Mallory is my co-instructor in ANR 310. This class is unique in that our students come in with a blank syllabus and they create one from scratch, deciding what they want to learn, how they want to learn, and how they want to assess their learning. Mallory has been instrumental in supporting the learning of our students by preparing them to become self-directed learners with the capacity to practice democratic decision making. It isn't easy for a student who is a peer to the students in her class to take on the responsibility of instructor, but Mallory wears the crown with ease. She is an excellent communicator, the ideal partner who doesn't hesitate to take action when necessary, and a supportive co-learner. I'm proud to know that she will be educating the next generation of learners in K12 classrooms beginning next year.
Austin Wellette-Hunsucker: Austin regularly goes above and beyond his duties as a graduate teaching assistant. Not only does he provide tremendous support to the instructor, but he is always willing to go the extra mile for the students. I appreciate his time and effort with the students and the course, and am thankful for his assistance this semester.
Taren Going: Taren worked with me as a TA for my TE 407 course. As a 5 credit course, the work is demanding - there are 5 hours of lab per week and 3 hours of seminar. Taren showed tireless dedication to students' success in the course. Her primary responsibilities were to support students' work in their labs, but she often attended seminar to help her understand the core ideas of TE 407 and support students' learning from the lab. She also regularly sought feedback on her performance as a TA because of her genuine concern for students' learning. I could trust Taren to seek help when she needed it. Taren inspires others to work hard and be their best, and I am so grateful she gave so much of her talents and energy to this course.
Juan Mascorro-Guerrero: I appreciate Juan because he is our graduate advisor for culturas de las razas unidas outside of helping us with our roles on e board he always offers to help us with applications for scholarships, finding internships, or just provides us a space to talk. Juan is an assistant community director in Wilson Hall , he has a busy schedule but never fails to provide support and help those around him. Juan is the true definition of Latino/Latinx Excellence.
Terry Edwards: Terry Edwards is the rock that anchors the TE department. I thanked her last year but that is not enough, not nearly enough for all that she does in the department. Over this semester, Terry has helped me and several other doctoral students in numerous ways. She is always making sure that the doctoral students are thriving--physically and mentally. She ensures to talk to everyone and showers us with affirmations, love, and praise. I am grateful for Terry and also recognize that she does a lot of the emotional and physical work of supporting doctoral students. Terry's commitment is not merely about her role but a much deeper commitment, a commitment that is about creating a space that is welcoming to all and one where everyone feels seen and heard. She has helped me track down packages that are lost. She brought a sewing machine off craigslist because some of us wanted to use it for our work. She plays a crucial role in organizing a department potluck. She is always advocating for us. And no matter what issue you are facing, Terry will do her best to help you find a solution. We are so grateful for Terry and everything she does for us.
Olivia Furman: I (Naseeb) entered into community with Olivia through WOCI, which she co-leads. Last Fall, Olivia worked with an MSU alumnus, Shakara Tyler, to promote a nature centered self-care program, where folx were able to engage in forest walks, soil meditation, and herbal foraging. As a first-year Ph.D. student, I have tremendously valued Olivia’s commitment to addressing the isolation graduate students often experience through holistic wellness practices. Most notably, Olivia has modeled for me how to leverage research to support the wellness of communities our inquiry is based upon. For example, I had the opportunity to engage in an educational research methods course with Olivia this past fall. Despite the overwhelming valuation of quantitative methods in educational inquiry, Olivia drew upon bell hooks, Audre Lorde, the Combahee River Collective and other Black womxn feminisms, as well as her professional experiences with K-12 teaching, to weave together arts-based research methods with Black feminist epistemologies to explore how Black girls experience schooling. She was met with subtle, and sometimes direct, resistance from the course peers who failed to see the transformative and community-based nature of her methodological position. Despite this, she actively pursued her arts-based research agenda, refusing to spend time justifying her methodological decisions and instead carried out her efforts with integrity and creativity. As a non-Black WOC, I have valued Olivia’s leadership example in leveraging the critical practices of wellness found in Black and Brown communities (e.g. quilts, knitting, and ceramics) to reform teaching and learning practices at MSU.
Kristi Lowrie: Kristi is an integral part of the TE department and has supported doctoral students tirelessly! She has been pivotal in me having a successful semester. Kristi is always willing to help and goes above and beyond to find resources/solutions. Several times when I walked into her office with a challenge/issue she would drop everything else and help me figure things out. I appreciate Kristi and her relentless support for doctoral students in the program. Thank you, Kristi!
Sheila Orr: In her first year, Sheila has contributed extensively not only to the improvement of secondary mathematics methods courses in teacher education but also to the success of my NSF UTEMPT project. In only a few short months "on the job," Sheila conducted independent analyses of new data for the project and took the lead in presenting this data at a national conference in Pheonix in February. She also went beyond in her role to shadow TE 407, the first mathematics methods course for prospective secondary mathematics teachers (PSTs), by taking the lead in several sessions to help PSTs try out new mathematics teaching practices. I continue to be impressed not only by her passion and drive for learning to teach future teachers, but also by her engagement with improving MSU's coursework, in concert with innovations supported by the UTEMPT project, to better support PSTs' learning.
Teacher Education Undergraduate Staff: The undergraduate students working for the TE department are integral to the success of doctoral students. We are deeply appreciative of their hardwork and support. They are always willing to support us with crucial tasks--supplies, scans, photocopies, etc. Even though several of the students are not in the TE program, they go above and beyond to understand the needs of doctoral students and willing to support us. I have also learned a great deal from each of them about their respective fields and appreciate how they brighten up the department with their indomitable spirit! Thank you all for your work.
Dr. Amey’s HALE Graduate Students: Students with whom I work most closely are all adult learners with very complex lives during these difficult times. They are eldercare providers, researchers whose studies have been totally interrupted as they neared completion of dissertations, those hoping for employment next year on and off campus now on hold due to hiring chills and freezes, those who have to find ways to focus on class while becoming homeschool teachers, and those who have put up my constantly shifting schedule of an academic administrator. Yet, they continue to show up to meet with me on zoom and email, inspire through their insights and leadership in these challenging times, find ways to bolster each other in virtual writing groups, and make it clear that postsecondary education will be in good hands. They remind me why I wanted to be a faculty member and are my motivation every day. Thank you isn't enough to each of them.
Anyone can recognize a fellow Spartan for their contributions to MSU's teaching and learning mission or for how they made a lasting impression on your experience. All you have to do is click "Thank an Educator" in the left panel of iteach.msu.edu. From there you'll be directed to a form where you can enter the name, netID, and a short story of the educator you'd like to recognize.
Alexandra Lee: Alexandra’s research focuses on the social-psychological processes underpinning achievement motivation specifically implicit theories of intelligence, competence beliefs, and achievement goals. She has taught in the K-12 setting and in a variety of cultural contexts, prior to coming to MSU (in Thailand, Singapore, rural Mississippi, and Denver, CO). As is currently the instructor of record for TE 150 (Reflections on Learning). Alexandra shared her teaching expertise and enthusiasm at a recent Lunch and Learn session with Graduate Teaching Assistants at MSU. Those in attendance really enjoyed learning from her and her expertise. We hope to have Alexandra share more of her great work in the teaching space for all those interested in teaching.
Lori Bruner: For always having my back! For being patient and flexible when I was diagnosed with arthritis. For teaching me how to be organized and new technology tricks. For being a great leader and mentor to other graduate and undergraduate students! Thank you for being there and helping me with teaching tasks when I needed it the most!
Eliana Castro: In addition to being an incredible, brilliant scholar and a devoted, compassionate teacher educator, Eliana Castro is a generous, contributing citizen in our Department. She provides invaluable service in myriad ways: mentoring other doctoral students, serving on a search committee for a new social studies colleague, helping to recruit incoming doctoral students, among many other ways. She is also a warm, kind person of whom we are all so proud. Thank you, Eliana!
Marilyn Amey: I cannot say enough positive things about Dr. Amey. After taking one of her doctoral courses as a part of my PhD electives, I asked Marilyn to be the chair of my dissertation committee (and while the HALE department is filled with talented educators - I feel this was one of the best decisions of my doctoral career). Not only is Marilyn competent in her field and extremely knowledgeable, she is a fantastic educator who creates spaces where learning happens in multiple directions. She is kind, compassionate, and thoughtful - all things she demonstrates as my committee advisor and as a departmental leader. There are few people who have recognized and accommodated me as a "whole person" (with things in my life outside of school), and I will feel forever indebted to her for that. MSU needs more faculty, administrators, and educators like Dr. Marilyn Amey!
Courtney Kosloski: Courtney truly has "the backs" of the graduate students in the HALE Department. Every time I interact with her she is professional and kind in helping answer questions and connect me with relevant resources. She keeps students' best interests in mind and takes it upon herself to reach out when better supports can be accessed. She's a wonderful person, and an asset to HALE and MSU.
Mallory Weiner: Mallory is my co-instructor in ANR 310. This class is unique in that our students come in with a blank syllabus and they create one from scratch, deciding what they want to learn, how they want to learn, and how they want to assess their learning. Mallory has been instrumental in supporting the learning of our students by preparing them to become self-directed learners with the capacity to practice democratic decision making. It isn't easy for a student who is a peer to the students in her class to take on the responsibility of instructor, but Mallory wears the crown with ease. She is an excellent communicator, the ideal partner who doesn't hesitate to take action when necessary, and a supportive co-learner. I'm proud to know that she will be educating the next generation of learners in K12 classrooms beginning next year.
Austin Wellette-Hunsucker: Austin regularly goes above and beyond his duties as a graduate teaching assistant. Not only does he provide tremendous support to the instructor, but he is always willing to go the extra mile for the students. I appreciate his time and effort with the students and the course, and am thankful for his assistance this semester.
Taren Going: Taren worked with me as a TA for my TE 407 course. As a 5 credit course, the work is demanding - there are 5 hours of lab per week and 3 hours of seminar. Taren showed tireless dedication to students' success in the course. Her primary responsibilities were to support students' work in their labs, but she often attended seminar to help her understand the core ideas of TE 407 and support students' learning from the lab. She also regularly sought feedback on her performance as a TA because of her genuine concern for students' learning. I could trust Taren to seek help when she needed it. Taren inspires others to work hard and be their best, and I am so grateful she gave so much of her talents and energy to this course.
Juan Mascorro-Guerrero: I appreciate Juan because he is our graduate advisor for culturas de las razas unidas outside of helping us with our roles on e board he always offers to help us with applications for scholarships, finding internships, or just provides us a space to talk. Juan is an assistant community director in Wilson Hall , he has a busy schedule but never fails to provide support and help those around him. Juan is the true definition of Latino/Latinx Excellence.
Terry Edwards: Terry Edwards is the rock that anchors the TE department. I thanked her last year but that is not enough, not nearly enough for all that she does in the department. Over this semester, Terry has helped me and several other doctoral students in numerous ways. She is always making sure that the doctoral students are thriving--physically and mentally. She ensures to talk to everyone and showers us with affirmations, love, and praise. I am grateful for Terry and also recognize that she does a lot of the emotional and physical work of supporting doctoral students. Terry's commitment is not merely about her role but a much deeper commitment, a commitment that is about creating a space that is welcoming to all and one where everyone feels seen and heard. She has helped me track down packages that are lost. She brought a sewing machine off craigslist because some of us wanted to use it for our work. She plays a crucial role in organizing a department potluck. She is always advocating for us. And no matter what issue you are facing, Terry will do her best to help you find a solution. We are so grateful for Terry and everything she does for us.
Olivia Furman: I (Naseeb) entered into community with Olivia through WOCI, which she co-leads. Last Fall, Olivia worked with an MSU alumnus, Shakara Tyler, to promote a nature centered self-care program, where folx were able to engage in forest walks, soil meditation, and herbal foraging. As a first-year Ph.D. student, I have tremendously valued Olivia’s commitment to addressing the isolation graduate students often experience through holistic wellness practices. Most notably, Olivia has modeled for me how to leverage research to support the wellness of communities our inquiry is based upon. For example, I had the opportunity to engage in an educational research methods course with Olivia this past fall. Despite the overwhelming valuation of quantitative methods in educational inquiry, Olivia drew upon bell hooks, Audre Lorde, the Combahee River Collective and other Black womxn feminisms, as well as her professional experiences with K-12 teaching, to weave together arts-based research methods with Black feminist epistemologies to explore how Black girls experience schooling. She was met with subtle, and sometimes direct, resistance from the course peers who failed to see the transformative and community-based nature of her methodological position. Despite this, she actively pursued her arts-based research agenda, refusing to spend time justifying her methodological decisions and instead carried out her efforts with integrity and creativity. As a non-Black WOC, I have valued Olivia’s leadership example in leveraging the critical practices of wellness found in Black and Brown communities (e.g. quilts, knitting, and ceramics) to reform teaching and learning practices at MSU.
