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

Faculty Mentoring Program Helps ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Faculty Members Succeed

John Hill — Thu, 03 Nov 2022 12:51:31 +0000

When Dr. Connie Barber started a new faculty position this year, she found the University Faculty Mentoring Program to be an invaluable guide to learning the ropes at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. “I came from a previous university where I taught for seven years,” said Barber, assistant professor of management, marketing, and technology. “Being in the mentor program helped me transition to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and understand the academic culture from a faculty member perspective. It was a chance to get to know faces around campus that I might otherwise not have met.” The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Faculty Mentoring Program, which is sponsored by the Office of the Provost, is designed to help new university faculty successfully navigate their overall development. “The provost’s office decided to provide authority and support for the creation of a university-wide Faculty Mentoring Program in 2012,” said Dr. David Montague, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs – student success. “This is a volunteer program that provides a lot of good information that any faculty member would benefit from. We wanted to make this program something the faculty would look forward to every month.” Montague co-runs the Faculty Mentoring Program with Dr. Shannon Collier-Tenison, interim associate vice chancellor for academic affairs for faculty relations and administration. Each mentoring program class runs for one academic year with a cohort of 15-20 people. Program participants, who are called proteges, have the opportunity to learn and ask questions from seasoned faculty members and gain access to additional resources that are housed on Blackboard in order to advance their faculty development. Program participants meet monthly and learn about important faculty topics from successful faculty members. The talks on teaching, research, and service, for example, are taught by the winners of the Faculty Excellence Awards, the university’s highest honor for professors. Through this program, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock is developing successful faculty members who serve as strong teachers and mentors that help students succeed in their college careers. Additional topics covered include annual review, tenure, networking, grants, contracts, self-care, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. At the end of the program, graduates receive a letter of completion that is sent to their department chairs. Dr. Emily Hood, assistant professor of art education, learned great lessons from the guest speakers who each spoke about an area where they had found success.

Photo of Dr. Emily Hood by Benjamin Krain

“I think the thing I enjoyed the most was having the consistent monthly meetings and knowing that I could bring my questions and receive high-quality feedback,” she said.�� “I noticed that their successes were rooted in their authentic love for the work they have done and are doing. I found myself encouraged to lean into my talents, and really commit my time to projects and collaborations that resonate with my deepest values, and trust that success will emerge from that commitment.” One important element of the Faculty Mentoring Program is that it changes and grows with the needs of faculty members. For example, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s deans requested the program add a session covering annual review, which covers faculty members’ teaching research, and service activities for the year. “Now we have a panel of department chairs who come and talk about annual review and third-year review every November,” Montague said. “It’s a great session where people ask tough questions straight from the source and learn how to showcase what they have been doing as faculty members.” Montague said the greatest change he’s seen in the program has been to open it up to all faculty members. Originally only available to tenure-track faculty, the Faculty Mentoring Program has also opened up to instructors, visiting faculty, and adjuncts. “The program has been open to change and transition. I think it’s great that we have universal access to this program for all faculty members,” Montague said. “I like the fact that no matter what department or school a faculty member is in, they get a university level understanding of what it means to be successful. That is very important to their development as a successful faculty member.” Proteges are also encouraged to find a mentor in their discipline outside the university. This external mentor encourages the faculty member to dig deep about what it means to be successful in their discipline, to network, and to be active in professional development opportunities. At the end of the program, proteges have formed bonds with their fellow faculty members. “Proteges often serve as support for each other after the program has finished,” Montague said. “We’ve had proteges collaborate on research and create public service projects together. This program is a really great addition and support for this university. It’s a way for people to feel like they are valued and belong here. We want people to become the type of professor they choose to be. It’s a privilege to educate others, and they should enjoy being faculty members.”

