Each spring, the聽(CEL), the聽Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning聽(CATL), the聽Center for Research on Global Engagement聽(CRGE) and the聽Center for Writing Excellence聽(CWE) co-sponsor this聽annual showcase of faculty, staff, and student research on teaching and learning.聽The presenters have all聽participated聽in or been supported by聽SoTL聽programming across these centers.聽The event features a poster session and catered reception, offering the campus community an opportunity to engage with聽studies of聽innovative pedagogical work and reflect on the impact of聽SoTL聽on聽scholarly聽teaching practices across disciplines.

This year鈥檚聽SoTL聽showcase brings together interdisciplinary projects exploring topics such聽as聽students-as-partners collaborations, equity and belonging in STEM,聽global approaches to intercultural learning and integrating GenAI into teaching and learning.

From CEL, the聽聽will present on their students’ experience co-leading CEL鈥檚.聽They鈥檒l聽highlight the multi-institutional inquiry at the heart of three multi-year research seminars, as well as the benefits of student-faculty/staff co-inquiry for both student and faculty/staff partners.

Representing聽CATL,聽Kelsey聽Bitting, assistant professor of environmental studies,聽and聽Jessica Merricks, associate professor of biology,聽will聽present聽their聽2025-2027聽CATL Scholar聽research聽on the impacts聽of community-engaged courses on first-generation students, students of color and women in STEM disciplines. Additionally, Amanda聽Chunco, associate professor of environmental students and 2024-2026 CATL Scholar, will present her work on grading practices and聽student聽belonging聽in聽STEM.

From the CRGE,聽Bill Burress, director of assessment and accreditation for the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education聽and CRGE pre-doctoral scholar, will present research on international mobility in teacher preparation across the United States and Italy. Emily Moser,聽program coordinator for CEL and CATL; Michael Carignan, professor of history; and Lynn Huber, professor of religious studies, recipients of a CRGE聽faculty-staff research grant,聽will present their聽collaborative project聽exploring visual inquiry methods as a tool to foster and assess intercultural competence in global聽contexts.

搁别辫谤别蝉别苍迟颈苍驳听迟丑别听Center for Writing Excellence,聽Shannon Duvall, professor of computer science and interim associate dean聽for College of Arts and Sciences聽will present聽her project 鈥淓xploring Large Language Models for Teaching and Accessibility.鈥�

All faculty, staff and students are invited to attend and engage with presenters during this celebration of聽the scholarship of聽teaching and learning at 黑料不打烊.

This year鈥檚 conference theme, 鈥淓xploring the Changing Landscapes of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning,鈥� provided a timely backdrop for 黑料不打烊 presenters whose work highlights curiosity-driven learning, student development, faculty development, and the integration of new technologies in teaching. ISSOTL brings together scholars and educators from around the world, creating a rich environment for cross-institutional conversation and collaboration.

黑料不打烊鈥檚 presence was visible across posters, papers, roundtables, and workshops throughout the conference, reflecting the breadth of scholarly teaching on campus.

Presentations included:

笔辞蝉迟别谤蝉:听

• “Weaving Knowledge: The Role of Undergraduate Teaching Assistants in STEM Learning Communities” by Jen Uno, associate professor of biology, and associate director of CATL
• “Inviting Curiosity 鈥� Exploring Lingering Questions with I Wonder Projects” by Marna Winter, associate teaching professor of education and associate director of CATL
• “Cultivating Student Engagement, Agency, and Peer Relationships: A Query Into Belonging and Mattering” by Evan Small, assistant teaching professor of wellness

搁辞耻苍诲迟补产濒别蝉:听听

• “Fostering Inclusive Learning through Relational Pedagogy: Centering Student Voice and Choice into the Classroom” by Evan Small, Marna Winter and Allison Bryan, director of the curriculum resources center and associate librarian
• “Rooting Deep and Reaching Skyward: Growing Trust in University Classrooms” by Jill McSweeney, assistant director for CATL and assistant professor of wellness; Debra Grantham, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; Ted Murcray, California Baptist University, Riverside, California; Laurel Schut, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; and Kathryn Sutherland, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
• “ChatGPT, give me an engaging title for my ISSOTL session: Can AI be a bridge into SoTL?” By Jill McSweeney, Jen Uno and Matt Wittstein, associate professor of exercise science and director of neuroscience