Kristi Lowrie: Kristi is an integral part of the TE department and has supported doctoral students tirelessly! She has been pivotal in me having a successful semester. Kristi is always willing to help and goes above and beyond to find resources/solutions. Several times when I walked into her office with a challenge/issue she would drop everything else and help me figure things out. I appreciate Kristi and her relentless support for doctoral students in the program. Thank you, Kristi!
Sheila Orr: In her first year, Sheila has contributed extensively not only to the improvement of secondary mathematics methods courses in teacher education but also to the success of my NSF UTEMPT project. In only a few short months "on the job," Sheila conducted independent analyses of new data for the project and took the lead in presenting this data at a national conference in Pheonix in February. She also went beyond in her role to shadow TE 407, the first mathematics methods course for prospective secondary mathematics teachers (PSTs), by taking the lead in several sessions to help PSTs try out new mathematics teaching practices. I continue to be impressed not only by her passion and drive for learning to teach future teachers, but also by her engagement with improving MSU's coursework, in concert with innovations supported by the UTEMPT project, to better support PSTs' learning.
Teacher Education Undergraduate Staff: The undergraduate students working for the TE department are integral to the success of doctoral students. We are deeply appreciative of their hardwork and support. They are always willing to support us with crucial tasks--supplies, scans, photocopies, etc. Even though several of the students are not in the TE program, they go above and beyond to understand the needs of doctoral students and willing to support us. I have also learned a great deal from each of them about their respective fields and appreciate how they brighten up the department with their indomitable spirit! Thank you all for your work.
Dr. Amey’s HALE Graduate Students: Students with whom I work most closely are all adult learners with very complex lives during these difficult times. They are eldercare providers, researchers whose studies have been totally interrupted as they neared completion of dissertations, those hoping for employment next year on and off campus now on hold due to hiring chills and freezes, those who have to find ways to focus on class while becoming homeschool teachers, and those who have put up my constantly shifting schedule of an academic administrator. Yet, they continue to show up to meet with me on zoom and email, inspire through their insights and leadership in these challenging times, find ways to bolster each other in virtual writing groups, and make it clear that postsecondary education will be in good hands. They remind me why I wanted to be a faculty member and are my motivation every day. Thank you isn't enough to each of them.
Anyone can recognize a fellow Spartan for their contributions to MSU's teaching and learning mission or for how they made a lasting impression on your experience. All you have to do is click "Thank an Educator" in the left panel of iteach.msu.edu. From there you'll be directed to a form where you can enter the name, netID, and a short story of the educator you'd like to recognize.
Posted by: Makena Neal
Pedagogical Design
Posted on: #iteachmsu Educator...
College of Education 2022 #iteachmsu Educator Award Recipients
The following is a list of the educators receiving the #iteachmsu Educator Award from College of Arts & Letters. For more information on these awards, check out the article entitled "#iteachmsu Educator Awards".
John Olle: John has been an incredible mentor to College of Education online master's degree advisors. He has a wealth of institutional knowledge and is always willing to support you, as you learn more to support your own students. He goes above and beyond in responding to questions in a thoughtful and student-centered manner. John is solution-oriented and helps you solve whatever student or system challenge you are working through. I am the graduate advisor I am today because of John's mentorship. The College of Education is incredibly lucky to have John as an advising educator leader.
Sandro Barros: I'd like to thank Dr. Barros for his endless dedication to his students' learning and well-being. He has provided so much support to me over the past four years as I've navigated my doctoral journey. He gives me the space I need to explore and be true to myself while also sharing possible directions and relevant resources. Most importantly, Dr. Barros has supported my emotional well-being during a time that can be isolating, depressing, and demoralizing (graduate studies during a pandemic). We need more humans who are as caring, wise, and humble as Dr. Barros!
Anyone can recognize a fellow Spartan for their contributions to MSU's teaching and learning mission or for how they made a lasting impression on your experience. All you have to do is click "Thank an Educator" in the left panel of iteach.msu.edu. From there you'll see a short form where you can enter the name, netID, and a short story of the educator you'd like to recognize.
John Olle: John has been an incredible mentor to College of Education online master's degree advisors. He has a wealth of institutional knowledge and is always willing to support you, as you learn more to support your own students. He goes above and beyond in responding to questions in a thoughtful and student-centered manner. John is solution-oriented and helps you solve whatever student or system challenge you are working through. I am the graduate advisor I am today because of John's mentorship. The College of Education is incredibly lucky to have John as an advising educator leader.
Sandro Barros: I'd like to thank Dr. Barros for his endless dedication to his students' learning and well-being. He has provided so much support to me over the past four years as I've navigated my doctoral journey. He gives me the space I need to explore and be true to myself while also sharing possible directions and relevant resources. Most importantly, Dr. Barros has supported my emotional well-being during a time that can be isolating, depressing, and demoralizing (graduate studies during a pandemic). We need more humans who are as caring, wise, and humble as Dr. Barros!
Anyone can recognize a fellow Spartan for their contributions to MSU's teaching and learning mission or for how they made a lasting impression on your experience. All you have to do is click "Thank an Educator" in the left panel of iteach.msu.edu. From there you'll see a short form where you can enter the name, netID, and a short story of the educator you'd like to recognize.
Posted by: Makena Neal
Pedagogical Design
Posted on: #iteachmsu Educator...
College of Engineering 2022 #iteachmsu Educator Award Recipient
The following is a list of the educators receiving the #iteachmsu Educator Award from College of Engineering. For more information on these awards, check out the article entitled "#iteachmsu Educator Awards".
Geoffrey Recktenwald: The Center for Teaching & Learning Innovation Kick-off Summit, held on January 14, 2022, wouldn't have been possible without participation from educators like you. I know that ongoing uncertainty and stress at work and at home mean many folx are spread thin, and your willingness to share your time with us demonstrates your commitment to not only educator development at MSU, but the university's teaching and learning mission as a whole. The insights you provided (and continue to provide through asynchronous feedback opportunities) are invaluable as we continue to listen, learn, and ultimately shape what role the Center for TLI plays for Spartans. Witnessing the level of engagement, passion, and constructively critical questioning - makes me all the more excited to be a part of the Center staff moving forward. I'm looking forward to continued opportunities to work with you in the near future. Thank you again for the service you provided to MSU by participating in the Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation Kick-off Summit!
Anyone can recognize a fellow Spartan for their contributions to MSU's teaching and learning mission or for how they made a lasting impression on your experience. All you have to do is click "Thank an Educator" in the left panel of iteach.msu.edu. From there you'll see a short form where you can enter the name, netID, and a short story of the educator you'd like to recognize.
Geoffrey Recktenwald: The Center for Teaching & Learning Innovation Kick-off Summit, held on January 14, 2022, wouldn't have been possible without participation from educators like you. I know that ongoing uncertainty and stress at work and at home mean many folx are spread thin, and your willingness to share your time with us demonstrates your commitment to not only educator development at MSU, but the university's teaching and learning mission as a whole. The insights you provided (and continue to provide through asynchronous feedback opportunities) are invaluable as we continue to listen, learn, and ultimately shape what role the Center for TLI plays for Spartans. Witnessing the level of engagement, passion, and constructively critical questioning - makes me all the more excited to be a part of the Center staff moving forward. I'm looking forward to continued opportunities to work with you in the near future. Thank you again for the service you provided to MSU by participating in the Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation Kick-off Summit!
Anyone can recognize a fellow Spartan for their contributions to MSU's teaching and learning mission or for how they made a lasting impression on your experience. All you have to do is click "Thank an Educator" in the left panel of iteach.msu.edu. From there you'll see a short form where you can enter the name, netID, and a short story of the educator you'd like to recognize.
Posted by: Makena Neal
Pedagogical Design
Posted on: #iteachmsu Educator...
College of Nursing 2020 #iteachmsu Educator Award Recipients
The following is a list of the educators receiving the #iteachmsu Educator Award from the College of Nursing. For more information on these awards, check out the article entitled "#iteachmsu Educator Awards".
Rebecca Boni: Thank you for being an amazing mentor, role model, and friend this past year at MSU. I appreciate our many chats whether it was work, school, or kid related. Your patience and prompt answers to my many questions/concerns was very appreciated. Excited that I am able to call you my friend and mentor!
Betty Buck: I appreciate your input and guidance on nursing matters and the fun we have when we get together! Thank you for being an amazing co-worker and friend!
Patrick Crane: As new faculty for NUR 460, you took the time to meet with me one on one and make sure I understood the course and how to communicate with preceptors-something I had never done before. While I did require a lot of support teaching this course for the first time, you understood and offered all the support and guidance I needed to help me be successful and the students as well. Thank you!
Izabella de Barbaro: Izabella is hands down the most passionate instructor I have had while at MSU and I am so grateful for her patience in teaching and contagious enthusiasm.
Pallav Deka: In the beginning of the semester, Dr. Deka told our pathophysiology class that it would be his first time teaching the class. Usually, it is professors talking about how great it was to see students grow, but this time I'd like to acknowledge how much Dr. Deka has improved already in just one semester. He made the class interesting and enjoyable, even when the information got hard. He was willing to work with students when they needed help and often stayed after class. There was not one single day that Dr. Deka was not willing to go above and beyond for his students, or just be generally kind to them. I hope that Dr. Deka will continue teaching this course, and as he did on the last day of class, finish the lecture slides all at once:) Thank you for a wonderful semester, Dr. Deka!
Jessica Ery: This semester was Dr. Ery's first semester teaching NUR 205 and she did a wonderful job. I feel very prepared to move on to the next step with the base knowledge she has provided us. There are a lot of things Dr. Ery did a lot of great things throughout the semester, but the thing that has made the largest impact on me was not a teaching moment. On our last clinical day, Dr. Ery took a guess at which type of nursing everyone in the clinical group would do. During the semester while I was waiting to find out her prediction for me, I thought it would just be fun to see how my instructor saw me. However, when she told me her guess, pediatric oncology, and the reasons she thought so, it opened my eyes to a type of nursing I had never considered before. Pediatric oncology is now at the top of my interests, but without Dr. Ery I may have never discovered this. So I would like to thank her for not only doing an incredible job of teaching us all, but also for making clinical a fun, safe environment and opening my eyes to an area of nursing that I believe I will one day love being a part of.
Joanne Golbert: Thank you for an amazing semester where you offered me a LOT of support and guidance on student issues that were new to me at MSU. I greatly appreciate you taking the time to help me navigate MSU policies and vesting in my success that in turn ensured students' success this semester. Thank you!
Stephanie Gray: Thank you for all the support and willingness to go above and beyond to make a learning event that much better for the DMC students. I appreciate your knowledge and willingness to share that knowledge with me to teach the future of our profession.
Andy Greger: Andy works tirelessly to support faculty and students successful navigation of all things technology to enhance the learning environment. He responds, without hesitation, to urgent calls about computer blue screens, presentation issues, to evaluating software, designing online learning environments, integration of technology and continuous faculty development and support. Most impressive - he is always patient, supportive, and professional.
Jackie Iseler: As my Academic Advisor in both my MSN CNS and now in my post masters DNP program Dr. Iseler has been extremely supportive and encouraging. Dr. Iseler often checks in to see how I am doing with course work and provides support as needed. I have also had Dr. Iseler as course faculty in many of my CNS courses and she always did a great job of incorporating real life examples from her own clinical setting into our instruction providing an authentic learning environment. I would like to thank Dr. Iseler for providing me the support and guidance I need as I work towards achieving my academic goals.
John Mailey John was the best clinical instructor I've ever had, and was by far the most influential in developing my clinical skills, knowledge, and confidence.
