- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

Largest NSF Grant Awarded to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Will Support Ongoing Undergraduate STEM Education Efforts

John Hill — Mon, 12 Sep 2022 13:05:40 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has been awarded a nearly $2 million grant from the (NSF) to enhance teaching and learning and to promote student success in undergraduate STEM education. This is the largest grant ��Vlog��ý Little Rock has ever received from the National Science Foundation. The $1,999,986 five-year grant from the NSF will be used to provide support for faculty and students in the Donaghey College of STEM with a specific focus on supporting students from historically underserved groups. The researchers will use the grant, “NSF IUSE Institutional and Community Transformation Level II: Upholding Active Learning Reform in STEM,” to grow the use of evidence-based teaching practices to increase student engagement and retention in undergraduate STEM education. “A strong STEM workforce is critical for our country,” said Dr. Lawrence Whitman, dean of the Donaghey College of STEM. “To build and sustain a strong STEM workforce, we must educate students for next-generation careers. To properly educate these students, we must transform our education. I am beyond pleased to see that this funding will continue the excellent work of our faculty. We are grateful to the National Science Foundation and their support of this transformational project.” The interdisciplinary team led by Dr. Mark Baillie, assistant professor of chemistry, is a collaboration with faculty from the STEM Education Center (Dr. Michael Moore, director of undergraduate research and mentoring), the School of Education (Dr. Lundon Pinneo, assistant professor) and the Office of the Provost (Dr. David Montague, associate vice chancellor for student success). Ronia Kattoum, an advanced instructor of chemistry and Ph.D. student in applied sciences-chemistry, is working as the project’s graduate assistant. “Our main focus is to increase the number of underserved students who successfully complete STEM courses,” Pinneo said. “We want to identify current barriers for faculty and improve support systems so campus-wide we can close the equity gap.” Students from historically underserved populations, first-generation students, and Pell Grant recipients are likely to encounter barriers to their success in their lecture-based STEM courses. Baillie says that traditional teaching methods are often a barrier to students reaching their potential. “People’s journeys through education are very different,” Baillie said. “If you can create a classroom environment that gives everyone the opportunity to engage, then everyone will learn and progress.” To support faculty members as they learn about and adopt more student-centered and inclusive teaching strategies, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock will utilize successful NSF-funded interventions including the expansion of the Mobile Institute on Scientific Teaching (MoSI) and the Learning Assistant Program in the Donaghey College of STEM. Currently, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock is the only higher education institution in Arkansas with these two highly successful programs that focus on faculty and student success. The grant builds upon the previous success of these programs by allowing many more faculty and students within the Donaghey College of STEM to participate in these initiatives.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock teaching assistants and professors participate in the Mobile Institute on Scientific Teaching workshop. Photos by Ben Krain.

“��Vlog��ý Little Rock has a rich history in the STEM area, with innovative programming for faculty as well as major initiatives focused on student success,” Montague said. “This funding will certainly help promote the future of STEM education in Arkansas.” MoSI workshops focus on active learning and other evidence-based teaching practices. Research on teaching and learning shows that students are 1 ½ times more likely to pass classes in active learning classrooms than in traditional lectures. Prior to receiving this grant, about 20 percent of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock faculty completed the weeklong workshop on their own time. The grant will reward future faculty to participate in the workshop by providing a $500 stipend for 75 STEM faculty members to complete the workshop over the next five years. Starting in the spring 2023 semester, faculty will be recruited to join the first cohort of participants. The grant also provides a $975 stipend for 605 students to participate in the Learning Assistant Program. The assistants will provide peer learning support for more than 9,000 of their classmates over the five years of the grant. The stipends will allow greater access for many students who previously couldn’t afford to volunteer for this leadership role. By the end of the project, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock plans to support approximately 250 learning assistants per year. Further opportunities will be provided for faculty who have successfully completed the MoSI workshop to improve their teaching skills. The researchers will form Communities of Practice – small groups of up to five faculty members who will meet bi-weekly to offer peer support and build out their expertise. Faculty who participate will each receive stipends of $1,000. The grant will also fund one graduate student and one postdoctoral researcher for five years, as well as a series of speakers that will focus on implementing student-centered practices. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock will also create a Community of Transformation annually for faculty members who have participated in the Communities of Practice. This group of 10 change agents will discuss and plan efforts to enact policy changes focusing on student success and closing the student equity gap. The grant also provides up to $5,000 a year for five years for faculty and administrators in the Donaghey College of STEM to implement ideas that emerge from the Community of Transformation. “We want to emphasize how the departments and programs are encouraging their own teachers,” Moore said. “This is a multi-prong approach by the whole university on how to support a successful culture of teaching. It speaks to the credibility of the support we have across the university and from our partners. This is a win for ��Vlog��ý Little Rock.” Caption: ��Vlog��ý Little Rock professors, from left, Mark Baillie, Ronia Kattoum, Michael Moore, David Montague, and Lundon Pinneo are working on a National Science Foundation project to improve undergraduate education in the Donaghey College of STEM. Photo by Ben Krain.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Faculty, Graduate Students Learn Important Teaching Skills at Mobile Institute on Scientific Teaching