Academy of Teaching and Learning Excellence Promotes Faculty Excellence and Learning Success at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

John Hill — Tue, 04 Oct 2022 13:25:25 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock is home to a professional faculty development unit that promotes instructional excellence and student learning success for hundreds of hard-working faculty members every year. Started in 2007, the Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence’s (ATLE) mission is to foster excellence in teaching and learning through sharing ideas, collaboration, and building a strong community of engaged teachers and learners. The academy is led by a trio of co-directors who serve three-year terms with one co-director rotating out every year to ensure an infusion of fresh ideas. The current co-directors are Dr. Tom Tudor, professor of management, Dr. Laura Barrio-Vilar, associate professor of English, and Dr. René Shroat-Lewis, associate professor of geology. The academy hosts at least 12 Lunch and Learn events each academic year for faculty members to network and learn about teaching techniques and student success initiatives as well as multiple teaching moment programs for members to have direct learning experiences in a variety of classroom and on-campus settings. These events serve as a powerful way for ��Vlog��ý Little Rock faculty to learn best teaching practices and share these practices with their colleagues and students. ATLE also sponsors mentorships, an orientation for new faculty members, community engagement opportunities, workshops, a faculty awards program, and a database of online faculty resources. “Attending the professional development segments is a good boost for faculty members,” Barrio-Vilar said. “It’s a reminder that there is always something to learn and always something to do better. I wanted the kind of job that allowed me to be a lifelong learner and help others learn.” The 2021-22 school year saw 283 faculty members participating in ATLE events during the fall 2021 semester and 319 during the spring 2022 semester. This year brought the creation of a new ATLE award – the Lifetime Teaching Commitment Award –�� to honor Dr. Amar Kanekar, the first person to earn more than 2,000 points from ATLE.

Chancellor Christina Drale presents Professor Amar Kanekar with the first Lifetime Teaching Commitment Award from ATLE.

“All these sessions have provided me with a wholesome and well-rounded perspective into teaching, instruction, assessment, and student issues,” Kanekar said. “I have learnt so much from each and every session I have attended. I think all the sessions add to one’s understanding of teaching and learning as applicable to higher education.” The idea for ATLE began with the late Provost David Belcher and former faculty members, Richard Ford, professor of economics, and Earl Ramsey, director of the Donaghey Scholars Honors Program. After visiting the University of Arkansas’s summer institute for teaching and learning, Ramsey and Ford met with Belcher and formed a committee of faculty members to investigate the idea of forming a professional development unit for faculty members on campus. With funding from the Office of the Provost, faculty members Carol Thompson, Michael Kleine, and David McAlpine were selected to be�� the academy’s inaugural co-directors in 2007 and were tasked with getting the academy off the ground. “We were excited and enthusiastic and dreamed of a time when the dominant conversation on campus would become how to enhance student learning,” said Thompson, a professor of applied communication. “Our first group of co-directors was dazzled by the opportunity to reach out to faculty to help us, together, find ways to enhance the students’ experience at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock.” They began by hosting the academy’s first professional development activities, called Lunch and Learns, though they originally called them Teaching Demonstrations. They also developed a mentoring program to match up faculty with students who would spend time together talking about teaching. This trio would also find and furnish ATLE’s office space in Dickinson Hall, where it is still located today, and hire the program’s first graduate assistants to help with administration, publicity, and execution of ATLE’s events. A $50,000 grant from the Ted and Virginia Bailey Foundation allowed ATLE to bring to campus many respected leaders in education to speak at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, including Harvard’s Richard Light, author of “Making the Most Out of College,” Mary Ellen Weimer, author of “Learner-Centered Teaching,” and Ken Bain, author of “What The Best College Professors Do.” The co-directors refer to ATLE as “the most efficient unit on campus” with the amount of programming they provide at a low cost. In 2019, Chancellor Christina Drale also made a $25,000 gift to create an endowed fund in support of ATLE to celebrate the start of her career as chancellor. “I’m proud to have been involved with ATLE�� from its very beginnings when I served on the committee to establish the program,” J. Bradley Minnick, associate professor of English, said. “After serving as a co-director, I was one of the first ATLE fellows at the time Dr. Drale became chancellor and gave a gift to ATLE. It really gave us the sense that the chancellor was very much behind ATLE. We all wanted opportunities for faculty members to have more workshops and resources to work more effectively, and we thank her so much for her support.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock IT staff member Peter Stuckey shows faculty members several of his bee hives during an Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence talk at the Campus Garden. Photo by Ben Krain.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought challenges with continuing programming, but faculty members persevered in finding ways to continue to provide professional development opportunities. Lunch and Learn events switched to an online format with boxed lunches being delivered by graduate students or picked up by faculty members. “The ATLE provided lunches were very popular and appreciated by faculty that watched and participated in our programming through Zoom from their offices,” Tudor said. ATLE also added the Monday Morning Mentor Series, which provides 20-minute mentor videos every week on topics in higher education. During the summer of 2020, ATLE co-directors met weekly with the Provost’s Advisory Committee to develop resources to assist faculty to switch to online education. “As educators, we all have the opportunity to learn more,” Shroat-Lewis said. “We don’t come out of school being an excellent teacher. I’ve been a teacher for 22 years, and there is always something new to learn. I want to keep things exciting and innovative for my students.”