Emily McIntire: Emily McIntire is the director of the simulation lab and has developed a program of simulated learning at the College of Nursing that uses the best technology available. However, beyond that, she has amazing skills in developing real life scripted situations that allow nursing students to experience fully the minute to minute consequences of their nursing decisions in a high pressure setting. Over the past two years, Emily and I have been adopting and presenting the first ever community based simulation at the College of Nursing using the Missouri Community Action Network Poverty simulation kit. As we provide this simulation, Emily and I have become aware of the emotional aspect of this experience. She is currently exploring the concept of embodied learning in order to understand how simulation can provide more than kinesthetic based learning, but also help develop emotional intelligence and compassionate based care giving. This project has been presented at the National Conference for the Association of Contemplative Learning in Higher Education and is currently an active IRB based study with a manuscript in process. We can always train intelligent nurses, but exploring how to train wise and compassionate nurses is a more daunting task. I believe Emily McIntire is a champion and leader in this important area.
Kyle Miller: Bio was a hard subject for me to comprehend and Dr.Miller really made it more enjoyable and showed that he really cared when I was having difficulties
Francisika Nekaien: I appreciate the helpful and flexible office hour times and that the professor showed that she genuinely cared about students understanding of the material. I appreciate the professor's down to earth personality and also her patience when I was struggling to understand the material. Getting one on one help time surely help me understand the class material.
Kathleen Poindexter:
a) You are a wonderful leader, teacher, and friend. It is impossible to count the ways that you have helped me to achieve my professional and personal goals. Without you, I would not be the nurse, leader, or educator I am today. Thank you for believing in me and teaching me how to believe in myself.
b) Dr. Poindexter impacted my life tremendously as a graduate student at MSU in the MSN clinical nurse specialist (CNS) program. As a graduate student I had to balance many responsibilities (family/children, full time employment etc.). Dr. Poindexter gave me the support, encouragement, and guidance I needed to continue to achieve my goal of becoming a Masters prepared CNS. Dr. Poindexter was always there when I needed her, once when I was feeling very overwhelmed in my second semester of coursework I called Dr. Poindexter and her and I spoke for almost 2 hours and our conversation helped me to have a renewed sense of confidence and determination, this was a turning point for me in the program. Currently I am faculty in the CON at MSU and a Masters prepared CNS and again with Dr. Poindexter's encouragement and support I am continuing my education to pursue my post masters DNP. Dr. Poindexter is my faculty mentor and is helping me to transition into my faculty role at MSU as well. Dr. Poindexter is great role model and someone I greatly admire and would like to take this opportunity to recognize and thank her for the role she has played in my academic and professional career thus far.
c) Thank you for your assistance on my first poster presentation, promotion of an EBP clinical learning environment, and navigating scholarship at MSU. My success (current and future) is because you believed in me and guided me to the path I needed to be on. Thank you!
Amy Pollock: Dr. Pollock was an amazing professor. She knew her subject very well and made it as easy as possible for me to understand the material. She was also very helpful during her office hour and I would definitely have her again!
Lorraine Robbins: Dr. Robbins has provided guidance and support throughout my PhD Nursing Program at Michigan State University. She is always available and willing to share her vast experience in research. She has the nursing research experience to know and adhere to the ethical standards associated with conducting research. Her professionalism and expertise in nursing research should be applauded. Through her research experience she is well versed in conducted research and analyzing data in a detailed and scientific manner to accurately assess the benefits of program interventions. She is able to communicate these skills across all levels of the interdisciplinary research team. She is committed to ensuring efficient, high-impact and well-organized research studies and holds her students to these same standards. She is very deserving of this recognition.
Carol Vermeesch: Thank you for always being available and responding to the many needs and questions I had through the past year. As new faculty, your guidance has made me feel more welcomed at MSU and successful in being a Spartan Nurse!
Anne Thomas (Passed in July): Thank you for being inclusionary of all new faculty. I truly have felt very welcomed and set-up for success at MSU because of the environment you have created among faculty. This environment that is welcoming and supportive does not go unnoticed by our faculty, especially those of us that are new! Thank you!
Anyone can recognize a fellow Spartan for their contributions to MSU's teaching and learning mission or for how they made a lasting impression on your experience. All you have to do is click "Thank an Educator" in the left panel of iteach.msu.edu. From there you'll be directed to a form where you can enter the name, netID, and a short story of the educator you'd like to recognize.
Rebecca Boni: Thank you for being an amazing mentor, role model, and friend this past year at MSU. I appreciate our many chats whether it was work, school, or kid related. Your patience and prompt answers to my many questions/concerns was very appreciated. Excited that I am able to call you my friend and mentor!
Betty Buck: I appreciate your input and guidance on nursing matters and the fun we have when we get together! Thank you for being an amazing co-worker and friend!
Patrick Crane: As new faculty for NUR 460, you took the time to meet with me one on one and make sure I understood the course and how to communicate with preceptors-something I had never done before. While I did require a lot of support teaching this course for the first time, you understood and offered all the support and guidance I needed to help me be successful and the students as well. Thank you!
Izabella de Barbaro: Izabella is hands down the most passionate instructor I have had while at MSU and I am so grateful for her patience in teaching and contagious enthusiasm.
Pallav Deka: In the beginning of the semester, Dr. Deka told our pathophysiology class that it would be his first time teaching the class. Usually, it is professors talking about how great it was to see students grow, but this time I'd like to acknowledge how much Dr. Deka has improved already in just one semester. He made the class interesting and enjoyable, even when the information got hard. He was willing to work with students when they needed help and often stayed after class. There was not one single day that Dr. Deka was not willing to go above and beyond for his students, or just be generally kind to them. I hope that Dr. Deka will continue teaching this course, and as he did on the last day of class, finish the lecture slides all at once:) Thank you for a wonderful semester, Dr. Deka!
Jessica Ery: This semester was Dr. Ery's first semester teaching NUR 205 and she did a wonderful job. I feel very prepared to move on to the next step with the base knowledge she has provided us. There are a lot of things Dr. Ery did a lot of great things throughout the semester, but the thing that has made the largest impact on me was not a teaching moment. On our last clinical day, Dr. Ery took a guess at which type of nursing everyone in the clinical group would do. During the semester while I was waiting to find out her prediction for me, I thought it would just be fun to see how my instructor saw me. However, when she told me her guess, pediatric oncology, and the reasons she thought so, it opened my eyes to a type of nursing I had never considered before. Pediatric oncology is now at the top of my interests, but without Dr. Ery I may have never discovered this. So I would like to thank her for not only doing an incredible job of teaching us all, but also for making clinical a fun, safe environment and opening my eyes to an area of nursing that I believe I will one day love being a part of.
Joanne Golbert: Thank you for an amazing semester where you offered me a LOT of support and guidance on student issues that were new to me at MSU. I greatly appreciate you taking the time to help me navigate MSU policies and vesting in my success that in turn ensured students' success this semester. Thank you!
Stephanie Gray: Thank you for all the support and willingness to go above and beyond to make a learning event that much better for the DMC students. I appreciate your knowledge and willingness to share that knowledge with me to teach the future of our profession.
Andy Greger: Andy works tirelessly to support faculty and students successful navigation of all things technology to enhance the learning environment. He responds, without hesitation, to urgent calls about computer blue screens, presentation issues, to evaluating software, designing online learning environments, integration of technology and continuous faculty development and support. Most impressive - he is always patient, supportive, and professional.
Jackie Iseler: As my Academic Advisor in both my MSN CNS and now in my post masters DNP program Dr. Iseler has been extremely supportive and encouraging. Dr. Iseler often checks in to see how I am doing with course work and provides support as needed. I have also had Dr. Iseler as course faculty in many of my CNS courses and she always did a great job of incorporating real life examples from her own clinical setting into our instruction providing an authentic learning environment. I would like to thank Dr. Iseler for providing me the support and guidance I need as I work towards achieving my academic goals.
John Mailey John was the best clinical instructor I've ever had, and was by far the most influential in developing my clinical skills, knowledge, and confidence.
Emily McIntire: Emily McIntire is the director of the simulation lab and has developed a program of simulated learning at the College of Nursing that uses the best technology available. However, beyond that, she has amazing skills in developing real life scripted situations that allow nursing students to experience fully the minute to minute consequences of their nursing decisions in a high pressure setting. Over the past two years, Emily and I have been adopting and presenting the first ever community based simulation at the College of Nursing using the Missouri Community Action Network Poverty simulation kit. As we provide this simulation, Emily and I have become aware of the emotional aspect of this experience. She is currently exploring the concept of embodied learning in order to understand how simulation can provide more than kinesthetic based learning, but also help develop emotional intelligence and compassionate based care giving. This project has been presented at the National Conference for the Association of Contemplative Learning in Higher Education and is currently an active IRB based study with a manuscript in process. We can always train intelligent nurses, but exploring how to train wise and compassionate nurses is a more daunting task. I believe Emily McIntire is a champion and leader in this important area.
Kyle Miller: Bio was a hard subject for me to comprehend and Dr.Miller really made it more enjoyable and showed that he really cared when I was having difficulties
Francisika Nekaien: I appreciate the helpful and flexible office hour times and that the professor showed that she genuinely cared about students understanding of the material. I appreciate the professor's down to earth personality and also her patience when I was struggling to understand the material. Getting one on one help time surely help me understand the class material.
Kathleen Poindexter:
a) You are a wonderful leader, teacher, and friend. It is impossible to count the ways that you have helped me to achieve my professional and personal goals. Without you, I would not be the nurse, leader, or educator I am today. Thank you for believing in me and teaching me how to believe in myself.
b) Dr. Poindexter impacted my life tremendously as a graduate student at MSU in the MSN clinical nurse specialist (CNS) program. As a graduate student I had to balance many responsibilities (family/children, full time employment etc.). Dr. Poindexter gave me the support, encouragement, and guidance I needed to continue to achieve my goal of becoming a Masters prepared CNS. Dr. Poindexter was always there when I needed her, once when I was feeling very overwhelmed in my second semester of coursework I called Dr. Poindexter and her and I spoke for almost 2 hours and our conversation helped me to have a renewed sense of confidence and determination, this was a turning point for me in the program. Currently I am faculty in the CON at MSU and a Masters prepared CNS and again with Dr. Poindexter's encouragement and support I am continuing my education to pursue my post masters DNP. Dr. Poindexter is my faculty mentor and is helping me to transition into my faculty role at MSU as well. Dr. Poindexter is great role model and someone I greatly admire and would like to take this opportunity to recognize and thank her for the role she has played in my academic and professional career thus far.
c) Thank you for your assistance on my first poster presentation, promotion of an EBP clinical learning environment, and navigating scholarship at MSU. My success (current and future) is because you believed in me and guided me to the path I needed to be on. Thank you!
Amy Pollock: Dr. Pollock was an amazing professor. She knew her subject very well and made it as easy as possible for me to understand the material. She was also very helpful during her office hour and I would definitely have her again!
Lorraine Robbins: Dr. Robbins has provided guidance and support throughout my PhD Nursing Program at Michigan State University. She is always available and willing to share her vast experience in research. She has the nursing research experience to know and adhere to the ethical standards associated with conducting research. Her professionalism and expertise in nursing research should be applauded. Through her research experience she is well versed in conducted research and analyzing data in a detailed and scientific manner to accurately assess the benefits of program interventions. She is able to communicate these skills across all levels of the interdisciplinary research team. She is committed to ensuring efficient, high-impact and well-organized research studies and holds her students to these same standards. She is very deserving of this recognition.
Carol Vermeesch: Thank you for always being available and responding to the many needs and questions I had through the past year. As new faculty, your guidance has made me feel more welcomed at MSU and successful in being a Spartan Nurse!
Anne Thomas (Passed in July): Thank you for being inclusionary of all new faculty. I truly have felt very welcomed and set-up for success at MSU because of the environment you have created among faculty. This environment that is welcoming and supportive does not go unnoticed by our faculty, especially those of us that are new! Thank you!
Anyone can recognize a fellow Spartan for their contributions to MSU's teaching and learning mission or for how they made a lasting impression on your experience. All you have to do is click "Thank an Educator" in the left panel of iteach.msu.edu. From there you'll be directed to a form where you can enter the name, netID, and a short story of the educator you'd like to recognize.
Posted by: Makena Neal
Pedagogical Design
Posted on: #iteachmsu Educator...
College of Human Medicine 2022 #iteachmsu Educator Award Recipients
The following is a list of the educators receiving the #iteachmsu Educator Award from College of Engineering. For more information on these awards, check out the article entitled "#iteachmsu Educator Awards".