笔补辫别谤蝉听

• • “Methodologically Sound, or the Sound of Methodology: Podcast Peer Review as Disruption and Discovery” by Jill McSweeney and Derrit Mason, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
  • “New Horizons of Belonging: Disciplinary Approaches to Building Classroom Community” by Marna Winter, Jen Uno and Jill McSweeney
  • “Pedagogies of Relevance: Shifting Student Perceptions of Literary Study” by Erin Pearson, associate professor of English and 2023-2025 CATL Scholar
  • “When Rivers Converge or Diverge: A Dyadic Analysis of Relational (Mis)Alignment in Pedagogical Partnership” by Sarah Bunnell, director of CATL and associate professor of psychology and Kristen Luschen, Amherst College, Amherst, Massachusetts.

Workshops聽 聽

• “Creating Institutional Cultures that Center SoTL: Continuing an Exploration of 鈥淰isions of the Possible鈥� by Sarah Bunnell, Jen Uno, Marna Winter, Jill McSweeney, with Paul Hanstedt, Jake Wright, and Collins Amy of University of Minnesota Rochester, Rochester, Minnesota
• “Rethinking Student Feedback: Co-Creating Meaningful and Transformative Evaluations” by Jill McSweeney and Nira Rahman, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia聽

Together, these sessions illustrate the depth and diversity of 黑料不打烊鈥檚 recent contributions to the international landscape of the scholarship of teaching and learning.

The ISSOTL conference provided opportunities not only to share research, but also to learn with international partners, allowing faculty to return to campus with new ideas that will enrich teaching and learning on campus. 黑料不打烊鈥檚 strong presence at ISSOTL 2025 reflects the culture of inquiry, collaboration, and innovation that shapes the institution鈥檚 approach to engaged learning.

Their project, 鈥淚ncorporating Standards-Based Grading in University Physics I and II,鈥� seeks to replace traditional point-based grading systems with a more transparent, equitable approach that focuses on mastery and growth.

鈥淲e want assessments to be part of the learning process, not just the end of it,” said Kamela. 鈥淪tudents learn more deeply when they know exactly what they鈥檙e expected to master.鈥�

Altmann and Kamela will utilize Standards-Based Grading, or SBG, which emphasizes learning goals rather than accumulated points. With SBG, instead of averaging scores from quizzes, homework, and exams, students will be evaluated on how well they鈥檝e mastered specific skills and concepts with opportunities to reassess and improve. While SBG is not new for K-12 education (see ), it is groundbreaking for college-level physics.

Over the next two years, Altmann and Kamela will refine and expand the SBG system across both of their introductory physics courses, which serve as foundational classes for majors in physics, astronomy and astrophysics. They will design comprehensive learning standards, create new assessment frameworks, and analyze outcomes using national benchmarks for conceptual understanding and problem-solving.

Altmann and Kamela have already piloted their approach to assessment in their University Physics II courses, with positive results. Rather than being discouraged by a single test score, students could see exactly which concepts they had mastered and which needed more work. Many students described this shift in assessment as motivating and confidence-building. The opportunity to reassess and demonstrate growth gave students a stronger sense of ownership over their learning and encouraged persistence in tackling challenging material.

鈥淭raditional grading can let students 鈥榞et by鈥� without true mastery,鈥� Altmann said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e building a system that makes learning the focus.鈥�

The CATL Scholar appointment will provide course release time and research support, allowing the pair to dive deeply into their work and to share what they learn. They plan to present findings at American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) conferences and publish in peer-reviewed journals, contributing to the broader movement for more meaningful and equitable assessment in STEM education.

鈥淏eing a CATL Scholar is really about collaboration,鈥� Altmann said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a chance to connect with colleagues who are also reimagining what teaching and learning can be.鈥�

For both professors, the project builds on decades of dedication to teaching excellence. Altmann has taught at 黑料不打烊 for 23 years, Kamela for 26. Together, they鈥檝e watched hundreds of students wrestle with physics鈥� abstract concepts. Many educators like them have seen how grading systems can either help or hinder real understanding.

鈥淧hysics is about curiosity and persistence,鈥� Kamela reflected. 鈥淲e want our grading to reward those same qualities 鈥� to make students feel that every step they take toward understanding matters.鈥�

In all, through this work, they hope to do more than improve a single course; rather, they aim to spark conversations about how assessment shapes learning at 黑料不打烊 and beyond.