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.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Receives Donation to Create Endowed Student Support Fund in Honor of Stacy Duckett

John Hill — Tue, 16 Nov 2021 14:35:44 +0000

The Duckett Family has made a donation to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock to create an endowed student support fund in honor of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law alumna Stacy Duckett. The fund will help ��Vlog��ý Little Rock students meet basic educational expenses and needs including housing, critical car repairs, food insecurity, licensure exam costs, participation in national honor societies, student travel, etc. “The Duckett family’s gift in memory of Stacy will enable us to provide financial support in areas that have not previously had an available funding source, such as food insecurity needs or coverage of professional licensure fees,” said Provost Ann Bain. “The ability to provide this support can make a difference in a student completing their degree or in accessing timely employment.” The Stacy Duckett Student Support Endowment Fund will honor Stacy Duckett’s memory of living a philanthropic life by helping others improve their lives through education without having to experience great financial burden. Student recipients will be selected by the Office of the Provost at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. “Stacy believed in the transformative power of education, and she would have liked the idea of a student support fund that could eliminate barriers for others pursuing college degrees,” the Duckett family said. Stacy Duckett graduated from Hendrix College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1986 and earned her law degree from the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law in 1995. She was the first TCBY employee who was not a member of the founder’s family, the Hickingbothams, and began working at the company’s first store in 1981 when she was in high school. She later became vice president and assistant general counsel for TCBY Enterprises, Inc. Duckett, who was vice president, chief compliance officer, and corporate secretary at Southwest Power Pool in Little Rock, passed away in 2015. Donations may be made to the Stacy Duckett Student Support Endowment Fund by visiting this website.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock to Celebrate In-Person Commencement Ceremony Dec. 18

John Hill — Mon, 27 Sep 2021 15:47:07 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock is getting back to tradition with the university’s first in-person commencement ceremony since the COVID-19 pandemic began.�� The commencement ceremony for summer and fall 2021 graduates will begin at 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 18, in the Jack Stephens Center. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock will celebrate the graduation of about 500 students. “We are delighted to resume our traditional commencement ceremony at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and to celebrate the accomplishments of our students with faculty, staff, families, and friends,” said Provost Ann Bain. “The COVID-19 pandemic has created additional challenges for our students to complete their degrees and certificate programs. This will be a particularly special commencement ceremony for all of us.”�� Vlog��ý Little Rock will continue to follow guidelines recommended by the Arkansas Department of Health. Facemasks will be required, and hand sanitizing stations will be available for all guests.�� Back by popular demand will be celebratory photo backdrops created by Just Peachy. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock will also hold contests for the best-decorated graduation cap. Graduates can get ready for commencement at Gradfest, a one-stop shop for all things graduation. The event is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 13, and Thursday, Oct. 14, in the Donaghey Student Center Campus Bookstore. Grads can get information on graduation applications, graduate school, and commencement, purchase cap and gowns, and order ��Vlog��ý Little Rock class rings and graduation announcements. Any student who wishes to participate in the commencement ceremony should apply for graduation by Oct. 22. Instructions for applying for graduation can be found at this link.�� If you have any questions about the Fall 2021 Commencement Ceremony, please contact Dr. Erin Finzer, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs, at esfinzer@ualr.edu.

Briscoe Named University Professor at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