Steven Ashmead: Dr. Ashmead is always there for students and is very compassionate for their needs. He spends a lot of time trying to understand their problems and is a hearing board. He shares so much of his clinical experiences and expertise with students.Robert Malinowski: The Center for Teaching & Learning Innovation Kick-off Summit, held on January 14, 2022, wouldn't have been possible without participation from educators like you. I know that ongoing uncertainty and stress at work and at home mean many folx are spread thin, and your willingness to share your time with us demonstrates your commitment to not only educator development at MSU, but the university's teaching and learning mission as a whole. The insights you provided (and continue to provide through asynchronous feedback opportunities) are invaluable as we continue to listen, learn, and ultimately shape what role the Center for TLI plays for Spartans. Witnessing the level of engagement, passion, and constructively critical questioning - makes me all the more excited to be a part of the Center staff moving forward. I'm looking forward to continued opportunities to work with you in the near future. Thank you again for the service you provided to MSU by participating in the Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation Kick-off Summit!
Anyone can recognize a fellow Spartan for their contributions to MSU's teaching and learning mission or for how they made a lasting impression on your experience. All you have to do is click "Thank an Educator" in the left panel of iteach.msu.edu. From there you'll see a short form where you can enter the name, netID, and a short story of the educator you'd like to recognize.
Steven Ashmead: Dr. Ashmead is always there for students and is very compassionate for their needs. He spends a lot of time trying to understand their problems and is a hearing board. He shares so much of his clinical experiences and expertise with students.Robert Malinowski: The Center for Teaching & Learning Innovation Kick-off Summit, held on January 14, 2022, wouldn't have been possible without participation from educators like you. I know that ongoing uncertainty and stress at work and at home mean many folx are spread thin, and your willingness to share your time with us demonstrates your commitment to not only educator development at MSU, but the university's teaching and learning mission as a whole. The insights you provided (and continue to provide through asynchronous feedback opportunities) are invaluable as we continue to listen, learn, and ultimately shape what role the Center for TLI plays for Spartans. Witnessing the level of engagement, passion, and constructively critical questioning - makes me all the more excited to be a part of the Center staff moving forward. I'm looking forward to continued opportunities to work with you in the near future. Thank you again for the service you provided to MSU by participating in the Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation Kick-off Summit!
Anyone can recognize a fellow Spartan for their contributions to MSU's teaching and learning mission or for how they made a lasting impression on your experience. All you have to do is click "Thank an Educator" in the left panel of iteach.msu.edu. From there you'll see a short form where you can enter the name, netID, and a short story of the educator you'd like to recognize.
Posted by: Makena Neal
Pedagogical Design
Posted on: #iteachmsu Educator...
College of Engineering 2021 #iteachmsu Educator Award Recipients
The following is a list of the educators receiving the #iteachmsu Educator Award from the College of Engineering. For more information on these awards, check out the article entitled "#iteachmsu Educator Awards".
Ian Hildebrandt: Ian has gone above and beyond during this past year. As a senior doctoral student on our team, he took it upon himself to create tutorials, weekly research training sessions, and regular check-ins with our group of undergraduates last summer, in order to create positive remote research experiences and maintain professional connections for those undergraduates during the period when they could not be working in our laboratory. Additionally, he has very effectively assumed significant project management responsibilities in a multi-institutional project, which have been important in building collegial relationships in a new project partnership.
Corey Gamache: This guy is the toughest person I know in ME. He survived teaching a lab class by himself in a pandemic while also taking classes and doing research. I would like to nominate this man for a Purple Heart.
Anyone can recognize a fellow Spartan for their contributions to MSU's teaching and learning mission or for how they made a lasting impression on your experience. All you have to do is click "Thank an Educator" in the left panel of iteach.msu.edu. From there you'll see a short form where you can enter the name, netID, and a short story of the educator you'd like to recognize.
Ian Hildebrandt: Ian has gone above and beyond during this past year. As a senior doctoral student on our team, he took it upon himself to create tutorials, weekly research training sessions, and regular check-ins with our group of undergraduates last summer, in order to create positive remote research experiences and maintain professional connections for those undergraduates during the period when they could not be working in our laboratory. Additionally, he has very effectively assumed significant project management responsibilities in a multi-institutional project, which have been important in building collegial relationships in a new project partnership.
Corey Gamache: This guy is the toughest person I know in ME. He survived teaching a lab class by himself in a pandemic while also taking classes and doing research. I would like to nominate this man for a Purple Heart.
Anyone can recognize a fellow Spartan for their contributions to MSU's teaching and learning mission or for how they made a lasting impression on your experience. All you have to do is click "Thank an Educator" in the left panel of iteach.msu.edu. From there you'll see a short form where you can enter the name, netID, and a short story of the educator you'd like to recognize.
Posted by: Makena Neal
Pedagogical Design
Posted on: #iteachmsu Educator...
College of Nursing 2022 #iteachmsu Educator Award Recipients
The following is a list of the educators receiving the #iteachmsu Educator Award from College of Nursing. For more information on these awards, check out the article entitled "#iteachmsu Educator Awards".
Kathleen Poindexter: She provides me guidance, opportunities and supports. She also respects my ideas and choices.
…
I appreciate your advocacy for the faculty!
Andy Greger: The Center for Teaching & Learning Innovation Kick-off Summit, held on January 14, 2022, wouldn't have been possible without participation from educators like you. I know that ongoing uncertainty and stress at work and at home mean many folx are spread thin, and your willingness to share your time with us demonstrates your commitment to not only educator development at MSU, but the university's teaching and learning mission as a whole. The insights you provided (and continue to provide through asynchronous feedback opportunities) are invaluable as we continue to listen, learn, and ultimately shape what role the Center for TLI plays for Spartans. Witnessing the level of engagement, passion, and constructively critical questioning - makes me all the more excited to be a part of the Center staff moving forward. I'm looking forward to continued opportunities to work with you in the near future. Thank you again for the service you provided to MSU by participating in the Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation Kick-off Summit!
Anyone can recognize a fellow Spartan for their contributions to MSU's teaching and learning mission or for how they made a lasting impression on your experience. All you have to do is click "Thank an Educator" in the left panel of iteach.msu.edu. From there you'll see a short form where you can enter the name, netID, and a short story of the educator you'd like to recognize.
Kathleen Poindexter: She provides me guidance, opportunities and supports. She also respects my ideas and choices.
…
I appreciate your advocacy for the faculty!
Andy Greger: The Center for Teaching & Learning Innovation Kick-off Summit, held on January 14, 2022, wouldn't have been possible without participation from educators like you. I know that ongoing uncertainty and stress at work and at home mean many folx are spread thin, and your willingness to share your time with us demonstrates your commitment to not only educator development at MSU, but the university's teaching and learning mission as a whole. The insights you provided (and continue to provide through asynchronous feedback opportunities) are invaluable as we continue to listen, learn, and ultimately shape what role the Center for TLI plays for Spartans. Witnessing the level of engagement, passion, and constructively critical questioning - makes me all the more excited to be a part of the Center staff moving forward. I'm looking forward to continued opportunities to work with you in the near future. Thank you again for the service you provided to MSU by participating in the Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation Kick-off Summit!
Anyone can recognize a fellow Spartan for their contributions to MSU's teaching and learning mission or for how they made a lasting impression on your experience. All you have to do is click "Thank an Educator" in the left panel of iteach.msu.edu. From there you'll see a short form where you can enter the name, netID, and a short story of the educator you'd like to recognize.
Posted by: Makena Neal
Pedagogical Design
Posted on: #iteachmsu Educator...
College of Arts & Letters 2020 #iteachmsu Educator Award Recipients
The following is a list of the educators receiving the #iteachmsu Educator Award from the College of Arts & Letters. For more information on these awards, check out the article entitled "#iteachmsu Educator Awards".
Marcos Serafim: Marcos Serafim is a Brazilian multidisciplinary artist working with new media and video in his third year as an MFA candidate. He has exhibited work at the 5th and 6th Ghetto Biennale in Haiti; the Oscar Niemeyer Museum in Brazil; the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC), the Queens Museum, and Flux Factory in New York. His work has been screened in film festivals in multiple countries, including the Cine Esquema Novo Film Festival in Brazil (Audience Choice Second Best Short), Israel`s Horn Festival for Experimental Films (Jury's Second Prize),Northampton Film Festival in Massachusetts (Jury's Honorable Mention for Short Experimental), and Faito Doc Festival in Italy (Young Jury's Honorable Mention for Short Documentary). His projects have been regularly funded by grants and scholarships in Brazil, Sweden and the United States; including the Collaborative Arts And Design Research Grant from Michigan State University and the Santa Catarina State Award for Film Production in Brazil. His outstanding research helped to strengthened his undergraduate teaching. With his background in film/video Marcos developed and taught an upper-level course, Experiments in Digital Video. This was a completely new course offering and is now being taught by him for the second time.
As his Major Professor it has been my privilege to mentor such a talented artist and scholar. I thank him.
Michael McCune: Michael has been an invaluable support this past semester. Even though I have never taken a class with him, he helped me figure out key elements of my exhibition. He was always excited to solve problems that I was facing and offered solutions that I had not considered. His words of support, praise, and laughter have been invaluable. I am inspired by his spirit of making/doing and his ability to think outside the box, way outside of it. Thank you, Michael.
Alex Nichols: Alex Nichols is a storehouse of knowledge when it comes to photography, printing, photobooks, and so much else. Over the past year he has answered so many of my questions, pushed me to consider other ideas, and cheered me on as I take on projects. His support and mentorship have been invaluable to me and I am so grateful. I am inspired by his willingness and excitement to solve problems, to think through ideas, and to support in ways that only he can. Every time I walk into his office, he is excited to answer my questions. Even when it is the 897425847th one in 3 days. I have learned so much from Alex and am grateful for his mentorship and friendship.
Walt Peebles: Walt has had a significant impact on my doctoral journey. He has helped me in numerous ways and most importantly, his passion for teaching and problem solving are infectious. Several times this past semester I went to Walt with challenges I was facing. He always helped me out, patiently listening to me and then thinking/making/doing with me to figure out a solution. Walt is one of the most passionate teachers I have met at MSU and I am so grateful for his support, mentorship, and guidance!
Jacquelynn Sullivan: Jacquelynn is an educator that we don't deserve but need! Over the past year, Jacquelynn has supported my projects tirelessly, helping me think through various aspects of my exhibition. I would not have been able to do any of the work without her unending support. I am amazed and inspired by her commitment towards her work, her students, and everyone who works in the Art Department. I have learned so much from her and will continue to do so. Her ability to support students in helping them create their best work is truly stunning and inspirational. Educators like Jacquelynn allow MSU and the students enrolled here to be successful not just academically but also as whole human beings. I am grateful to know her and to be able to learn and laugh with her.
Kate Sonka: Kate supports education at all levels. She takes students on study away programs to teach them about accessibility, and in doing so, teaches them how to be better advocates for users. Whether it is developing a class that introduces accessibility to students in the humanities or planning a study abroad to Europe that explores international accessibility and sustainability, Kate is an inspiration to all educators as we strive to create more inclusive and accessible learning environments for students.
Paula Winke: Dr. Paula Winke makes room in her instruction for the whole student. Activities in her classes are experiential and relevant to students' experiences, and I have personally benefitted a great deal in our advising sessions from her willingness to broach topics of family life, seeking work/life balance, and being a parent in academia. Thank you, Dr. Winke!
Lorelei Blackburn: Lorelei is a BSP faculty fellow this year. She has had a very difficult section of ANR 210, but has done an excellent job stretching herself as the course convener to push the students to take ownership of their learning. You have helped to design a learning environment where students are able to build community and challenge ways of knowing. Bravo to you Lorelei!
Bruno Ford: Working with Bruno Ford has been such a wonderful and rewarding experience. Bruno was my student as an undergraduate, and seeing a student fall in love with Medieval Literature as I have, and to pursue it as one's life passion has been an incredibly validating journey to watch as a professor. Bruno and I are currently working on a volume of the early Robin Hood ballads as a teaching tool, and I thank Bruno for his incredible insight, knowledge, and awareness as we work together in framing these texts within a larger LGBTQ+ lens.
