ϡȱ�� Center for Academic Innovation - Leading Academic Change

Kirwan Center Announces New Round of Elkins SoTL Fellowship Awardees

admin-nancy — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 03:09:02 +0000

The ϡȱ�� Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation welcomes the 2025-2026 cohort of Elkins SoTL Fellows – ϡȱ�� faculty who will receive mini-grants and technical support to conduct projects focused on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL).

The Elkins SoTL Fellowship Program was developed to support and elevate faculty research on teaching practice. The 2025-2026 cohort of Elkins SoTL Fellows will conduct research spanning areas such as writing and literacy development, inclusive and culturally responsive pedagogy, and the integration of emerging technologies such as generative artificial intelligence into teaching and learning.

SoTL focuses on systematic investigation of student learning, instruction, and teaching innovations. Findings from SoTL research studies can help inform educators as they decide which instructional methods to use with students and as they design courses, helping to improve student performance and contributing to the knowledge base related to effective educational practices.

“I’m delighted to welcome this third cohort of Elkins SoTL Fellows,” said Nancy O’Neill, Executive Director, ϡȱ�� Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation. “Their scholarship will advance our collective knowledge about what works for student success, and I am deeply grateful for their engagement in this important work.”

The 2025-2026 Elkins SoTL Fellows are:

Rebecca (Becky) Anthony, Associate Professor of Social Work and Rachel Buchanan, Associate Professor of Social Work, Salisbury University | Project: Using AI Simulation in Social Work Classes

Mandee Booth, Assistant Professor, Department of Practice, Science, and Health Outcomes Research, School of Pharmacy, University of ϡȱ��, Baltimore | Project: Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TILT) in Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPE)

Melissa Bugdal, Associate Professor of English, University Writing Center Director, Salisbury University | Project: First Year Seminar and Writing Center Workshops: Understanding Dispositions toward College Writing and Writing Centers as a Retention Tool

Kelsie Endicott, Coordinator of the Graduate Writing Center, University of ϡȱ�� Eastern Shore | Project: Developing a Graduate Writing Center

Jason Farman, Professor of American Studies and Associate Dean of the Graduate School, University of ϡȱ��, College Park | Project: Making is a Mode of Thinking: Assessing the Impact of Hands-On Design for Inclusive and Deep Learning in the Humanities

Wyletta Gamble-Lomax, Associate Professor of Elementary Education, Coppin State University | Project: Our Uniqueness in Reading (O.U.R.) Book Club

Jennifer Rae Myers, Assistant Professor, Hearing and Speech Sciences, and Kristin Slawson, Clinical Associate Professor and Director of Clinical Education in Speech-Language Pathology, Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, University of ϡȱ��, College Park | Project: Enhancing Clinical Education in Medical Speech-Language Pathology through AI-Driven Simulated Learning Experiences

Lari Warren-Jeanpiere, Collegiate Professor, Social Sciences and Dominique Hammonds, Collegiate Professor, Clinical Professional Counseling, University of ϡȱ�� Global Campus | Project: Moving Beyond Diversity Training: Promoting Cultural Humility in Counselor Education through Intersectionality and Multiculturalism

Rebecca M. Williams, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, University of ϡȱ��, Baltimore County | Project: Chart Smarts: Cultivating Critical Visual Literacy in Diverse Student Populations with Student-Curated Examples

Areas of Focus:

Leading Academic Change

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News

Spring 2025 SoTL Showcase Call for Proposals

admin-jennifer — Fri, 07 Feb 2025 19:58:20 +0000

The Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation invites faculty across the ϡȱ�� (ϡȱ��) to participate in a spring 2025 showcase celebrating the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). This system-wide event will provide a platform to share research findings and innovative teaching practices. This event is an extension of the Kirwan Center’s Elkins Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Fellows Program that has been ongoing since 2023.

We invite faculty, individually or with colleagues, to learn more about SoTL research and showcase your scholarship of teaching and learning research at this system-wide event. We encourage submissions that explore a wide range of SoTL topics, including but not limited to:

Experiential Learning: Studies examining the impact of lab courses, performing and fine arts, project-based learning, community-based learning, high-impact practices, and blended learning modalities on student learning outcomes.
Research on Teaching and Learning: Surveys, interviews, and case studies investigating teaching practices, student engagement, and the impact of pedagogical approaches on student success.
Faculty Development: Research exploring the effectiveness of professional development programs in enhancing teaching and learning.
Assessment of Higher Education Programs: Case studies or research that assesses higher education programs that are new or recently modified.

See the Call for Proposals for full submission details.

Accepted proposals will be scheduled as part of the Concurrent Panel sessions, held virtually on Friday, May 23, 2025. The panel sessions are well suited for completed or in-progress projects and should highlight key aspects of your project. Participants are limited to 15 minutes each, with a brief Q&A period at the end of the session. Panels will consist of three to four presentations on a common theme, as determined by the conference planning committee. Please anonymize the proposal text by removing references to proposal authors or institutions to allow for anonymous review.