John Hill — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 13:26:58 +0000

More than 25 ��Vlog��ý Little Rock faculty members and graduate students learned valuable teaching skills in active learning through the 2022 Mobile Institute on Scientific Teaching (MIST). The MIST workshop provides a focus on active learning because studies show that students are 1 ½ times more likely to pass classes in active learning classrooms compared to students in classes that use traditional lecturing only. Since ��Vlog��ý Little Rock began offering the MIST workshops in 2019, they have trained more than 100 people including 84 faculty members and 18 graduate teaching assistants. Mark Baillie, assistant professor of chemistry, is part of a national MIST leadership group and has run MIST workshops at 10 locations around the world. “We are trying to fill a gap of teachers who have never been trained to teach like this, and we are training the next generation of faculty,” Baillie said. “This workshop forces participants to think about their students with a student-success mindset.” This is the first year the MIST workshop has been open to graduate students. Since many graduate students teach their first classes as teaching assistants, the workshop will teach future faculty members essential pedagogy skills at the beginning of their teaching careers. “I was excited to take this workshop in order to have more knowledge and research on scientific teaching, improve my communication and dissemination of vital information to students, and learn more about student engagement and how to make my class more inclusive to help facilitate learning,” said Mujeebat Bashiru, graduate student in chemistry. “The workshop was a great way to learn to relate with a diverse group of people, faculty, and graduate students from various fields on campus. I’m hopeful that implementing what I have learned in this workshop will benefit the students greatly.” Participants had a hands-on experience on the impact of evidence-based teaching approaches such as active learning and inclusive teaching practices, with deliberate practice and backward design. This workshop has been identified as a major transformative event in the career of many college faculty, from R1 institutions to community colleges. “As a leader, I train people on different types of assessment to do in their classrooms,” said Michael Moore, learning assistant program coordinator and a MIST learning facilitator. “It’s important for teachers to gather evidence and use that as feedback in their classes to improve teaching. A big role of a leader [in the MIST workshop] is trying to help people see that there are many different people who are interested in teaching, we all have our strengths and weaknesses, and it’s better to work together to accomplish our teaching goals. I want to develop a community of teaching here at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock.” Neff Lankford, graduate student in instructional design, said she found the workshop to be a very informative and hands-on experience.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock teaching assistants and professors participate in the Mobile Institute on Scientific Teaching workshop. Photos by Ben Krain.

“Right now, we are working on backward design and creating lessons from the course learning outcome,” Lankford said. “We are learning something new and fresh. We’ve gotten so many different perspectives culturally. I’ve transformed my teaching style completely. I want to give students the opportunity to learn and interact with others.” Noelle Butski, assistant professor of marketing, said she decided to complete MIST for a chance to improve her classroom design and activities “I feel like it’s my responsibility to my students to be the best person that I can be,” Butski said. “I always look for ways, especially in the summer, to improve my skills. We are learning how to better design our courses in a student-centered way, from how we approach learning objectives to evaluation. I feel grateful that I had the opportunity to take this workshop. I am looking forward to seeing how my courses change and develop over time. I’m excited to see how my students react to some of the changes I make and how it improves my teaching overall.” This year’s participants, named Scientific Teaching Fellows after completing the workshop, include:

Blessing Etete, graduate student in physics and astronomy
Imraul Emmaka, graduate student in computer science
Joseph Asante, graduate student in bioinformatics
Karie Sanford, graduate student in chemistry
Lawrence Smith, associate professor of theatre arts
Li Poirot, graduate student in chemistry
Louise Lowe, student success coordinator in Ottenheimer Library
Marvin Bonney, graduate student in physics and astronomy
Mavis Forson, graduate student in chemistry
Md Imran Sarker, graduate student in computer science
Michael Ugbade, graduate student applied physics
Miles Blanton, instructor of physics and astronomy
Mujeebat Bashiru, graduate student in chemistry
Nawab Ali, professor of biology
Neff Lankford, graduate student in instructional design
Noelle Butski, assistant professor of marketing
Peter Akerele, graduate student in applied sciences
Qingfang He, professor of biology
Rajendra Subedi, graduate student in physics
Saketh Kalam, graduate student in engineering technology
Samantha Macchi, graduate student in chemistry
Sarah Clements, instructor of management, marketing, and technology
Sujan Ghosh, assistant professor of engineering technology
Syed Abdi, graduate student in systems engineering
Tahany Rashed, graduate student in physics and astronomy
Tariq Masood, adjunct instructor in engineering technology
Uttamasha Oyshi, graduate student in computer science

The workshop’s leadership team also included Sharma Ashok, assistant professor of engineering technology, Laura Ruhl, associate professor of Earth Sciences, Lauren Wilson, assistant director of the Multicultural Center, Lundon Pinneo, assistant professor of education, Markia Herron, instructional designer for e-Learning, Nate Marvin, assistant professor of history, and Kirk Leach, assistant professor of public affairs. The MIST workshop at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock was sponsored by the Office of the Provost and the Graduate School. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock is currently the only higher education institution in Arkansas that runs MIST workshops, but Baillie is hoping to expand in the future to other institutions in Arkansas. “My dream is to have enough people here trained that we could offer to provide these workshops to other institutions” Baillie said. “Providing more training for faculty in the science of how people learn may help create new ways to support all Arkansas across the state.”

Mobile Winter Institute on Scientific Teaching to offer faculty immersive training in transformative teaching techniques in any environment

John Hill — Fri, 13 Nov 2020 13:26:37 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will host a virtual Mobile Winter Institute on Scientific Teaching (MoSI) for all faculty from 2-4 p.m. Friday, Jan. 8, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 11-14. The workshop will be conducted via Zoom and will focus heavily on how to implement effective online teaching practices by immersing faculty in experiential learning with frequent reflection on why decisions are made to teach with specific tools. Space is limited. Faculty should submit by Nov. 15. The workshop is designed to maximize teaching capabilities with evidence-based approaches such as active learning and inclusive teaching practices. Workshops will be facilitated by national science education experts and ��Vlog��ý Little Rock faculty. Participants will have a hands-on experience of the impact of evidence-based teaching approaches such as active learning and inclusive teaching practices, with deliberate and backwards design. The techniques covered at MoSI will help improve student learning without watering down course goals, so more students learn the material and progress toward their degrees. Overwhelming evidence shows that students perform better in active learning classrooms. Students in these environments are 1.5 times more likely to pass compared to students in sections that only use traditional lectures. Several ideas for increasing student success that were proposed by faculty during MoSI brainstorming sessions in 2019 have already contributed toward positive changes on campus during the 2019-2020 and 2020-21 academic years, including establishing programs and activities that foster a sense of community on campus, increasing opportunities for professional development and mentoring for faculty members, and implementing new innovative practices in the classroom. MoSI is sponsored by the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Office of the Provost and the STEM Education Center with support from the Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence. All faculty are encouraged to register. To learn more, visit , or contact Dr. Mark Baillie at mtbaillie@ualr.edu.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock students co-create new faculty award to honor one-of-a-kind faculty members