Justin Wigard: What comes to mind when I think of Justin? Dedicated, smart, and compassionate. He is committed to sharing his passion with students, friends, and colleagues. In the classroom he empowers students to be creative, in seminars and workshops he support the intellectual growth. He thinks and acts as a teacher-scholars that is ready to help make sense of the complexities of the 21st century.
Kaylin Smith: Kaylin will graduate this summer and we'll be sorry to lose her. She has served -- among other roles -- as president of the Linguistics program's graduate student organization, as organizer of our bi-annual grad student research conference GLEAMS, and this year as a Graduate School Writing Fellow. Kaylin has also been a tremendous academic mentor to students in the EEG/Psycholinguistics Lab, teaching them how to use neurolinguistic equipment, and as a social mentor to new and continuing students in the progam.
Adam Gacs: Adam is a quiet leader, whose excellence and care is only known to those, who are lucky enough to work with him or learn from him. He has single-handedly developed a two-year online German course series, which has brought language instruction to so many new audiences at MSU and beyond and has turned out to be a fabulous environment for supporting students with disabilities. Just the other day, a student disclosed that he would have quit college all together, if it had not been for the community, connection, and engagement that he experienced in Adam’s online course. But Adam is so much more than just an excellent classroom teacher. He is a full-body, whole-hearted educator. Adam exemplifies the generosity and collaboration at the heart of MSU’s teaching and learning mission. As a mentor and colleague, he is always willing to share his technical expertise, create new materials (and fix every broken link and error in existing materials), facilitate learning across platforms to meet students where they are. His patience in teaching students in his classrooms, coordinating the online TAs, and assisting his peers knows no limits. Regardless of your skills in language and/or technology, Adam always makes you feel comfortable and supported. He assumes no background knowledge and starts his educating at your level.
It is high time that we say thank you to Adam for all that he has done for the German program as an educator!
Amelia Stieren: Amelia Stieren is currently the graduate student representative in the German Program, and I am also serving as her MA advisor. In her role as grad rep, she is an important conduit of communication: she attends faculty meetings, bringing grad student concerns to our attention and relaying back to her fellow students our responses and other important information. She has also been very active in building up the contact among grad students across several grad programs (German, French, and Spanish). For this good work, we in the German Program are very thankful to Amelia! On a personal level, Amelia has had quite a positive impact on me. In our first advising meeting last fall, she expressed her goal to work with more intention this academic year. I shared this perspective with the other students in our graduate colloquium, encouraging them to keep this in mind as they work throughout the year, and I continue to strive to work with this kind of focus myself. From casual conversations about teaching to serious discussions of her thesis to difficult discussions of personal loss, I always come away from our interactions feeling inspired, having reflected together on what it means to be an educator, a scholar, and a “Mensch”. For this, I am very thankful!
Maria Buttiler: I’m so pleased to recognize Maria Belen Buttiler for her dedication and outstanding contributions to the International teaching Assistant (ITA) Program. Maria, who is an international student herself, was awarded the ITA Program Pronunciation Instruction Fellowship for three semesters and has the served the ITA Program by assisting other international students with their pronunciation and presentation skills. She is highly motivated and passionate, and always goes the extra mile to help the students she is working with, whether that means researching additional strategies and tools or preparing helpful learning materials tailored to specific student needs. Maria is also always ready and willing to share her knowledge and work with her peers. As her supervisor, I have found that I have learned a great deal from her as well. Thank you, Maria!
Tamoha Siddiqui: Within the first few days of classes being moved online, Tamoha created a virtual WhatsApp group chat that gathered many first and second year students in the MA TESOL and SLS PhD programs. Knowing ahead of time the challenges of isolation that this time could bring, Tamoha was proactive and sought to gather everyone together for a place of mutual support and encouragement. Thank you for spreading the love, Tamoha!
Catherine Barland: Catherine has been a great student in the French program. As a TA, she has a very strong commitment to teaching excellence. As a student, she is a pleasure to have in class, always making positive and intelligent comments in class. As my RA, she has saved me a lot of time by transcribing recordings meticulously. She is dedicated to her students as well as her academic work. Merci Catherine!
Sarah Brundrett: Sarah is full of energy and positivity. She brings both of these things to every class she teaches and takes and can always be found with a smile on her face. During her MA program, she's been working very hard on all of her classes, showing her commitment to learning. But her heart and focus are on teaching. That's why she is writing a teaching portfolio in which she is developing writing activities that the French program will be using next year. Merci Sarah!
Katie Rottman: Katie loves teaching the French language. During her MA program, she's been working very hard on all of her classes, showing her commitment to learning. But her heart and focus are on teaching. For her MA project, she's chosen to develop an entire chapter for the online textbook we're going to use in the future. Students are going to learn French for many years to come thanks to her work. Merci Katie!
Caitlin Cornell: Caitlin Cornell has been working tirelessly to improve access to education and other resources for the community at large. She has shared resources and taught people how to keep their courses accessible even during this transition to online. She has led several learning communities that have a great focus on inclusivity and equity, while also being interdisciplinary (e.g., the Applied Scholars group housed in the SLS program and an accessibility learning group that developed out of a course she taught). A Lansing native, she has also been committed to her community delivering meals and other resources to struggling families.
Claire Wilcher: Claire came to MSU as more of a colleague than student and inspires others to do their best work. Claire is an exceptional actor, student, and educator and will be a major force of change in our profession.
Kate Fedewa: Kate displays a vast knowledge of pedagogy and practice. She is consistently working with students in her writing, editing, publishing, and grammar classes to prepare them for work beyond MSU - combining her professional experience as a published author with her passion for teaching. She cares deeply about pedagogy and is developing new methods to be used to assess how we teach and support teachers of Professional and Public Writing.
Mike Ristich: Mike has excelled as a teacher and a mentor for students in his Prep for College Writing and First-Year Writing classes at MSU. He is deliberate in how he takes time to work with students so they can be successful in the classroom and beyond. When I think about what it means to be a caring teacher, I think about how Mike works with his students and supports them at all levels.
Madeline Shellgren: Maddie has made (and continues to make) invaluable contributions to MSU's campus. She volunteers her time to efforts and initiatives that are important to her, despite working full time and pursuing her doctorate. She cares deeply for her colleagues and the spartan community which she has shown as program coordinator, coach, and educator.
Kenlea Pebbles: Kenlea not only focuses her work on interdisciplinary approaches to help us understand the importance of environmental health, she does so in ways that can affect our lives as teachers and learners. Her presentation in my environmental writing course inspired us all to think more deeply and more compassionately about how the language and frames we use might affect environmental studies and, as one students put it, "how language and assumptions can limit how we care about and for the earth.
Pia Banzhaf: Upon entering Deutsch 101 I was very uncertain as to if I would continue learning Deutsch after 101 and how the class would go in general. But I was overwhelmed with the kindness of Frau Dr. Banzhaf and her abilities to make me feel conformable and welcome in our small Deutsch Gemeinde. This class made me develop a love for Deutsch Kultur and I believe that is now never going to change, and I owe that to Frau Dr.Banzhaf. Deutsch is one of the most important things in my life now because of the Deutsch Gemeinde that Frau Dr.Banzhaf created for me.
Leonie Hintze: Vielen Vielen Dank! You were amazing last semster and I really hope you conitnue to spread your knwoldege wherever you go! Stay safe!
Anyone can recognize a fellow Spartan for their contributions to MSU's teaching and learning mission or for how they made a lasting impression on your experience. All you have to do is click "Thank an Educator" in the left panel of iteach.msu.edu. From there you'll be directed to a form where you can enter the name, netID, and a short story of the educator you'd like to recognize.
Marcos Serafim: Marcos Serafim is a Brazilian multidisciplinary artist working with new media and video in his third year as an MFA candidate. He has exhibited work at the 5th and 6th Ghetto Biennale in Haiti; the Oscar Niemeyer Museum in Brazil; the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC), the Queens Museum, and Flux Factory in New York. His work has been screened in film festivals in multiple countries, including the Cine Esquema Novo Film Festival in Brazil (Audience Choice Second Best Short), Israel`s Horn Festival for Experimental Films (Jury's Second Prize),Northampton Film Festival in Massachusetts (Jury's Honorable Mention for Short Experimental), and Faito Doc Festival in Italy (Young Jury's Honorable Mention for Short Documentary). His projects have been regularly funded by grants and scholarships in Brazil, Sweden and the United States; including the Collaborative Arts And Design Research Grant from Michigan State University and the Santa Catarina State Award for Film Production in Brazil. His outstanding research helped to strengthened his undergraduate teaching. With his background in film/video Marcos developed and taught an upper-level course, Experiments in Digital Video. This was a completely new course offering and is now being taught by him for the second time.
As his Major Professor it has been my privilege to mentor such a talented artist and scholar. I thank him.
Michael McCune: Michael has been an invaluable support this past semester. Even though I have never taken a class with him, he helped me figure out key elements of my exhibition. He was always excited to solve problems that I was facing and offered solutions that I had not considered. His words of support, praise, and laughter have been invaluable. I am inspired by his spirit of making/doing and his ability to think outside the box, way outside of it. Thank you, Michael.
Alex Nichols: Alex Nichols is a storehouse of knowledge when it comes to photography, printing, photobooks, and so much else. Over the past year he has answered so many of my questions, pushed me to consider other ideas, and cheered me on as I take on projects. His support and mentorship have been invaluable to me and I am so grateful. I am inspired by his willingness and excitement to solve problems, to think through ideas, and to support in ways that only he can. Every time I walk into his office, he is excited to answer my questions. Even when it is the 897425847th one in 3 days. I have learned so much from Alex and am grateful for his mentorship and friendship.
Walt Peebles: Walt has had a significant impact on my doctoral journey. He has helped me in numerous ways and most importantly, his passion for teaching and problem solving are infectious. Several times this past semester I went to Walt with challenges I was facing. He always helped me out, patiently listening to me and then thinking/making/doing with me to figure out a solution. Walt is one of the most passionate teachers I have met at MSU and I am so grateful for his support, mentorship, and guidance!
Jacquelynn Sullivan: Jacquelynn is an educator that we don't deserve but need! Over the past year, Jacquelynn has supported my projects tirelessly, helping me think through various aspects of my exhibition. I would not have been able to do any of the work without her unending support. I am amazed and inspired by her commitment towards her work, her students, and everyone who works in the Art Department. I have learned so much from her and will continue to do so. Her ability to support students in helping them create their best work is truly stunning and inspirational. Educators like Jacquelynn allow MSU and the students enrolled here to be successful not just academically but also as whole human beings. I am grateful to know her and to be able to learn and laugh with her.
Kate Sonka: Kate supports education at all levels. She takes students on study away programs to teach them about accessibility, and in doing so, teaches them how to be better advocates for users. Whether it is developing a class that introduces accessibility to students in the humanities or planning a study abroad to Europe that explores international accessibility and sustainability, Kate is an inspiration to all educators as we strive to create more inclusive and accessible learning environments for students.
Paula Winke: Dr. Paula Winke makes room in her instruction for the whole student. Activities in her classes are experiential and relevant to students' experiences, and I have personally benefitted a great deal in our advising sessions from her willingness to broach topics of family life, seeking work/life balance, and being a parent in academia. Thank you, Dr. Winke!
Lorelei Blackburn: Lorelei is a BSP faculty fellow this year. She has had a very difficult section of ANR 210, but has done an excellent job stretching herself as the course convener to push the students to take ownership of their learning. You have helped to design a learning environment where students are able to build community and challenge ways of knowing. Bravo to you Lorelei!
Bruno Ford: Working with Bruno Ford has been such a wonderful and rewarding experience. Bruno was my student as an undergraduate, and seeing a student fall in love with Medieval Literature as I have, and to pursue it as one's life passion has been an incredibly validating journey to watch as a professor. Bruno and I are currently working on a volume of the early Robin Hood ballads as a teaching tool, and I thank Bruno for his incredible insight, knowledge, and awareness as we work together in framing these texts within a larger LGBTQ+ lens.
Justin Wigard: What comes to mind when I think of Justin? Dedicated, smart, and compassionate. He is committed to sharing his passion with students, friends, and colleagues. In the classroom he empowers students to be creative, in seminars and workshops he support the intellectual growth. He thinks and acts as a teacher-scholars that is ready to help make sense of the complexities of the 21st century.
