Sarah Bunnell, director of 黑料不打烊’s Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning and associate professor of psychology, and George Talbert, assistant professor of marketing and sales, co-presented “The Power of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning for Individual and Institutional Transformation, in Business Schools and Beyond.” The online session marked the group’s second community event and drew educators from across Europe and beyond.

Bunnell opened by tracing SoTL’s roots to Ernest Boyer’s influential 1990 framework, which expanded the definition of scholarship to include systematic study of student learning. She then expanded on the field’s history to include later contributions from scholars like 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Peter Felten, assistant provost for teaching and learning, executive director of the Center for Engaged Learning, and professor of history, whose work has helped establish public dissemination, peer review and collaboration as foundational principles of SoTL practice.

Talbert then offered a personal lens, reflecting on his own transition from a senior marketing and sales career into higher education and how engaging with SoTL has reshaped his approach to teaching and student learning. Rather than focusing solely on content delivery and student satisfaction, he described moving toward deeper questions about how students’ thinking develops and whether his teaching approaches achieve their intended learning outcomes. This personal insight was highlighted by event organizers as a 鈥溾��, and its accessibility to faculty across disciplines, not just educational researchers.

Bunnell and Talbert鈥檚 work is an example of meaningful collaboration between faculty across disciplines who center student learning, professional growth, and development of one鈥檚 teaching practice within their work. Their session is a meaningful contribution to the growing international dialogue about SoTL’s role in higher education, which 黑料不打烊 is increasingly recognized as leading. The invitation for the keynote reflects the continued recognition of 黑料不打烊’s leadership in undergraduate teaching and educational development on the global stage. Following the session, Bunnell and Talbert were invited to remain engaged with the international SoTL community, with plans to continue building on the conversation in future collaborations.

罢丑别听Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning聽(CATL) is pleased to announce that Tracey Thurnes,聽professor聽and academic operations coordinator聽of聽physician聽assistant studies,聽has聽been selected as the聽inaugural聽CATL Pedagogy Fellow for Teaching and聽Learning in Graduate and Professional Programs.聽Beginning in August 2026,聽Thurnes聽will serve a two-year term聽supporting faculty development and advancing聽excellence聽in teaching聽and learning across 黑料不打烊鈥檚 graduate and professional programs.

Thurnes聽brings extensive experience in graduate education, curriculum design, assessment and student mentorship to this new role. Throughout her career in the Department of聽Physician聽Assistant Studies, she has designed聽and聽led聽courses聽focused on clinical medicine, clinical reasoning, and case-based learning while mentoring graduate students through research and capstone projects. Her teaching philosophy emphasizes applied learning, critical thinking, reflection, and professional identity development鈥攌ey components of聽effective聽graduate and professional education. She has been recognized for her聽commitment聽to teaching and mentorship聽through聽the School of Health聽Sciences Excellence in Teaching and Mentoring Award.聽Thurnes recognizes that “Excellence in graduate and professional education is not defined solely by content expertise.聽It also depends on the ability to design learning environments that challenge and support students as they grow into confident professionals.”

Thurnes聽has been an active participant and contributor to faculty development initiatives across the university. She has completed CATL鈥檚聽Inclusive Teaching Certificate program聽and聽participated聽in聽the Neurodiversity聽Summer聽Institute,聽experiences聽that have informed her approach to creating inclusive and accessible learning environments. In addition, her work with聽the聽Center for Design Thinking聽as both a Curricular and聽Research聽Catalyst has provided opportunities to聽facilitate聽workshops and collaborate with faculty from a wide range of disciplines. Through leadership roles including interim director of curriculum and instruction for physician assistant studies, chair of Academic Council, and director of the Accelerated Pathways Program, she has developed a broad perspective on teaching, learning, and student success across the university.

As Pedagogy Fellow,聽Thurnes聽will work closely with CATL colleagues to develop workshops, consultations and resources that support faculty teaching聽graduate聽and professional students across 黑料不打烊. She is particularly interested in expanding support for assessment and feedback practices, case-based and experiential learning, student well-being, professional identity formation and inclusive teaching. Through this work, she hopes to create meaningful opportunities for faculty to share ideas, reflect on their teaching, and implement evidence-based strategies that enhance student learning and success.

The article, “,” was co-authored by Jennifer Stephens, director of Academic-Residential Partnerships and assistant professor of education; Jill McSweeney, assistant director of the Center for the Advancement of Teaching & Learning and assistant professor of wellness; Nina Namaste, professor of Spanish and assistant director of First-Year Seminars in the 黑料不打烊 Core Curriculum; and Brandy S. Propst, director of 黑料不打烊 1010 and assistant director of Academic Advising.