John Hill — Mon, 07 Jun 2021 09:22:02 +0000

Dr. David Briscoe, a professor of sociology, has the distinction of being the first ��Vlog��ý Little Rock faculty member appointed the honorific title of university professor.�� This is a special honor conferred only upon active faculty in recognition of an extended period of exemplary service in a spirit of collegiality to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock as well as a combination of service in their profession and to the public through their professional activities.�� In order to achieve the distinction, faculty members must have been a full professor for 10 years and have gained wide recognition at the national or international level for their sustained excellence in service, teaching, research, or creative activity relevant to their respective disciplines and academic roles. “I am beyond words that the Board of Trustees of the University of Arkansas conferred the distinguished title of University Professor on me,” Briscoe said. “It’s historical in the sense that I became the Inaugural University Professor at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. It means the world to me.”�� Briscoe is known for a legacy of teaching excellence at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock that stretches for nearly three decades. He is the 2021 recipient of the Faculty Excellence Award in Teaching as well as the 2020 recipient of the Faculty Excellence Award in Public Service. “This is a historic year for ��Vlog��ý Little Rock as we recognize our first Distinguished Professors and our first University Professor,” Provost Ann Bain said. “These outstanding faculty have had long standing careers that have been, and continue to be, full of accomplishments. Their dedication to their profession, our university, and our students is commendable. We are thankful to have the opportunity to honor our faculty with these prestigious awards.” Since beginning his career at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 1992, Briscoe has been awarded nearly 60 honors, including being named a Distinguished Teaching Fellow for the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence twice, voted among the Best of the Best Professors three times by the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock student body, and receiving the Graduate and Retention Advocate Award four times. He supports student-athletes as the NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative and serves on the National Phi Kappa Phi Awards Committee, the Chancellor’s Race and Ethnicity Advisory Committee, the Centennial Campaign Cabinet, and the Institutional Effectiveness Committee.�� “Dr. Briscoe is tireless in his service to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, its students, and the wider community,” said Dr. Krista Lewis, chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. “It seems that hardly a week passes in which I, in my role as department chair, am not contacted by students, community members, or organizations who wish to reach out just to praise the service and care that Dr. Briscoe has extended to them.” In addition to his teaching and university service, Briscoe has participated in the Boy Scouts of America for 55 years. As a member of the National Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America, Briscoe became the inaugural national chairman of Learning for Life, an academic and character development program serving more than 1.7 million students throughout the United States.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Honors Briscoe, Agarwal, and MacFarlane as Top Professors of 2021

John Hill — Thu, 15 Apr 2021 16:15:03 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has selected Drs. David Briscoe, Nitin Agarwal, and Bronwyn MacFarlane as the 2021 winners of the Faculty Excellence Awards.�� Briscoe, professor of sociology, has been named the 2021 recipient of the Bailey Teaching Award and will receive a $5,000 award. Briscoe began his teaching career at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 1992 and has consistently been honored for excellence in teaching and public service over the past three decades. Agarwal, Maulden-Entergy Endowed Chair and Distinguished Professor of Information Science, was named the Faculty Excellence in Research and Creative Endeavors winner and will receive a $5,000 award. Agarwal is an internationally known researcher who pioneered work in the social computing discipline. He launched the Collaboratorium for Social Media and Online Behavioral Studies (COSMOS), which was designated last year as a research center by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education. MacFarlane, professor of gifted education, received the Faculty Excellence in Public Service Award and will receive a $5,000 award. She has contributed extensively to public service in the field of gifted education and serves as a nationally elected and recognized leader in the National Association for Gifted Children. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock annually celebrates the achievements of the top professors of the year who are making a difference in the community through their contributions in teaching, research and creative works, and public service. This is the highest honor ��Vlog��ý Little Rock awards its faculty members. “Our faculty excellence winners represent the university’s commitment to superb instruction, outstanding research, and community service,” Provost Ann Bain said. “Each of the winners has made immeasurable contributions to the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock community and to the lives of their students and colleagues. We thank them for their service.” Created in 1989, the Faculty Excellence Awards has provided a way to recognize the great work of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock faculty for the past 32 years and is made possible through the valued contributions of the Office of the Chancellor, the Office of the Provost, the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Chancellor’s Circle, and the Bailey Foundation. The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Board of Visitors selected the university-wide winners from the 12 faculty members who were selected as the top faculty members for the 2020-21 academic year in each of the three categories in their respective colleges and the William H. Bowen School of Law. Faculty Excellence Award in Teaching – Dr. David Briscoe, professor of sociology�� Briscoe has created a legacy of teaching excellence at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock that stretches for nearly three decades. He earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a master’s degree in criminal justice from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and a Ph.D. in sociology from Southern Illinois University.