Kaylin Smith: Kaylin will graduate this summer and we'll be sorry to lose her. She has served -- among other roles -- as president of the Linguistics program's graduate student organization, as organizer of our bi-annual grad student research conference GLEAMS, and this year as a Graduate School Writing Fellow. Kaylin has also been a tremendous academic mentor to students in the EEG/Psycholinguistics Lab, teaching them how to use neurolinguistic equipment, and as a social mentor to new and continuing students in the progam.
Adam Gacs: Adam is a quiet leader, whose excellence and care is only known to those, who are lucky enough to work with him or learn from him. He has single-handedly developed a two-year online German course series, which has brought language instruction to so many new audiences at MSU and beyond and has turned out to be a fabulous environment for supporting students with disabilities. Just the other day, a student disclosed that he would have quit college all together, if it had not been for the community, connection, and engagement that he experienced in Adam’s online course. But Adam is so much more than just an excellent classroom teacher. He is a full-body, whole-hearted educator. Adam exemplifies the generosity and collaboration at the heart of MSU’s teaching and learning mission. As a mentor and colleague, he is always willing to share his technical expertise, create new materials (and fix every broken link and error in existing materials), facilitate learning across platforms to meet students where they are. His patience in teaching students in his classrooms, coordinating the online TAs, and assisting his peers knows no limits. Regardless of your skills in language and/or technology, Adam always makes you feel comfortable and supported. He assumes no background knowledge and starts his educating at your level.
It is high time that we say thank you to Adam for all that he has done for the German program as an educator!
Amelia Stieren: Amelia Stieren is currently the graduate student representative in the German Program, and I am also serving as her MA advisor. In her role as grad rep, she is an important conduit of communication: she attends faculty meetings, bringing grad student concerns to our attention and relaying back to her fellow students our responses and other important information. She has also been very active in building up the contact among grad students across several grad programs (German, French, and Spanish). For this good work, we in the German Program are very thankful to Amelia! On a personal level, Amelia has had quite a positive impact on me. In our first advising meeting last fall, she expressed her goal to work with more intention this academic year. I shared this perspective with the other students in our graduate colloquium, encouraging them to keep this in mind as they work throughout the year, and I continue to strive to work with this kind of focus myself. From casual conversations about teaching to serious discussions of her thesis to difficult discussions of personal loss, I always come away from our interactions feeling inspired, having reflected together on what it means to be an educator, a scholar, and a “Mensch”. For this, I am very thankful!
Maria Buttiler: I’m so pleased to recognize Maria Belen Buttiler for her dedication and outstanding contributions to the International teaching Assistant (ITA) Program. Maria, who is an international student herself, was awarded the ITA Program Pronunciation Instruction Fellowship for three semesters and has the served the ITA Program by assisting other international students with their pronunciation and presentation skills. She is highly motivated and passionate, and always goes the extra mile to help the students she is working with, whether that means researching additional strategies and tools or preparing helpful learning materials tailored to specific student needs. Maria is also always ready and willing to share her knowledge and work with her peers. As her supervisor, I have found that I have learned a great deal from her as well. Thank you, Maria!
Tamoha Siddiqui: Within the first few days of classes being moved online, Tamoha created a virtual WhatsApp group chat that gathered many first and second year students in the MA TESOL and SLS PhD programs. Knowing ahead of time the challenges of isolation that this time could bring, Tamoha was proactive and sought to gather everyone together for a place of mutual support and encouragement. Thank you for spreading the love, Tamoha!
Catherine Barland: Catherine has been a great student in the French program. As a TA, she has a very strong commitment to teaching excellence. As a student, she is a pleasure to have in class, always making positive and intelligent comments in class. As my RA, she has saved me a lot of time by transcribing recordings meticulously. She is dedicated to her students as well as her academic work. Merci Catherine!
Sarah Brundrett: Sarah is full of energy and positivity. She brings both of these things to every class she teaches and takes and can always be found with a smile on her face. During her MA program, she's been working very hard on all of her classes, showing her commitment to learning. But her heart and focus are on teaching. That's why she is writing a teaching portfolio in which she is developing writing activities that the French program will be using next year. Merci Sarah!
Katie Rottman: Katie loves teaching the French language. During her MA program, she's been working very hard on all of her classes, showing her commitment to learning. But her heart and focus are on teaching. For her MA project, she's chosen to develop an entire chapter for the online textbook we're going to use in the future. Students are going to learn French for many years to come thanks to her work. Merci Katie!
Caitlin Cornell: Caitlin Cornell has been working tirelessly to improve access to education and other resources for the community at large. She has shared resources and taught people how to keep their courses accessible even during this transition to online. She has led several learning communities that have a great focus on inclusivity and equity, while also being interdisciplinary (e.g., the Applied Scholars group housed in the SLS program and an accessibility learning group that developed out of a course she taught). A Lansing native, she has also been committed to her community delivering meals and other resources to struggling families.
Claire Wilcher: Claire came to MSU as more of a colleague than student and inspires others to do their best work. Claire is an exceptional actor, student, and educator and will be a major force of change in our profession.
Kate Fedewa: Kate displays a vast knowledge of pedagogy and practice. She is consistently working with students in her writing, editing, publishing, and grammar classes to prepare them for work beyond MSU - combining her professional experience as a published author with her passion for teaching. She cares deeply about pedagogy and is developing new methods to be used to assess how we teach and support teachers of Professional and Public Writing.
Mike Ristich: Mike has excelled as a teacher and a mentor for students in his Prep for College Writing and First-Year Writing classes at MSU. He is deliberate in how he takes time to work with students so they can be successful in the classroom and beyond. When I think about what it means to be a caring teacher, I think about how Mike works with his students and supports them at all levels.
Madeline Shellgren: Maddie has made (and continues to make) invaluable contributions to MSU's campus. She volunteers her time to efforts and initiatives that are important to her, despite working full time and pursuing her doctorate. She cares deeply for her colleagues and the spartan community which she has shown as program coordinator, coach, and educator.
Kenlea Pebbles: Kenlea not only focuses her work on interdisciplinary approaches to help us understand the importance of environmental health, she does so in ways that can affect our lives as teachers and learners. Her presentation in my environmental writing course inspired us all to think more deeply and more compassionately about how the language and frames we use might affect environmental studies and, as one students put it, "how language and assumptions can limit how we care about and for the earth.
Pia Banzhaf: Upon entering Deutsch 101 I was very uncertain as to if I would continue learning Deutsch after 101 and how the class would go in general. But I was overwhelmed with the kindness of Frau Dr. Banzhaf and her abilities to make me feel conformable and welcome in our small Deutsch Gemeinde. This class made me develop a love for Deutsch Kultur and I believe that is now never going to change, and I owe that to Frau Dr.Banzhaf. Deutsch is one of the most important things in my life now because of the Deutsch Gemeinde that Frau Dr.Banzhaf created for me.
Leonie Hintze: Vielen Vielen Dank! You were amazing last semster and I really hope you conitnue to spread your knwoldege wherever you go! Stay safe!
Anyone can recognize a fellow Spartan for their contributions to MSU's teaching and learning mission or for how they made a lasting impression on your experience. All you have to do is click "Thank an Educator" in the left panel of iteach.msu.edu. From there you'll be directed to a form where you can enter the name, netID, and a short story of the educator you'd like to recognize.
Posted by: Makena Neal
Pedagogical Design
Posted on: #iteachmsu Educator...
College of Arts & Letters 2021 #iteachmsu Educator Award Recipients
The following is a list of the educators receiving the #iteachmsu Educator Award from the College of Arts and Letters. For more information on these awards, check out the article entitled "#iteachmsu Educator Awards".
Deric McNish: Deric is an outstanding educator, for sure. But he is also an exceptional colleague and I just want people to recognize his compassionate and thoughtful approach to holistic learning and his coordination and organization of the largest population in our department-- the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting. He is a wonderful leader in that program. He also inspires me to be more thoughtful with decisions I make through his guidance and examples. He is a colleague and peer that inspires me and others.
Danielle Devoss: Danielle is an inspirational leader and guide. I have worked with her on numerous projects-- or more likely watched her work. She is tireless and completely focused and committed. I am constantly inspired by her dedication and selfless willingness to help and guide.
Krsna Santos: Herr Santos has been one of the most considerate Professors I've had in my Freshman year so far. Starting off school online with this pandemic and all has not been easy but I've never had to stress out with Herr Santos and his class, as he is very understanding of the circumstances and is willing to make compromises to help me succeed.
Hannah Allen: Professor Allen has been extremely helpful in my first year as a freshman here at MSU. Her method for preparing for and going over essays is less stressful and she is always willing to offer additional assistance if needed. She is very kind and considerate as well, especially when connection issues arise.
Adam Gacs: I dropped out of GRM 202 the first time I tried to take it. I felt overwhelmed and I was drowning. After I left nearly the entire first test blank, I dropped the class. It took two years before I tried again, this time with Adam Gacs. Under his gentle guidance, I’ve been able to maintain a 4.0 and grow in my confidence. I no longer worry about not having all the words or stumbling over grammar. I think confidence was the one place my German knowledge was really failing, and I feel like I’ve gotten to be much more capable.
He’s also done an incredibly good job at teaching a language online. We seem to all be pretty in tune with each other in class and he lets us have fun and make jokes (as long as they’re in German!) and we have a genuinely good time. The assignments are easy to find and follow, and I never feel overwhelmed with work in his class like I have in language classes previously.
Massive thanks to Adam Gacs.
Nicola Imbrascio: She has been one of the most impactful professors I have had in my time at MSU, and my field isn't even related to what I learned in her classes. She cares so much about her students in both their academic and personal lives. I learned so much in both of the classes I took with her because she is so engaging and you can tell that she is really passionate about what she teaches.
Dr. Sheila Contreras: I would like to thank Dr. Contreras for taking the time to mentor me and other individuals like me. She has always demonstrated care and an interest to see us succeed. She is an extraordinary Latina on our campus and deserves to be recognized for her effort in supporting our community. She has gone above and beyond to see us get into graduate school. She continues to motivate other Latinx individuals to continue their education. I appreciate her effort.
Morgan Shipley: Morgan Shipley is one of the most genuine professors I have ever had. Every class he shows how much he cares for his students and lets us know he is there for us.
Kenlea Pebbles: My freshman year I had professor Pebbles and I enjoyed her class so much. She brought so much positive energy to each class and I still appreciate it today. I remember being a freshman in my fall semester and professor Pebbles made everyone feel so welcomed, it did not feel like I was a first year student that was new to everything. I still use all of the writing skills that Kenlea taught me in my junior year now. Thank you!!
Ann Larabee: I really enjoyed the chance to team-teach the grad seminar on popular culture studies. I also learned a lot from your choice of materials and general expertise in the field. It was especially cool to bring in materials and ideas from JPC. The Zoom sessions with various experts around the country were an added bonus. We created a good dynamic environment for the students.
Mohammad Khalil: A wonderful colleague, Mohammad has enthusiastically come to speak to my Music in Religion course for the last several years. Despite his very busy schedule, he makes time to speak about Muslim popular music, something I knew nothing about before he first visited. Each time he comes with fresh examples and I learn something new. Students invariably remember these visits as one of their favorite lessons from the course.
Kate Sonka: I would like to thank Kate Sonka for her continual student-perspective taking and advocacy. Her efforts have improved the numerous roles she fills across campus, representing our diversity of students and their perspectives in the policy and procedures that are developed. This recently played out more directly in Kate's own class, when one of her students presented at the national Accessible Learning Conference. When the student was asked about where she had experienced any good examples of inclusive teaching, she mentioned her experience in Kate's course. Kate supports those around her, connects relevant communities, and promotes the widest possible range of voices. With Kate Sonka at our institution, our courses, committees, and communities are richer, getting us closer to the ideal of a public land-grant institution of higher learning.
Peter Hoffman: Professor Hoffman goes out of his way to make each and every student feel connected and appreciated. I e-mailed him once apologizing for my recent late assignments due to the stress of online classes. I was struggling and felt overwhelmed, but his kind reply gave me hope that things would get better. He even told me to e-mail him any time I needed words of encouragement. He does an amazing job making online classes positive and stress free while teaching his students the importance of poetry. Aside from poetry, Professor Hoffman gives valuable life lessons and makes each student a better person because of it.