The collaborative nature of this work is, in itself, a unique reflection of 黑料不打烊’s approach to the first-year experience, as it brings together offices across academic affairs and student life to create a unified and campus-wide ethos to the first-year experience, which they argue is essential but often missing in institutional approaches to the first-year experience.

The piece explores how institutions should view the first-year experience as a culmination beyond first-year seminars, and that in doing so, it requires us to see this as a unique pedagogical context that differs from teaching students in their sophomore to senior years of college. The authors present a framework for faculty development in First-Year Pedagogies, incorporating CATL’s Teaching for Equity and Inclusion work, and faculty, staff, and student data at 黑料不打烊. The framework asks educators to think intentionally about who they teach, what they teach, and how they teach, all within a commitment to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusivity.

The article outlines how other institutions can put this framework into practice, by sharing how over the last two years, 黑料不打烊 has developed specific faculty development opportunities to bring together faculty and staff from across first-year experiences (e.g., residential learning communities, gateway major courses, advising seminars). The goal of this work has been to build shared values, language, and classroom strategies focused on preparing students to be engaged, autonomous, and self-directed learners during their college degree and supporting students through the numerous transitions they experience during their first-year at college.

This work reflects why 黑料不打烊 has earned national recognition for the first-year undergraduate experience and emphasizes the importance of uplifting and supporting staff and faculty in order to continue to best support our first-year students.

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.

Despite starting as a regional conference, NEEPS has grown to include scholars from 12 different countries and 23 different states in 2026.

Caroline Niedermeyer, Andrea Perez and Madeleine Pettis each presented individual research posters developed through collaborative research with faculty mentor Jordann Brandner, assistant professor of psychology, and with support from the 黑料不打烊 Undergraduate Research Program and the Sinclair Endowed Grant.

Niedermeyer presented work she completed during her 2025 Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE). Her poster, titled, 鈥淵ou Can鈥檛 Always Get What You Want: Exploring the Relationship Between Self-Perceived Mate Value and Tolerance for Compensatory Traits,鈥� explored how individuals navigate trade-offs in relationship partner selection. The study tested whether self-perceived mate value affects willingness to accept partners with offsetting high and low traits. Niedermeyer was awarded the Gordon Bear Best Student Poster Award, recognizing the top undergraduate or graduate student poster presentation at the conference. The award, which includes a $100 prize, is one of the meeting鈥檚 most competitive student honors and highlights the quality and impact of her research.

Perez鈥檚 poster, 鈥淧ride and Preference: Perceived Sex Ratios and Women鈥檚 Online Dating Choices,鈥� examined how features of dating apps may shape users鈥� perceptions of available partners and influence women鈥檚 selectivity. Using an app that she co-developed with Pettis, the experiment tests whether different ratios of male and female profiles affect how frequently people accept or reject potential matches, contributing to understanding how modern digital environments influence mating strategies. This research was funded by a Sinclair Endowed research grant, which is awarded to student research in the social and behavioral sciences.

Pettis鈥� poster, 鈥淭hank You, Next: Examining the Effects of Sex Ratio and Number of Choices in Mate Choice,鈥� investigated how the total number of available partners influences partner decisions. Using the same dating app, participants evaluate different numbers of profiles to determine whether making more choices affects a person鈥檚 pickiness. The experiment offers insight into how decision-making processes operate in online dating, where people make many choices in succession. This research was also supported by a Sinclair Endowed grant.

In addition to student presentations, Brandner led a workshop titled 鈥淭eaching a Balanced Evolutionary Social Sciences Course: A Teaching Workshop,鈥� which focused on strategies for integrating diverse perspectives within evolutionary social science curricula. This work was funded by the 黑料不打烊 Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning (CATL) Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Dissemination grant.

All three students will present their work again at the upcoming Spring Undergraduate Research Forum (SURF) on April 28th, 2026.

Their presentation, 鈥淯sing Simulation to Bridge Faith and Health in a Non-Traditional Setting,鈥� highlighted a unique, interdisciplinary approach to simulation design that integrates healthcare, ethics and religious studies. Developed as part of Koonts’ Bridging Faith and Health work, in collaboration with interdisciplinary partners 黑料不打烊 faculty members Brian Pennington and Helen Orr, and supported by Interfaith America, the project addresses a growing need to prepare future nurses to navigate complex patient situations where religious beliefs, patient autonomy and evidence-based practice intersect.