The deadline for submissions has been extended. Submit your proposal by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, February 28, 2025 for full consideration.

News Type:

ϡȱ�� News

Areas of Focus:

Leading Academic Change

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News

Inaugural Cohort of Faculty from Five ϡȱ�� Institutions Named SOTL Fellows

admin-annika — Tue, 25 Jul 2023 04:00:00 +0000

The William E. Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation at the ϡȱ�� (ϡȱ��) welcomes Dr. Kelly Elkins of Towson University as a Senior Fellow, to lead system support of the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL). This will include working with an inaugural cohort of faculty selected as 2023-24 Elkins SoTL Fellows from across five ϡȱ�� institutions.

SoTL focuses on systematic investigation of student learning, instruction, and teaching innovations. Findings from SoTL research studies can help inform educators as they decide which instructional methods to use with students and as they design courses, helping to improve student performance and contributing to the knowledge base related to effective educational practices.

“I’m delighted to welcome Kelly Elkins as our first-ever Senior Fellow,” said Nancy O’Neill, Acting Director, ϡȱ�� Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation. “And Kelly and I are both so inspired by this inaugural cohort of Elkins SoTL Fellows. Their work exemplifies evidence-based teaching by contributing to the evidence base of what works for student success.”

A forensic chemist, Dr. Elkins’ research includes advanced DNA sequencing methods and the detection and analysis of new psychoactive substances and counterfeit drugs. She has also published SoTL research on developing course-based undergraduate research (CURE) courses and methods for teaching professional ethics in forensic science. Additionally, she has served as a fellow with FACET (the Faculty Academic Center of Excellence at Towson), consulting with Towson University faculty around presenting and publishing on teaching practice.

Throughout the coming academic year, Dr. Elkins will be meeting with the Elkins SoTL Fellows (named for former University of ϡȱ�� President Wilson H. Elkins, no relation) as their research progresses, and the cohort will meet formally twice to share emerging insights from the studies.

“I’m delighted to take on this leadership role and work with Nancy and the team at ϡȱ��,” Dr. Elkins said. “We are proud to support and highlight the excellent evidence-based teaching going on in our university system to improve student learning and engagement and advance SoTL in our fields.”

Last Spring, the Kirwan Center created the Elkins SoTL Fellowship Program to support and elevate faculty research on teaching practice. The inaugural cohort of Elkins SoTL Fellows will conduct research spanning areas such as faculty engagement with artificial intelligence, community-building in online courses, perceptions of belonging and other factors contributing to student retention, and more.

The 2023-24 Elkins SoTL Fellows are:

Charles Grattan Baldwin, associate professor of education, University of ϡȱ�� Eastern Shore

Billy Brocato, assistant professor of sociology, with co-principal investigator Victoria Wolf, instructional designer in the Center for Instructional Technology and Online Learning, University of ϡȱ�� Eastern Shore

Samuel Clevenger, assistant professor of kinesiology, Towson University

Amr Kadry, adjunct faculty in the Merrick School of Business, with co-principal investigators Jessica Stansbury, Director of Teaching and Learning Excellence, Center for Excellence in Learning, Teaching, and Technology (CELTT), University of Baltimore, and Sarah Lausch, Educational Development Specialist, Center for Teaching and Learning, Boise State University (formerly of CELTT)

LaShawn Nastvogel, assistant professor of kinesiology, University of ϡȱ�� Eastern Shore

Cory Stephens, assistant professor of nursing informatics, University of ϡȱ��, Baltimore

Courtney Thomas, clinical assistant professor of chemistry, Towson University

Beth Towle, assistant professor of English and associate director of the University Writing Center, Salisbury University

News Type:

ϡȱ�� News

Areas of Focus:

Leading Academic Change

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Creating a Systemwide IRB for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)

admin-annika — Thu, 27 Oct 2022 13:20:03 +0000

INTRODUCTION

In Fall 2021, the Kirwan Center partnered with the Human Research Protection Program in the UMCP Division of Research to develop a Systemwide IRB protocol for ϡȱ�� faculty engaging in Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) research projects that pose minimal risk to participants. The Kirwan Center oversees the standing SoTL IRB protocol that has been approved by UMCP’s Institutional Review Board.

We define SoTL as the systematic investigation of student learning, instruction, and/or teaching innovations and the dissemination of findings so as to contribute to a broader knowledge community. SoTL projects at their essence aim to improve student success by providing an evidence base to help inform course design and instructional decisions undertaken by faculty and programs.

With the protocol and appropriate institutional agreements in place, ϡȱ�� faculty can propose specific SoTL projects using a streamlined amendment form that will go to the UMCP IRB for expedited review. The process will allow faculty to complete a simple form and receive a timely turnaround on project proposals while freeing up precious time for local IRBs across the System. The process will also potentially streamline multi-site research projects within the System, as well.

Resources:

For more information, please email cai@usmd.edu

PROJECT PHASES

The project’s development phase culminated in the creation of a ϡȱ�� SoTL IRB protocol, which was approved by UMCP’s IRB in July 2022.