Dr. David Briscoe

He began teaching at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 1992 and has been consistently honored for excellence in teaching and public service. Briscoe has been awarded nearly 60 honors; earned professional development certification from Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard Divinity School, Princeton Theological Seminary, Oxford Round Table; and was twice named a Distinguished Teaching Fellow for the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Academy of Teaching and Learning Excellence. He has received the Graduate and Retention Advocate Award four times and received the Faculty Excellence in Public Service Award in 2020. Briscoe is known as an advocate for students with disabilities and was voted among the Best of the Best Professors three times by the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock student body. He serves on the National Phi Kappa Phi Awards Committee, the Chancellor’s Race and Ethnicity Advisory Committee, the Centennial Campaign Cabinet, and the Institutional Effectiveness Committee.�� As the NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative, Briscoe assists with the certification and undergraduate education of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s student-athletes, serves on a number of committees at the Sun Belt Conference, and served as a panelist at the 2019 Inaugural Diversity Summit. He is also well-known and admired for his role as a national volunteer for the Boy Scouts of America. As a member of the National Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America, Briscoe became the inaugural national chairman of Learning for Life, an academic and character development program serving more than 1.7 million students throughout the United States. He also has the distinction of being the first African American in the state to serve on the Boy Scouts’ national executive board as well as the first African American in the country to be selected as the Alumnus of the Year in 2013, where he was chosen from among 50 million alumni of Boy Scouts. Faculty Excellence Award in Research – Dr. Nitin Agarwal, Maulden-Entergy Endowed Chair and Distinguished professor of Information Science Agarwal is an internationally distinguished researcher whose pioneering work in the social computing discipline has significantly advanced this fledgling area and helped open many doors for innovation for the scientific community. His primary research interests are in social computing, (deviant) behavior modeling, studying group dynamics, influence, trust, collective action, social-cyber forensics, health informatics, data mining and privacy aims to be at the vanguard of the ever-evolving online behaviors.

Dr. Nitin Agarwal

At ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, he created the Collaboratorium for Social Media and Online Behavioral Studies (COSMOS), which was designated as a research center by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education in 2020.�� “STEM education needs to be research-driven so that we can expose our students to cutting-edge technologies to prepare them as the next generation workforce that is capable of developing innovative solutions to real-world problems,” Agarwal said. “Our students are the lifeblood of research projects at COSMOS. Our mission is to conduct competitive research, transition research from publications to practice, and inspire thought leaders that communicate science to society and contribute to the social good.” COSMOS has produced more than two dozen projects, published 10 books and more than 200 publications, and three important tools: Blogtrackers, YouTubeTracker and Focal Structure Analysis. In the past year, COSMOS has assisted the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office track scams and disinformation related to COVID-19 that led to the development of COVID-19 Misinformation Tracker. “Our research examines some of the very complex and interdisciplinary problems that challenge science and society alike,” Agarwal said. “For a meaningful impact, we partner with educators, researchers, businesses, practitioners, journalists, policymakers, defense and security agencies across our state, nation, and the world.” Since joining ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 2009, Agarwal has brought in more than $10 million in funding for ��Vlog��ý Little Rock from sponsors like the U.S. Army Research Office, U.S. Office of Naval Research, U.S. Air Force Research Lab, U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, U.S. National Science Foundation, and U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Most recently, Agarwal edited a IEEE Internet Computing special issue on cyber social health that highlights developments of social media analytics used to gain a better understanding of online human behavior, as research in social media analytics has seen significant development of new and advanced techniques. and his co-editors, Drs. , , and , introduce a conceptual design that demonstrates modeling at cognitive, neural, and social levels for cumulative measurements in prediction, explainability, and mitigation of misinformation.�� Faculty Excellence Award in Public Service – Dr. Bronwyn MacFarlane, professor of gifted education Bronwyn MacFarlane has contributed extensive public service in the field of gifted education. She has served as a nationally elected and recognized leader in the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) in the roles of chair of the STEM Network with more than 1,000 members and chair of the Counseling and Guidance Network, which serves over 700 members.��

Dr. Bronwyn MacFarlane

For three years, MacFarlane wrote the popular column “The Curriculum Corner” in NAGC’s national magazine, “Teaching for High Potential.” She also serves as an editorial assistant and guest editor for the academic journal “Roeper Review.”�� MacFarlane has served as chair or a representative on more than 25 ��Vlog��ý Little Rock committees, on over 15 national and state education committees, and has held or continues to hold several state and national leadership positions in gifted education. In Little Rock, MacFarlane is a regular volunteer judge and guest speaker for events like the Central Arkansas Regional Science Fair, Arkansas 4-H, and Girls in STEM Leadership Conference. She provided expert commentary in interviews to the local media for parents to support children’s learning and mental health during the pandemic.�� MacFarlane has received national and international recognition in the field of gifted education. Some of her awards include the Early Leader Award from the National Association for Gifted Children in 2018, the Wedge Distinguished Scholar Award at Western Kentucky University in 2017, and the Challenger Award from the Arkansans for Gifted and Talented Education Association in 2016 for her cutting edge book “STEM Education for High Ability Learning.”�� She twice received the Faculty Excellence Award for Research, for the College of Education in 2014 and for the College of Education and Health Professions in 2019. She has been named a Distinguished Teaching Fellow for the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Academy of Teaching and Learning Excellence, received the New Faculty Teaching Commendation, and twice received the Graduate and Retention Advocate Award.�� “Public service is integrated into my work, and my activities focus on ways to develop talent in different settings,” MacFarlane said. “My service activities at each level, whether local, university, state, national, or international, can be best summarized as contributing my time and expertise to supporting the talent development of others. Whether I am volunteering locally, evaluating federal projects and university programs, or speaking to parents and teachers about education, I am always focused on doing what I can to support someone’s talent development and growth.”

Briscoe, MacFarlane, and Anson receive Faculty Excellence Awards from CHASSE

John Hill — Fri, 19 Mar 2021 15:41:30 +0000

The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock College of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, and Education (CHASSE) has selected Drs. David Briscoe, Bronwyn MacFarlane, and Ed Anson as its 2021 Faculty Excellence winners. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock annually celebrates the achievements of the top professors of the year who are making a difference in the community through their contributions in teaching, research and creative works, and public service. This is the highest honor ��Vlog��ý Little Rock awards its faculty members. Created in 1989, the Faculty Excellence Awards have provided a way to recognize the great work of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock faculty for the past 32 years and is made possible through contributions by the Office of the Chancellor, the Office of the Provost, the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Chancellor’s Circle, the Bailey Foundation, and UMR.�� Briscoe, MacFarlane, and Anson will compete for the university-wide Faculty Excellence Awards, which will be announced April 15. Faculty Excellence Award in Teaching – David Briscoe, professor of sociology in Department of Sociology and Anthropology Briscoe said he learned the value of education early in life when he attended a one-room school in Mars Hill, North Carolina, during the period of racial segregation in the South in the late 1950s. “The school had a legacy because my father and grandfather attended the school when they were students,” Briscoe said. “The school only went to the 6th grade. In many ways, I never thought I would go any further.”

Faculty Excellence nominee David Briscoe. Photo by Ben Krain.

Briscoe would go on to earn undergraduate (‘80) and graduate (85′) degrees from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and a Ph.D. from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (’93). He has taught at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock for nearly three decades, beginning his career in 1992. During that time, Briscoe has been awarded nearly 60 honors, earned professional development certification from Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard Divinity School, Princeton Theological Seminary, Oxford Round Table, and was twice named a Distinguished Teaching Fellow for the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Academy of Teaching and Learning Excellence. He has received the Graduate and Retention Advocate Award four times and received the Faculty Excellence in Public Service award for the College of Social Sciences and Communication in 2020. Briscoe is known to enthusiastically advocate for students with disabilities and was voted among the Best of the Best Professors three times by the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock student body. He serves on the National Phi Kappa Phi Awards Committee, the Chancellor’s Race and Ethnicity Advisory Committee, the Centennial Campaign Cabinet, and the Institutional Effectiveness Committee. As the NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative, Briscoe assists with the certification and undergraduate education of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s student-athletes. He is also well-known and admired in his role as a national volunteer for the Boy Scouts of America. As a member of the National Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America, Briscoe became the inaugural national chairman of Learning for Life, an academic and character development program serving more than 1.7 million students throughout the United States. Faculty Excellence Award in Public Service – Bronwyn MacFarlane, professor of gifted education in the School of Education Bronwyn MacFarlane has contributed extensive public service in the field of gifted education. She has served as a nationally elected and recognized leader in the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) in the roles of chair of the STEM Network with more than 1,000 members and chair of the Counseling and Guidance Network, which serves over 700 members.�� For three years, MacFarlane wrote the popular column “The Curriculum Corner” in NAGC’s national magazine, “Teaching for High Potential.” She also serves as an editorial assistant and guest editor for the academic journal “Roeper Review.”