The session showcased a multi-module educational initiative and an accompanying simulation experience designed to foster interprofessional collaboration, communication, and clinical judgment in ethically challenging scenarios. By engaging learners in realistic, non-traditional simulation environments, the project aims to strengthen students鈥� ability to deliver patient-centered care while respecting diverse values and beliefs.

Conference participants responded enthusiastically to the presentation, particularly its emphasis on:

• Addressing moral distress in clinical practice
• Enhancing interprofessional education (IPE)
• Expanding simulation beyond traditional clinical settings
• Promoting culturally and spiritually sensitive care

This work is part of a broader, Interfaith America grant-funded initiative that will continue over the next two years, with plans to expand the simulation model and contribute to the growing body of knowledge in faith-health integration and simulation-based education.

The conference brought together educators and simulation specialists from across the state to explore emerging trends such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality and innovative teaching strategies. 黑料不打烊鈥檚 contribution reflects the department鈥檚 ongoing commitment to excellence in nursing education, leadership in simulation and preparation of practice-ready graduates.

The Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning (CATL) is pleased to announce that Kevin Bourque, associate professor of English, has been selected to serve as its next associate director, beginning June 2026.

During his four-year term, Bourque will collaborate closely with CATL colleagues and partners across campus to support faculty development, promote evidence-based and innovative teaching practices, and strengthen 黑料不打烊鈥檚 culture of engaged and inclusive learning.

Bourque brings to this role a sustained commitment to inclusive pedagogy, interdisciplinary collaboration and thoughtful course design. In the English department聽and across the university, Bourque has taught a wide range of courses鈥攆rom British literature and food studies to LGBTQ literature and culture鈥攎any of which extend learning beyond traditional classroom spaces through experiential, sensory, and place-based approaches.聽He has聽significant experience聽in team-teaching and interdisciplinary work, including global education and Honors courses, and is known for cultivating productive partnerships that respect disciplinary differences while advancing shared teaching goals.

A particular focus of Bourque鈥檚 recent work has been聽supporting聽faculty聽responses to the rapidly evolving role of large language models (LLMs) in higher education. Through redesigned assessments, alternative writing practices, and innovative evaluation methods such as video-based assessments and critical reading portfolios, he has developed pedagogical strategies that emphasize student ownership, reflection, and disciplinary ways of thinking. Within the English department, he has led workshops on assessment design and critical reading in the context of AI, and he looks forward to expanding this work through CATL by聽identifying聽best practices and connecting faculty with resources across the university.聽

Bourque鈥檚 engagement with CATL spans his entire career at 黑料不打烊. He was named a CATL Scholar from 2019鈥�2021 for a project that helped rearticulate the relevance of literary studies within a 21st-century curriculum. He has also聽participated聽in CATL-supported scholarship of teaching and learning initiatives and faculty learning communities, work that closely aligns with CATL鈥檚 mission to foster reflective, research-informed teaching.聽As associate director, Bourque will support and advance CATL鈥檚 mission by strengthening a welcoming, collaborative and dynamic teaching and learning environment鈥攐ne that equips faculty to respond creatively and thoughtfully to the evolving challenges and opportunities of聽teaching and learning at 黑料不打烊.

Join colleagues and students from 黑料不打烊, University of Warwick, University of Leeds and partner institutions for a transatlantic collaboration exploring critical questions in higher education teaching.聽This series is convened by Tom Ritchie, US-UK Fulbright Scholar and visiting professor at 黑料不打烊聽from the University of Warwick, working with Sarah Bunnell and colleagues at CATL.

This partnership brings together:

• 黑料不打烊’s Center for the Advancement of Teaching & Learning (CATL)
• (WIHEA) and (IATL)
• (LITE)
• Members of the UK SoTL alliance
• Colleagues and students from Canadian universities

Each session will feature a short presentation from one of the partner institutions, followed by facilitated small group discussions and sharing across institutions. All sessions run 11 a.m.to Noon EST via Microsoft Teams. Participants may join individual sessions or participate in the full series.

Schedule:

• Feb. 11: What makes teaching “excellent” in your context?
• March 4: How do we teach for a sustainable future 鈥� embedding sustainability across disciplines?
• March 25: Belonging and exclusion 鈥� frameworks for understanding and action
• April 15: Teaching in the age of AI 鈥� opportunities and boundaries
• May 6: How can assessment drive learning 鈥� not just measure it?
• May 20: Building transatlantic partnerships 鈥� what could we create together?

Register for sessions

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.