The University of Arkansas announced 20 faculty members who were recognized for their outstanding performance and been awarded tenure and/or promotion for the 2021-2022 academic year.

This year, honors also include the recognition of four faculty members who earned the honorific title of Distinguished Professor, a distinction reserved for those individuals who are “recognized nationally and/or internationally as intellectual leaders in their academic disciplines as a result of extraordinary accomplishments in research, teaching, published works, creative activities in the arts or endeavors of similar merit in other venues.”

One faculty member was named University Professor for “an extended period of exemplary service in a spirit of collegiality to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and a combination of service in their profession and to the public through their professional activities.”

Nine faculty members were awarded tenure and promotion to Associate Professor, one received promotion in academic rank to Professor, one award of tenure, one promotion to Senior Instructor, and three promotions to Advanced Instructor.

View the promotions and learn about each faculty member at the .

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The timeline for the Department Student Success and Retention Awards has been revised. In addition, the university winner will be selected by the Foundation Board of Directors rather than the Board of Visitors.

Revised Dates

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  April 2 – College-level awards application due to the college selection committee

  
  
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  April 9 – Copy of each college-level winner’s application and runner-up due to the Provost

  
  
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  May 15 – University-level winners will be announced by this date

  
  

The Department Student Success and Retention Awards recognize exceptional activities that involve broad, collaborative participation within academic departments or schools to support student success and improve retention at the undergraduate level. The awards celebrate innovation or the adaption of best practices to local circumstances and provide a vehicle for sharing them with others.

Advising must be one of the items addressed, and submissions must address how departments adjusted their practices or introduced new ones in response to the circumstances of students during the pandemic.

Awards are given at the college level and university level. A $1,000 award will be given to each college-level winner. A  $10,000 award will be given to a single department or school from among the pool of college winners. Winners will be announced by May 15.

For more information, go to the Department Student Success and Retention Awards website.

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Revised Dates

• 
  

  April 2 – College-level awards application due to the college selection committee

  
  
• 
  

  April 9 – Copy of each college-level winner’s application and runner-up due to the Provost

  
  
• 
  

  May 15 – University-level winners will be announced by this date

  
  

The Department Student Success and Retention Awards recognize exceptional activities that involve broad, collaborative participation within academic departments or schools to support student success and improve retention at the undergraduate level. The awards celebrate innovation or the adaption of best practices to local circumstances and provide a vehicle for sharing them with others.

Recognition is accorded at the college level and university level. $1,000 will be awarded to a department or school within each college. $10,000 will be awarded to a single department or school from among the pool of college winners. Winners will be announced by May 15. The awards will be deposited in foundation accounts of the winning departments or schools to be used at their discretion within the bounds of normal regulations.

Activities to be considered by selection committees

The Covid-19 pandemic has required flexibility and quick innovation across the university, including those that affect student success and retention. Although the range of activities that may be considered by the selection committees is broad, and the list below is not meant to be exhaustive, submissions must address how departments adjusted their practices or introduced new ones in response to the circumstances of students during the pandemic. In addition, all submissions must include advising among the activities addressed.

• Use of active or experiential learning pedagogies
• Curriculum redesign with the aim of retaining and graduating students
• Reward structures for faculty (such as protocols for the evaluation of teaching) that encourage practices that support student success and retention, including advising
• Engagement with students in co-curricular activities or other activities outside the classroom Alignment of curriculum and co-curricular activities with career pathways
• Use of data to inform and assess change
• Special support services, such as peer mentoring or tutoring programs
• Support targeting special populations
• Advising practices
• Process improvement
• Early alert mechanisms
• Innovative class scheduling

Criteria for selection

In judging submissions, selection committees will consider the alignment of practices with the undergraduate student profile of ����Vlog��ý-Little Rock, the impact of particular activities, the range of activities, the transferability of the practices to other departments or schools, and the degree of involvement of faculty and staff across the department or school.

Selection

All departments and schools are eligible to submit applications, except the university winner of the 2019-20 award.

The college committees that selected the Faculty Excellence Award winners will select the college winners.

Each college selection committee will select a winner and a runner-up. The Foundation Fund Board of Directors will select the university winner from among the college winners. The $1,000 college­level award of the college from which the university-level award is selected will go to the runner-up in that college.

Procedure

Administration of the award process

Administrative support for the award process shall be the responsibility of the Office of the Provost.

Preparation of nomination packets

Department chairs or school directors are responsible for the preparation of application packets containing the information specified under the “Content and Format of Applications” section below. Format rules (page limitation, font size, and spacing) are enforced.

Submission of applications and timeline

One copy of each application for the college-level awards shall be submitted to the college selection committee no later than April 2.