Hui-Ling Malone: In her first year at MSU, Dr. Malone has impacted all of her students so much. She re-kindled my love of teaching, and gave us all confidence in our writing skills as a class.
Amy Lampe: Amy is hands-down the best advisor on campus. She genuinely cares about her students and coworkers, and has cheerleaded me from day one. She's always there for anyone who needs an advisor, friend, or mom figure in their life.
Kate Birdsall
Dr. Birdsall believed in me when it felt like no one else did. She encouraged my best work and gave me hope for my future in academia.
Learning from KB has truly been the highlight of my experience at MSU. This institution sucks (sorry not sorry), but Kate Birdsall ROCKS. I had the true pleasure of having her for advanced fiction writing as a fluke when the other semester was out. That was three semesters ago and I have taken class with her each semester since. In person and on zoom, Kate cultivates a powerful environment of camaraderie and caring that makes all the difference, especially during the pandemic. She asks her students how they are and cares about the answer. She pushes her students, particularly those writing for The Current in WRA 480, to produce the best work they can and, when she's your teacher, you want nothing more than to make her proud by doing just that. And you do. I am an incomparably better writer, editor, and communicator because I've worked with KB.
KB has given me the best academic experience during my time at MSU by far. She has a way with words and working to direct a team that I have yet to see replicated at this institution. Whether it be her gracious understanding of the tricky circumstances of life or her ability to relate to the class and what concerns them the most, she's all-around fantastic. She has made a considerable and positive impact on how I will view MSU in the future as I prepare for graduation this summer. My biggest regret is not having her as a professor sooner.
Kathryn Houghton: Kathryn has been an amazing professor. During this semester, she fostered a classroom environment via Zoom that encouraged not only participation, but the challenge of arguing a dissenting opinion. I was uninterested in the subject matter before this class, but quickly became enamored by it after beginning. She utilized appropriate virtual resources to aid in better understanding her well-polished slides for class. Also, the dogs this semester were a cute and uplifting addition.
Kate Fedewa:
Professor Kate Fedewa is personable instructor who always makes sure her students are doing their best and is very understanding when extra time is needed on an assignment. She begins ever class asking how her students are and any news in their lives. I want to thank her for making my senior year not as stressful and always being there to help and talk.
Kate's Rhetoric of Grammar class has been my favorite of this very difficult semester. I was (most) always excited to hop out of bed once a week for this 8:30 class because Kate never failed to make it more than worth my while with engaging discussion and insightful lessons. She also manages to create a fruitful discussion environment on Zoom, for which she has absolutely earned some kind of medal. Each week she came up with practical exercises to do in breakout rooms which helped to demystify complex grammatical concepts. Our big paper assignment for the year also allowed me to spend two months working with lyrics from my favorite artist which has done wonders for moral. She is empathetic, brilliant, and always ready to help. Multiple times in the semester she scheduled extra review sessions just to ensure those who wanted more time to learn would have it. She is, quite frankly, the bee's knees.
Casey Miles: Casey has been my advisor for years (a job at which she is freaking stellar), but this semester I had her as an instructor. I have learned a lot from Casey this year and not just about the job market but about how best to be to others. Casey teaches so much about empathy through leading by example. Her motto for our class was "come as you are, as you were, as you want to be." She says this and she *means* it. Casey approaches teaching with such a fabulous sense of humor and a tremendous amount of heart. Her kindness and assurance over the course of the semester has prevented more than one anxiety spirals on my end. She is positively kick-ass at what she does and everyone should be so lucky to experience a class with Casey Miles.
Maileen Bugnaski: Maileen worked with the 4-H and MSU Broad Art Lab collaborative project called Visualizing a Year Like No Other, a Michigan Teen Photo Project. Maileen met weekly with young people ranging from ages 13-18 to take photos on prompts intended to help them make sense of the crazy world around them. Maileen expertly created each week's prompt video, providing inspiration for the youth, and facilitated a weekly small group session for the youth to talk about their photos. Maileen's creativity and ability to create a sense of community among the youth made the program incredibly impactful for the participants. One of the participants said, "My biggest takeaway from the program was probably the feeling of how amazing it was to have my own community of people who shared similar interests as me and that I felt supported me. I also learned a lot about how fun photography is and how it can have a huge impact and very deep meanings." Maileen's contributions helped to make this possible.
Dustin De Felice: Dustin spends so much conscientious and dedicated time mentoring graduate students, even those who are not officially his advisees. He is one of those mentors and colleagues who genuinely wants students to succeed not only in relation to course topics but also with respect to professionalization and academic acclimation. His door is, quite literally, always open (pre-COVID, anyway). Dustin, thank you for making students (especially non-traditional ones) feel welcome and supported.
Megan Walsh: Megan Walsh stands out as a MSU Graduate Teaching Assistant. Megan applies pedagogical approaches that promote student agency. Megan keeps students’ attention by changing their focal points. She’s like a highly organized traffic cop. She physically and mentally divides her lessons into clear, logical sequences. Each purposeful transition results in refreshed student mental states. Students could not help but be fully engaged in her fast-paced environment. It was like watching a seasoned sports coach getting team members to run different, complicated plays really well. I was very fortunate to have had Meagan as a student. She is a rising teacher-star!
Bethany Meadows: In this past year, Bethany has done phenomenal work in and beyond the writing center. She has served as an excellent mentor to new consultants, practiced trauma-informed approaches to her work, and demonstrated an enduring commitment to dismantling sexual violence. It has been a pleasure to learn from Bethany this year, especially her commitment to community engagement.
Anyone can recognize a fellow Spartan for their contributions to MSU's teaching and learning mission or for how they made a lasting impression on your experience. All you have to do is click "Thank an Educator" in the left panel of iteach.msu.edu. From there you'll see a short form where you can enter the name, netID, and a short story of the educator you'd like to recognize
Deric McNish: Deric is an outstanding educator, for sure. But he is also an exceptional colleague and I just want people to recognize his compassionate and thoughtful approach to holistic learning and his coordination and organization of the largest population in our department-- the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting. He is a wonderful leader in that program. He also inspires me to be more thoughtful with decisions I make through his guidance and examples. He is a colleague and peer that inspires me and others.
Danielle Devoss: Danielle is an inspirational leader and guide. I have worked with her on numerous projects-- or more likely watched her work. She is tireless and completely focused and committed. I am constantly inspired by her dedication and selfless willingness to help and guide.
Krsna Santos: Herr Santos has been one of the most considerate Professors I've had in my Freshman year so far. Starting off school online with this pandemic and all has not been easy but I've never had to stress out with Herr Santos and his class, as he is very understanding of the circumstances and is willing to make compromises to help me succeed.
Hannah Allen: Professor Allen has been extremely helpful in my first year as a freshman here at MSU. Her method for preparing for and going over essays is less stressful and she is always willing to offer additional assistance if needed. She is very kind and considerate as well, especially when connection issues arise.
Adam Gacs: I dropped out of GRM 202 the first time I tried to take it. I felt overwhelmed and I was drowning. After I left nearly the entire first test blank, I dropped the class. It took two years before I tried again, this time with Adam Gacs. Under his gentle guidance, I’ve been able to maintain a 4.0 and grow in my confidence. I no longer worry about not having all the words or stumbling over grammar. I think confidence was the one place my German knowledge was really failing, and I feel like I’ve gotten to be much more capable.
He’s also done an incredibly good job at teaching a language online. We seem to all be pretty in tune with each other in class and he lets us have fun and make jokes (as long as they’re in German!) and we have a genuinely good time. The assignments are easy to find and follow, and I never feel overwhelmed with work in his class like I have in language classes previously.
Massive thanks to Adam Gacs.
Nicola Imbrascio: She has been one of the most impactful professors I have had in my time at MSU, and my field isn't even related to what I learned in her classes. She cares so much about her students in both their academic and personal lives. I learned so much in both of the classes I took with her because she is so engaging and you can tell that she is really passionate about what she teaches.
Dr. Sheila Contreras: I would like to thank Dr. Contreras for taking the time to mentor me and other individuals like me. She has always demonstrated care and an interest to see us succeed. She is an extraordinary Latina on our campus and deserves to be recognized for her effort in supporting our community. She has gone above and beyond to see us get into graduate school. She continues to motivate other Latinx individuals to continue their education. I appreciate her effort.
Morgan Shipley: Morgan Shipley is one of the most genuine professors I have ever had. Every class he shows how much he cares for his students and lets us know he is there for us.
Kenlea Pebbles: My freshman year I had professor Pebbles and I enjoyed her class so much. She brought so much positive energy to each class and I still appreciate it today. I remember being a freshman in my fall semester and professor Pebbles made everyone feel so welcomed, it did not feel like I was a first year student that was new to everything. I still use all of the writing skills that Kenlea taught me in my junior year now. Thank you!!
Ann Larabee: I really enjoyed the chance to team-teach the grad seminar on popular culture studies. I also learned a lot from your choice of materials and general expertise in the field. It was especially cool to bring in materials and ideas from JPC. The Zoom sessions with various experts around the country were an added bonus. We created a good dynamic environment for the students.
Mohammad Khalil: A wonderful colleague, Mohammad has enthusiastically come to speak to my Music in Religion course for the last several years. Despite his very busy schedule, he makes time to speak about Muslim popular music, something I knew nothing about before he first visited. Each time he comes with fresh examples and I learn something new. Students invariably remember these visits as one of their favorite lessons from the course.
Kate Sonka: I would like to thank Kate Sonka for her continual student-perspective taking and advocacy. Her efforts have improved the numerous roles she fills across campus, representing our diversity of students and their perspectives in the policy and procedures that are developed. This recently played out more directly in Kate's own class, when one of her students presented at the national Accessible Learning Conference. When the student was asked about where she had experienced any good examples of inclusive teaching, she mentioned her experience in Kate's course. Kate supports those around her, connects relevant communities, and promotes the widest possible range of voices. With Kate Sonka at our institution, our courses, committees, and communities are richer, getting us closer to the ideal of a public land-grant institution of higher learning.
Peter Hoffman: Professor Hoffman goes out of his way to make each and every student feel connected and appreciated. I e-mailed him once apologizing for my recent late assignments due to the stress of online classes. I was struggling and felt overwhelmed, but his kind reply gave me hope that things would get better. He even told me to e-mail him any time I needed words of encouragement. He does an amazing job making online classes positive and stress free while teaching his students the importance of poetry. Aside from poetry, Professor Hoffman gives valuable life lessons and makes each student a better person because of it.
Hui-Ling Malone: In her first year at MSU, Dr. Malone has impacted all of her students so much. She re-kindled my love of teaching, and gave us all confidence in our writing skills as a class.
Amy Lampe: Amy is hands-down the best advisor on campus. She genuinely cares about her students and coworkers, and has cheerleaded me from day one. She's always there for anyone who needs an advisor, friend, or mom figure in their life.
Kate Birdsall
Dr. Birdsall believed in me when it felt like no one else did. She encouraged my best work and gave me hope for my future in academia.
Learning from KB has truly been the highlight of my experience at MSU. This institution sucks (sorry not sorry), but Kate Birdsall ROCKS. I had the true pleasure of having her for advanced fiction writing as a fluke when the other semester was out. That was three semesters ago and I have taken class with her each semester since. In person and on zoom, Kate cultivates a powerful environment of camaraderie and caring that makes all the difference, especially during the pandemic. She asks her students how they are and cares about the answer. She pushes her students, particularly those writing for The Current in WRA 480, to produce the best work they can and, when she's your teacher, you want nothing more than to make her proud by doing just that. And you do. I am an incomparably better writer, editor, and communicator because I've worked with KB.
KB has given me the best academic experience during my time at MSU by far. She has a way with words and working to direct a team that I have yet to see replicated at this institution. Whether it be her gracious understanding of the tricky circumstances of life or her ability to relate to the class and what concerns them the most, she's all-around fantastic. She has made a considerable and positive impact on how I will view MSU in the future as I prepare for graduation this summer. My biggest regret is not having her as a professor sooner.
Kathryn Houghton: Kathryn has been an amazing professor. During this semester, she fostered a classroom environment via Zoom that encouraged not only participation, but the challenge of arguing a dissenting opinion. I was uninterested in the subject matter before this class, but quickly became enamored by it after beginning. She utilized appropriate virtual resources to aid in better understanding her well-polished slides for class. Also, the dogs this semester were a cute and uplifting addition.
