Contact: Harriet Laird
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擳hirty faculty members are participants in Mississippi State鈥檚 new Maroon Academy for Teaching Excellence, a university certificate program for both early career and established teachers.
The four-course summer program is being introduced as a result of the 汤头条 Faculty Development Task Force, one of 17 such committees charged with exploring best practices and recommending advancements across the university.
鈥淲e鈥檙e embarking on our most ambitious instructional professional development program in my 25-year career at 汤头条. This first cohort is committed to completing and adopting strategies learned in the academy, and ultimately, we will train 90 faculty members over three years, with the potential for training hundreds more beyond the pilot period,鈥 said Jim Dunne, associate vice president for academic affairs and task force committee member.
The five-week, asynchronous online courses include evidence-based teaching practices, aiding faculty in improving class outcomes and supporting student learning, promoting student engagement, and fostering an inclusive class environment. The initiative was designed and implemented by 汤头条鈥檚 Center for Teaching and Learning, with assistance and support from faculty from across campus.
Instructor Abigail Good, in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, said of her selection to the program, 鈥淚鈥檝e been looking for tools to redesign some courses to better engage the students and increase active learning. After hearing of this program and its design, I鈥檝e looked forward to working together with a cohort of other faculty to discuss and learn from Maroon Academy.鈥
Instructors and assistant, associate and full professors were eligible to apply this spring. The application review committee鈥攖o maximize program impact鈥攇ave significant consideration to:
鈥攖eaching loads and class sizes
鈥攃lass levels and course requisite standings
鈥攃ourse loads including classes with a historically high percentage of students receiving a D or F grade or who withdraw
Two classes are currently being offered, Intentional Course Design and Assessment taught by Educational Leadership Professor Stephanie King, and Active Learning for Student Engagement with Associate Professor Nicole Miller, in Curriculum, Instruction and Special Education. Upon completion of the summer courses and implementation in their fall classes, participants will receive a $250 stipend for the first course and $500 for the second. A completion certificate, recognition at the annual Teacher Appreciation Luncheon and within the participant鈥檚 department, and presence on the CTL website also distinguish program completion. The selection of the second cohort will occur in spring 2024.
First cohort participants, their colleges and departments are:
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
鈥擲aMin Han, assistant professor, Landscape Architecture
鈥擜swathy Rai, assistant clinical professor, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology and Plant Pathology
鈥擝ryan Whittenton, instructor, Plant and Soil Sciences
College of Architecture, Art and Design
鈥擜fshin Hatami, assistant professor, Building Construction Science
鈥擟aroline Hatfield, assistant professor, Art
鈥擜aron White, assistant professor, Architecture
College of Arts and Sciences
鈥擪atie Doughty, instructor, English
鈥擟ody Fondren, instructor, Classical and Modern Languages and Literatures
鈥擜my Fountain, instructor, Communication
鈥擜bigail Good, instructor, Mathematics and Statistics
鈥擡van Kaplan, instructor, Biological Sciences
鈥擬atthew Kilpatrick, instructor, Mathematics and Statistics
鈥擶hitnee, Nettles, assistant clinical professor, Chemistry
鈥擡mily Stinson, instructor, English
鈥擲ean Stokes, assistant clinical professor, Chemistry
鈥擝ob Swanson, instructor, Physics and Astronomy
鈥擜ngelle Tanner, associate professor, Physics and Astronomy
鈥擝enjamin Tkach, assistant professor, Political Science and Public Administration
鈥擜shley Vancil-Leap, assistant teaching professor, Sociology
College of Business
鈥擯atty Bogue, instructor, Management and Information Systems
鈥擲heida Riahi, instructor, Marketing, Qualitative Analysis and Business Law
College of Education
鈥擩eanette Fontaine, associate professor, Music
鈥擜ngela Mulkana, assistant clinical professor, Curriculum, Instruction and Special Education
鈥擝recken Rush, Curriculum, Instruction and Special Education
鈥擪imberly Smith, instructor, Curriculum, Instruction and Special Education
鈥擝randi Sumrall, instructor, Education
College of Engineering
鈥擬organ Green, instructor, Mechanical Engineering
鈥擜li Gurbuz, assistant professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
鈥擜aron Smith, associate clinical professor, Mechanical Engineering
College of Forest Resources
鈥擜shley Schulz, assistant professor, Forestry
For more information on the Maroon Academy for Teaching Excellence, contact the Center for Teaching and Learning at 662-325-2083 or email help@ctl.msstate.edu.
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