One copy of each college-level winner’s application shall be forwarded to the Provost no later than April 9. The identification of each college-level runner-up shall also be forwarded to the Provost by April 9.

Selection committee action

College-level selection committees shall meet as necessary in order to complete the selection of the award winner and runner-up.

• Committee procedures shall be determined by the respective colleges/schools.
• The committee shall review such materials as are submitted in the application.
• The proceedings of the committees shall be confidential.
• The committee shall prepare for each college-level winner a one-page letter of support to be included in the application.

The Provost shall forward sets of nomination packets to members of the external selection committee.

• The members of the selection committee shall advise the Provost of the committee’s selections by a date designated by the Provost.
• The proceedings of the committee shall be confidential.
• The announcement of University-level winners shall be made by May 15.

Criteria for selection

In judging submissions, selection committees will consider the alignment of practices with the undergraduate student profile of ����Vlog��ý Little Rock, the impact of particular activities, the range of activities, the transferability of the practices to other departments or schools, and the degree of involvement of faculty and staff across the department or school.

Note: Advising must be one of the items addressed, and submissions must address how departments adjusted their practices or introduced new ones in response to the circumstances of students during the pandemic.

Content and format of applications

The Student Success and Retention Awards recognize Schools and Departments at ����Vlog��ý Little Rock that have made significant contributions to improving the success and retention of our undergraduate students.

The application document should include the following elements and be in the following format:

• Cover page
  • Name of Department or School
  • Name of College
  • Name of Department Chair or School Director, with signature and date
• A brief, narrative overview that provides a general framework for the activities described below
• An account of the following information for each activity included (advising must be one of the items):
  • Identification of the problem related to retention and student success that the activity is meant to address, including a brief account of how the problem was identified
  • A description of the activity, including a brief account of the scope of involvement across the department or school. The description must also address how the activity was adjusted or introduced in response to the circumstances of students during the pandemic.
  • A brief account of the outcomes of the activity and how it was evaluated or future plans for evaluation

Use margins no narrower than one inch on all sides and the 12 Times New Roman font.  The application must not exceed five, single-spaced pages excluding the cover page.

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����Vlog��ý Little Rock Faculty,

We understand the need and urgency to provide resources for you as we prepare for teaching during these unprecedented times. The Provost’s Academic COVID-19 Taskforce (PACT) has created a brief list of tools and training recommended as the basic starting point for teaching and collaboration online.

It includes resources from STaR, the Disability Resource Center, and Information Technology Services all in one place.

Find the Coronavirus Update Faculty Resource Guide at ualr.edu/coronavirus/faculty/resources.

Feel free to share it will others.

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Dear faculty colleagues,

The PACT (Provost’s Academic COVID-19 Taskforce) sub-committee on best practices, ATLE, and the Provost Office are organizing a series of casual conversations about teaching in the time of COVID-19.

These online conversations will be organized around specific teaching topics that instructors can explore together as we prepare for the fall semester. These conversations will take place in the Blackboard “Faculty Helping Faculty” Organization (via Collaborate Ultra).

The first “Teaching in the TIme of COVID” conversation hour will be Wednesday, June 17th, at 4 pm. 

• The first topic is student engagement in online and hybrid environments.
• We ask that you bring with you 1 teaching tip to share or 1 question (or, if you prefer, just come and listen in).

Chairs/directors: please make sure to share this with any part-time faculty or GTAs who will be teaching in the fall.

There are 2 ways to join the conversation in the “Faculty Helping Faculty Course Room”  session via Collaborate Ultra:

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More About MoSI Workshop

Although “scientific” is part of the name (Mobile Summer Institute on Scientific Teaching), this program is not about the sciences, and enrollment is open to faculty from all disciplines.

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.

MoSI offers an immersive experience to increase knowledge and capabilities with evidence-based teaching approaches such as active learning and inclusive teaching practices.

Food will be provided including a very light breakfast and full lunch. We will host an opening day reception on the first night, Monday, May 18, from 4:30-6 p.m.

Space is limited; please complete by February 26. We will confirm participation (based on the availability of positions) in early March.

To learn more, go to the MoSI website at ualr.edu/provost/mosi.

Questions? Contact Mark Baillie, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, at mtbaillie@ualr.edu.

Get a MoSI Preview at ATLE Lunch & Learn

Interesting but want to learn more about MoSI? Attend the ATLE Lunch & Learn MoSI Preview Tuesday, February 11. Earn 10 points toward your next ATLE award.

RSVP by Wednesday, Feb. 5, at the

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����Vlog��ý Little Rock Faculty Members Work to Improve Student Success, Graduate Rates

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.

Read the full article at University News.

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