Kate Fedewa:
Professor Kate Fedewa is personable instructor who always makes sure her students are doing their best and is very understanding when extra time is needed on an assignment. She begins ever class asking how her students are and any news in their lives. I want to thank her for making my senior year not as stressful and always being there to help and talk.
Kate's Rhetoric of Grammar class has been my favorite of this very difficult semester. I was (most) always excited to hop out of bed once a week for this 8:30 class because Kate never failed to make it more than worth my while with engaging discussion and insightful lessons. She also manages to create a fruitful discussion environment on Zoom, for which she has absolutely earned some kind of medal. Each week she came up with practical exercises to do in breakout rooms which helped to demystify complex grammatical concepts. Our big paper assignment for the year also allowed me to spend two months working with lyrics from my favorite artist which has done wonders for moral. She is empathetic, brilliant, and always ready to help. Multiple times in the semester she scheduled extra review sessions just to ensure those who wanted more time to learn would have it. She is, quite frankly, the bee's knees.
Casey Miles: Casey has been my advisor for years (a job at which she is freaking stellar), but this semester I had her as an instructor. I have learned a lot from Casey this year and not just about the job market but about how best to be to others. Casey teaches so much about empathy through leading by example. Her motto for our class was "come as you are, as you were, as you want to be." She says this and she *means* it. Casey approaches teaching with such a fabulous sense of humor and a tremendous amount of heart. Her kindness and assurance over the course of the semester has prevented more than one anxiety spirals on my end. She is positively kick-ass at what she does and everyone should be so lucky to experience a class with Casey Miles.
Maileen Bugnaski: Maileen worked with the 4-H and MSU Broad Art Lab collaborative project called Visualizing a Year Like No Other, a Michigan Teen Photo Project. Maileen met weekly with young people ranging from ages 13-18 to take photos on prompts intended to help them make sense of the crazy world around them. Maileen expertly created each week's prompt video, providing inspiration for the youth, and facilitated a weekly small group session for the youth to talk about their photos. Maileen's creativity and ability to create a sense of community among the youth made the program incredibly impactful for the participants. One of the participants said, "My biggest takeaway from the program was probably the feeling of how amazing it was to have my own community of people who shared similar interests as me and that I felt supported me. I also learned a lot about how fun photography is and how it can have a huge impact and very deep meanings." Maileen's contributions helped to make this possible.
Dustin De Felice: Dustin spends so much conscientious and dedicated time mentoring graduate students, even those who are not officially his advisees. He is one of those mentors and colleagues who genuinely wants students to succeed not only in relation to course topics but also with respect to professionalization and academic acclimation. His door is, quite literally, always open (pre-COVID, anyway). Dustin, thank you for making students (especially non-traditional ones) feel welcome and supported.
Megan Walsh: Megan Walsh stands out as a MSU Graduate Teaching Assistant. Megan applies pedagogical approaches that promote student agency. Megan keeps students’ attention by changing their focal points. She’s like a highly organized traffic cop. She physically and mentally divides her lessons into clear, logical sequences. Each purposeful transition results in refreshed student mental states. Students could not help but be fully engaged in her fast-paced environment. It was like watching a seasoned sports coach getting team members to run different, complicated plays really well. I was very fortunate to have had Meagan as a student. She is a rising teacher-star!
Bethany Meadows: In this past year, Bethany has done phenomenal work in and beyond the writing center. She has served as an excellent mentor to new consultants, practiced trauma-informed approaches to her work, and demonstrated an enduring commitment to dismantling sexual violence. It has been a pleasure to learn from Bethany this year, especially her commitment to community engagement.
Anyone can recognize a fellow Spartan for their contributions to MSU's teaching and learning mission or for how they made a lasting impression on your experience. All you have to do is click "Thank an Educator" in the left panel of iteach.msu.edu. From there you'll see a short form where you can enter the name, netID, and a short story of the educator you'd like to recognize
Posted by: Makena Neal
Pedagogical Design
Host: CTLI
Down the Rabbit Hole: Practical Applications of Generative AI in University Courses
The College of Education Fall 2023 Seminar Series “Teaching & Learning with Generative AI” is presented by CREATE for STEM and the Office of Academic & Student Affairs:
Down the Rabbit Hole: Practical Applications of Generative AI in University Courses
Nov. 30, 2023, at 12 p.m. EST
Presented by Dr. Josh Plavnick, MSU
Join event in person at 133F Erickson Hall or via Zoom (https://msu.zoom.us/j/99894363940 | passcode: AI)
Navigating Context
Host: MSU Libraries
Night of a Thousand Donuts
Event occurs in the Main Library and the Gast Business Library.
Enjoy free coffee and donuts, while they last!
Thanks to Michigan State University Federal Credit Union for their generous sponsorship of this event.
Navigating Context
Host: CTLI
Preparing Educators to Teach and Lead K-12 Schools in the Time of Generative AI
The College of Education Fall 2023 Seminar Series “Teaching & Learning with Generative AI” is presented by CREATE for STEM and the Office of Academic & Student Affairs:
Preparing Educators to Teach and Lead K-12 Schools in the Time of Generative AI
Dec. 11, 2023, at 10 a.m. EST
Presented by Dr. Chris Kaiser & Dr. Lara Dixon, MSU
Join event via Zoom (Zoom link forthcoming)
Navigating Context
Host: CTLI
"Welcome to My Classroom" Series: Dr. Brittany Dillman
Please join the Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation as we showcase some of MSU's educators and the great work they are doing. Step into a virtual space alive with enthusiasm and curiosity as passionate educators unveil their most effective teaching methods. From technology integration and active learning strategies to inventive assessments, each presenter offers a glimpse into their teaching journey, providing attendees with a collection of adaptable ideas. Engage in discussions, ask questions, and connect with peers to cultivate a collaborative spirit that transcends disciplines.
The fourth in the Welcome to My Classroom series will feature Dr. Brittany Dillman, educator and Director of Graduate Certificate Programs for the College of Education’s Master of Arts in Educational Technology. Brittany loves working with the MAET program especially her roles of advising all GC students, curriculum development for GC and MAET courses, and teaching both online courses and hybrid courses. She is also a CTLI Affiliate sharing her experiences and expertise in ungrading. For this Welcome to My Classroom, Brittany will showcase a single assignment, from design to grading, as an example of her educator practice.
Brittany has a doctorate from the Educational Psychology and Educational Technology program at Michigan State University. She is curious about teachers’ decision making process. She taught middle school mathematics for a decade prior to coming to MSU. Brittany is organized by nature and loves to alphabetize and color code. She loves being silly with her family, traveling, making books on Shutterfly, teaching MAET courses, and working with MAET students. Learn more about Brittany at her website.
Our Welcome to My Classroom series aims to be a catalyst for continuous improvement, uniting educators in their commitment to elevate the art of teaching. Join us in celebrating the dedication and creativity that drive education forward, as we learn from one another and collectively enrich the learning experience for both educators and students alike.
The "Welcome to My Classroom" series will function like a pedagogy and practice show and tell where educators from throughout MSU's ecosystem share something from their teaching and learning practice. Examples of an educator's showcase could include a walk through of a specific activity or assignment, sharing out the integration of a particular educational technology, describing their process of redesigning a learning experience, and more!
*for any educator interested in hosting a Welcome to My Classroom, please contact Makena Neal at mneal@msu.edu
Navigating Context
Host: CTLI
"Welcome to My Classroom" Series: Makena Neal & Ashley Moore
Please join the Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation (CTLI) as we showcase some of MSU's educators and the great work they are doing. Step into a virtual space alive with enthusiasm and curiosity as passionate educators unveil their most effective teaching methods. From technology integration and active learning strategies to inventive assessments, each presenter offers a glimpse into their teaching journey, providing attendees with a collection of adaptable ideas. Engage in discussions, ask questions, and connect with peers to cultivate a collaborative spirit that transcends disciplines.
The third in the Welcome to My Classroom series will feature Drs. Makena Neal (CTLI) and Ashley Moore (College of Education). Together they will use this hour to walk fellow educators through the activities they use on their first day of a semester-long class. This talk will include (but isn't limited to) learning experiences to introduce syllabi and help learners get to know one another, along with ways to incorporate learners' voice in setting community values for the term. All the activities shared will highlight ways educators can intentionally designed learning experiences to establish a culture in the classroom, model their educator philosophy, and set the tone for the rest of the class time together.
Our Welcome to My Classroom series aims to be a catalyst for continuous improvement, uniting educators in their commitment to elevate the art of teaching. Join us in celebrating the dedication and creativity that drive education forward, as we learn from one another and collectively enrich the learning experience for both educators and students alike.
The "Welcome to My Classroom" series will function like a pedagogy and practice show and tell where educators from throughout MSU's ecosystem share something from their teaching and learning practice. Examples of an educator's showcase could include a walk through of a specific activity or assignment, sharing out the integration of a particular educational technology, describing their process of redesigning a learning experience, and more!
*for any educator interested in hosting a Welcome to My Classroom, please contact Makena Neal at mneal@msu.edu
Photo by Belinda Fewings on Unsplash
Navigating Context
EXPIRED
Host: CTLI
ChatGPT and Complex Aspects of Science Learning
The College of Education Fall 2023 Seminar Series “Teaching & Learning with Generative AI” is presented by CREATE for STEM and the Office of Academic & Student Affairs:
CREATE for STEM Seminar Series: ChatGPT and Complex Aspects of Science Learning
Nov. 14, 2023, at 12 p.m. EST
Presented by Dr. Rand Spiro, MSU
Register to attend via Zoom or join in person at 115 Erickson Hall
Navigating Context
EXPIRED
Host: CTLI
Community Conversations: The Elements of Community Partnerships
Date: Monday, November 13, 2023 from 9:30 - 11:00 AM
Location: Via Zoom
Registration Deadline: Friday, November 10, 2023
This session will discuss elements of strong partnerships to effectively co-create community engaged learning opportunities for students. Hear examples of successful faculty/community partnerships, discuss considerations for initiating and sustaining partnerships, and explore resources to assist you in partnership development or enhancement.
This workshop is hosted by the Center for Community Engaged Learning (CCEL) through MSU's office of University Outreach and Engagement. Community Engaged Learning is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community partnerships with instruction and critical reflection to enrich the student learning experience, teach civic and social responsibility, and strengthen communities. CCEL is committed to supporting students, faculty/staff, and community partners in many ways.
Register for Community Conversations: The Elements of Community Partnerships by 11/10/23.
Navigating Context
EXPIRED
Host: CTLI
Enriching Qualitative Video Analysis with Theory-Driven Uses of AI-Based Tools
The College of Education Fall 2023 Seminar Series “Teaching & Learning with Generative AI” is presented by CREATE for STEM and the Office of Academic & Student Affairs:
CREATE for STEM Seminar Series: Enriching Qualitative Video Analysis with Theory-Driven Uses of AI-Based Tools
Nov. 7, 2023, at 12 p.m. EST
Presented by Dr. Christina Krist, University of Illinois
Register to attend via Zoom or join in person at 115 Erickson Hall
Navigating Context
EXPIRED
Host: CTLI
Writing Your Teaching Philosophy Statement: Who are you as an Educator?
Many academic positions require a teaching philosophy statement as one of the application materials to learn about a candidate’s teaching beliefs, values, and use of evidence-based teaching and assessment practices for effective instruction. In this workshop you will learn how to document your teaching and/or teaching professional development experiences to start crafting your teaching philosophy statement with the help of a rubric. At the end of this session, you will have a working draft of your teaching statement, which will encourage you to continue your efforts toward intentional and effective teaching and instruction.
* This is part two (2) of our 3-part workshop series. The last in the series is on Diversity Statements and will be held on November 21 from 3:00-4:30pm.
Presenter(s)/Facilitator(s):
Dr. Stefanie Baier is the Director of Instructional Development for Graduate Students and Postdocs at the Graduate School at Michigan State University. In her role she is in charge of the curriculum for Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) preparation, manages teaching professional development of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars, and (co-)facilitates workshops on various topics including Teaching Philosophy Statement and DEI Statement workshops.
Please register for this event and add the details to your calendar. The Graduate School will send a reminder with Zoom connection information a few days before the session. Additionally, slides and any other related materials after the session will be distributed to all registered participants after the fact.
Navigating Context
EXPIRED