Faculty Excellence nominee Bronwyn MacFarlane. Photo by Ben Krain.

“From classroom and district gifted program responsibilities to nationally elected leadership roles, Dr. MacFarlane has served in many leadership capacities where she gently challenges those around her in developing new ideas, approaches, and products,” said Dr. Debbie Dailey, chair of the Department of Teaching and Learning at the University of Central Arkansas. “Her valued service leadership contributions support the bridge from scholarship to best teaching practices in local schools and classrooms and beyond to benefit individuals and improve their educational experiences.” MacFarlane has served as chair or a representative on more than 25 ��Vlog��ý Little Rock committees, on over 15 national and state education committees, and has held or continues to hold several state and national leadership positions in gifted education. In Little Rock, MacFarlane is a regular volunteer judge and guest speaker for events like the Central Arkansas Regional Science Fair, Arkansas 4-H, and Girls in STEM Leadership Conference.�� She provided expert commentary in interviews to the local media for parents to support children’s learning and mental health during the pandemic.�� MacFarlane has received national and international recognition in the field of gifted education. Some of her awards include the Early Leader award from the National Association for Gifted Children in 2018, the Wedge Distinguished Scholar award at Western Kentucky University in 2017, and the Challenger Award from the Arkansans for Gifted and Talented Education Association in 2016 for her cutting edge book “STEM Education for High Ability Learning.”�� A professor for only 13 years, she has been recognized with the Faculty Excellence Awards three times in the past seven years. She twice received the Faculty Excellence Award for Research and Scholarship for the College of Education in 2014 and for the College of Education and Health Professions in 2019. She has been named a Distinguished Teaching Fellow for the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Academy of Teaching and Learning Excellence, received the New Faculty Teaching Commendation, and twice received the Graduate and Retention Advocate Award.�� “Public service is integrated into my work, and my activities focus on ways to develop talent in different settings,” MacFarlane said. “My service activities at each level, whether local, university, state, national, or international, can be best summarized as contributing my time and expertise to supporting the talent development of others. Whether I am volunteering locally, evaluating federal projects and university programs, or speaking to parents and teachers about education, I am always focused on doing what I can to support someone’s talent development and growth.”�� Faculty Excellence Award in Research – Edward Anson, professor of history in the Department of History

Faculty Excellence nominee Edward Anson. Photo by Ben Krain.

As a specialist in the Hellenistic Era, Anson has contributed significant research in the field of ancient history during his 45 years as a professor at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. He is considered an expert in Alexander the Great studies. His latest books, “The Campaigns of Philip II and Alexander the Great,” and “Ptolemy I, Soter: Themes and Issues” will be published in 2022. His most recent publications include “Philip II, the Father of Alexander the Great: Themes and Issues” in 2020. In the same year, Anson also co-edited “Affective Relations and Personal bonds in Hellenistic Antiquity: A Festschrift Honouring of the Career of Elizabeth D. Carney” with Dr. Monica D’Agostini and Dr. Frances Pownall. “His publications on Macedonia military innovations, defining ethnicity, the chronology of the early Hellenistic period, and the career of the green commander and administrator Eumenes under Alexander and the early successor have transformed modern scholarship on these topics and have become the standard ‘go-to’ references by other scholars,” said Dr. Pownall, professor of classics at the University of Alberta. His overall publication record includes numerous books, more than 50 articles or book chapters, and over 50 encyclopedia entries with peer-reviewed journals and presses. He also serves as associate editor of “Ancient History Bulletin,” an assessor for classics for the Australian Research Council, and a fellow of the University of Waterloo’s Institute for Hellenistic Studies.

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.

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

Faculty Mentoring Program Helps ����Vlog��ý Little Rock Faculty Members Succeed

Academy of Teaching and Learning Excellence Promotes Faculty Excellence and Learning Success at ����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

����Vlog��ý Little Rock Receives Donation to Create Endowed Student Support Fund in Honor of Stacy Duckett

����Vlog��ý Little Rock to Celebrate In-Person Commencement Ceremony Dec. 18

Briscoe Named University Professor at ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

����Vlog��ý Little Rock Honors Briscoe, Agarwal, and MacFarlane as Top Professors of 2021