John Hill — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 16:00:31 +0000

The Student Government Association (SGA) at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock has created a new award to show appreciation for faculty members who have positively influenced the lives of students. The SGA Faculty Appreciation Awards will be presented annually to one faculty member in each of the university’s colleges. The award is a one-of-a-kind, handmade glass heart created by in the colors of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. The glass hearts symbolize positive, influential support that makes a real difference in the lives of students. As students enter the university to pursue their education, faculty often play a nurturing role, guiding students through the learning process and working hard to foster an environment that best ensures success. “The SGA is excited to offer students the opportunity to formally recognize their favorite faculty members through the new We HEART Our Faculty Award,” SGA President Katie Zakrzewski said. “We know faculty work very hard to promote the success of students. This award is one way students can return the favor.” The winners include:

College of Social Sciences and Communication – Rebecca Glazier, associate professor in the School of Public Affairs
College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences – Mark Baillie, assistant professor of chemistry
George W. Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology – Thomas Wallace, senior instructor of web design and development
College of Education and Health Professions – Joanna Rostad-Hall, instructor of nursing
College of Business – Casey Rockwell, assistant professor of marketing and advertising

The SGA Faculty Appreciation winners include Rebecca Glazier, Mark Baillie, Thomas Wallace, Joanna Rostad-Hall, and Casey Rockwell.

“I truly found my passion when I began teaching,” Rockwell said. “I get such joy out of watching the ‘ah ha’ moments happen in the classroom. To find out that my students have also found the same high level of joy in our classroom community is such a pleasure.” Several winners were especially touched to receive the award and found it even more meaningful to be selected directly by the students. “Student-selected awards are by far the most meaningful,” Wallace said. “Students are why we are all here and to have made an impact on their lives is the most fulfilling achievement I can think of in our profession.” “Students are really at the heart of what we do and to know that the students made this call really means the world to me,” Glazier added. “It is incredibly rewarding and just warms my heart to know that they would honor me with this award.” After teaching at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock since 2017, Rostad-Hall believes her success in teaching is down to the amazing students in the Department of Nursing. “��Vlog��ý Little Rock nursing has the most amazing nursing students, hands down,” Rostad-Hall said. “You won’t find more engaged, resilient nursing students anywhere. To be recognized by them means my passion and enthusiasm for nursing education is translating. I am blessed to get to work alongside these brilliant future nurses every day.” Baillie, who also leads the annual Mobile Summer Institute on Scientific Teaching every summer, believes in utilizing evidence-based teaching practices to provide the best instruction for his students. “The way I approach my teaching is that it is my job to help all students succeed,” Baillie said. “I utilize evidence-based teaching approaches in my classroom, which focuses on inclusive teaching practices, active learning, and alignment between assessment and what I most value students being able to do.” Provost Ann Bain said she appreciates how this SGA initiative will continue to encourage faculty to invest themselves in students. “Faculty are the heart and soul of our institution,” said Bain. “Faculty do so many things to help students succeed that most people do not recognize. I think it’s important that we can shine a light on all their accomplishments.”

Mobile Summer Institute on Scientific Teaching to offer faculty immersive training in transformative teaching techniques

John Hill — Thu, 27 Feb 2020 14:58:36 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will host a Mobile Summer Institute on Scientific Teaching (MoSI) for all faculty from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. May 18-21 at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Downtown. is required by Friday, Feb. 28. The workshop is designed to maximize teaching capabilities with evidence-based approaches such as active learning and inclusive teaching practices. Workshops will be facilitated by national science education experts and ��Vlog��ý Little Rock faculty. The techniques covered at MoSI will help improve student learning without watering down course goals, so more students learn the material and progress toward their degrees. Overwhelming evidence shows that students perform better in active learning classrooms. Students in these environments are 1.5 times more likely to pass compared to students in sections that only use traditional lectures. Last year, faculty members indicated they attended the workshop in search of new tools and ideas that will help them restructure courses to utilize active teaching methods, measure active learning, and evaluate teaching effectiveness. Small group sessions guided participants through the process of backward design to develop courses that help students feel empowered and take ownership of their learning. “When I reflect on my time as a student, the times where I learned the most, were when I was actively engaging with complex topics,” said 2019 participant Chris Etheridge, assistant professor of mass communication. “Thanks to MoSI, I now have a lot more tools as an educator to create those opportunities for my students.” Several ideas for increasing student success that were proposed by faculty during MoSI brainstorming sessions in 2019 have already contributed toward positive changes on campus during the 2019-2020 academic year, including establishing programs and activities that foster a sense of community on campus, increasing opportunities for professional development and mentoring for faculty members, and implementing new innovative practices in the classroom. “MoSI was phenomenal,” said 2019 participant Kirk Leach, assistant professor of public affairs. “I learned how to develop a more engaged classroom where students are empowered and have ownership in their learning.” MoSI is sponsored by the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Office of the Provost and the STEM Education Center with support from the Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence. All faculty are encouraged to register. To learn more, visit , and contact Dr. Mark Baillie at mtbaillie@ualr.edu.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock faculty members work to improve student success, graduate rates

Ajani Oyindamola — Wed, 19 Jun 2019 14:45:44 +0000

More than 30 faculty members from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock spent four days learning strategies to improve student success and increase graduation rates on campus. The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence, the STEM Education Center, and the Office of the Provost hosted the Mobile Summer Institute on Scientific Teaching May 20-23 at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Downtown. This training workshop was driven by the reality that less than half of undergraduate students in the U.S. complete their degrees, which is particularly true for historically underrepresented groups. This workshop was an immersive experience where faculty members participated in an active learning environment while engaging with research-based evidence on learning and effective teaching practices. Dr. Mark Baillie, assistant professor of chemistry and STRIVE director with the STEM Education Center, led the workshop along with a team of education reform leaders from across the country. The trainers included Peggy Brickman, Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor at the University of Georgia; Kirsten Coe, assistant professor of biology at Middlebury College; Troy Nash and Breonna Martin, biology lecturers at Mercer University; Tarren Shaw, biology lecturer at the University of Oklahoma; and Suann Yang, assistant professor of biology at SUNY Geneseo. Chris Etheridge, assistant professor of multimedia storytelling, said the workshop providing him with many examples to measure active learning in his classes. “I have always thought of mass communication as a field that has excelled in active learning,” Etheridge said. “We like to get students out of the classroom and into the real world to learn by doing. The traditional styles of teaching – lectures, quizzes, exams, and research papers — is what I know because it’s how I learned. When I reflect on my time as a student, the times where I felt I learned the most, were the times where I was actively engaging with complex and challenging topics related to the course. Now, I have a lot more in-class techniques and ideas for assignments that will clearly measure learning.” Faculty members wrapped up the four-day workshop with a strategic planning session, where participants brainstormed what they can do to improve student success across the campus and what they need from university administrators to increase their impact. Chancellor Andrew Rogerson, Provost Christina Drale, and many college deans and department chairs attended the session to hear ideas from faculty members. “We had more than 20 administrators from the university attend and hear how the faculty members want to make the university better and increase student success,” Baillie said. “It was a nice venue to begin having these conversations and to open up the lines of communication between faculty and administration.” Groups of faculty members gave three-minute presentations on the top ideas that faculty members think can best help to increase student success and teaching practices. The ideas include establishing a childcare center on campus; establishing programs and activities that foster a sense of community on campus; increasing opportunities for professional development and mentoring for faculty members; optimizing more spaces on campus for student-centered learning; implementing new innovative practices in the classroom, and course relief for professors who are developing and implementing these innovative teaching methods. Dr. Kirk Leach, assistant professor of public administration, attended the workshop in search of new tools and ideas to restructure his nonprofit management course. “I wanted to get a firmer grounding on active teaching methods and a framework to evaluate my teaching effectiveness,” Leach said. “The workshop was phenomenal. The facilitators were very knowledgeable and generous with their time. They spent a lot of time on small group sessions guiding us through the process of backward design and how to implement it in course design. I’ve learned how to develop a more engaged classroom, where students are empowered and have ownership in their learning.”

- University News Archive - ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

Largest NSF Grant Awarded to ����Vlog��ý Little Rock Will Support Ongoing Undergraduate STEM Education Efforts

����Vlog��ý Little Rock Faculty, Graduate Students Learn Important Teaching Skills at Mobile Institute on Scientific Teaching