Moving into the pilot phase starting in Fall 2022, a subset of ϡȱ�� institutions will complete reliance agreements that state that the institutions will rely on UMCP’s IRB to approve specific projects that fall within the parameters of the ϡȱ�� SoTL IRB protocol. UMCP will maintain a record of all signed agreements. Each institution will retain a copy of their signed reliance agreement.

Post-pilot, the remaining ϡȱ�� institutions will be invited to complete reliance agreements to join the project. If most or all ϡȱ�� institutions complete reliance agreements, the ϡȱ�� SoTL IRB protocol will potentially streamline the process by which faculty can engage in multi-site SoTL research projects across the System, as well.

The Kirwan Center will provide updates on the overall project, including the number and scope of research studies housed under the protocol, at least annually to provosts and system IRB points of contact. The Center will work closely with the ϡȱ�� Council for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning (CATL) to identify resources (e.g., templates, training modules) that can assist CATL members in supporting faculty embarking upon SoTL research, and the Center will also explore the creation of SoTL research fellowships and a Systemwide SoTL research symposium.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

For more information, contact Nancy O’Neill, Acting Director, ϡȱ�� Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation, at cai@usmd.edu

ϡȱ�� Faculty interested in proposing a study under the umbrella protocol should consult the Systemwide IRB - Scholarship of Teaching & Learning (SoTL) Resources on the UMCP Investigator Support and Resources page.

We have openly licensed the standing SoTL IRB protocol and amendment form developed for the project so that higher education systems and institutions outside of ϡȱ�� can adapt it for use in their local contexts. As it is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license, users are welcome to distribute, adapt, remix, and build upon the material in any medium or format if they provide attribution to the UMCP Division of Research and the ϡȱ�� Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. Per the Creative Commons stipulations, users may provide this information in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses them or their use.

Areas of Focus:

Leading Academic Change

Initiatives Type:

projects

Cross Post:

Silver Linings: Lessons Learned from Teaching during the Pandemic

admin-annika — Tue, 25 Oct 2022 13:37:54 +0000

The ϡȱ�� Kirwan Center is pleased to announce the release of the publication, Silver Linings: Lessons Learned from Teaching during the Pandemic. The publication features faculty and administrator reflections on the challenges, triumphs, lessons learned, and new instructional approaches that came about as a result of teaching through, and since, the COVID-19 pandemic.

The essays in the volume began as presentations delivered in Fall 2021 at a convening of the same name, and together, they help paint a picture of teaching and learning efforts that are flexible, creative, empathetic toward students, and inclusive of students’ differing needs. The free, openly licensed publication is available as an e-pub at https://pressbooks.pub/silverlinings/ as well as in a pdf version.

Users are welcome to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format as long as they abide by the stipulations of the open license found on the copyright page of the publication.

Areas of Focus:

Leading Academic Change

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ϡȱ�� OnTrack

admin-annika — Mon, 17 Aug 2020 04:00:00 +0000

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically shifted how courses and programs are being offered and how faculty and students are engaging in teaching and learning. Moreover, the pandemic is likely to have a far-reaching impact on student mobility and institutional operations going forward. To be prepared for the fall 2020 semester as well as the post-COVID-19 world, ϡȱ�� institutions must adapt both their technology infrastructure use and teaching methods to produce optimally effective learning environments—whether online, face-to-face, or some combination of both.

The Kirwan Center and University of ϡȱ�� Global Campus (UMGC) are partnering to help build institutional capacity to meet these needs. ϡȱ�� OnTrack is working with provosts, teaching and learning center directors, instructional designers, and academic technology professionals across ϡȱ�� institutions to support and assess the expansion of high-quality learning into fall 2020, with an eye toward sustaining and building upon these improvements into the future.

For more information about this partnership, see the ϡȱ�� OnTrack press release.

See below for information about ϡȱ�� OnTrack's Direct Support to Campuses and additional Online Teaching Resources.

For more information on the ϡȱ��'s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit: /coronavirus.

Areas of Focus:

Leading Academic Change

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Story

Return on Investment of Academic Innovation

Anonymous — Mon, 11 Jun 2018 12:46:25 +0000

In spring 2018, members of the Kirwan Center’s Academic Transformation Advisory Council (ATAC) embarked on a project to conduct analyses of return on investment (ROI) on academic innovation efforts undertaken around the system. ATAC members are exploring ways to more effectively capture the impact of academic innovation, especially around ROI; applying an ROI lens in order to build a connection between student success, quality, and financial sustainability and examining how academic innovation contributes to all three; and using ROI data to help communicate about the work happening at each of the institutions and across the system around academic innovation. Results of these pilot analyses will be shared in June 2018 with the aim of creating a framework for conducting such analyses going forward and the development of a white paper to share lessons learned.

Participating institutions:

Bowie State University
Coppin State University
Frostburg State University
Salisbury University
Towson University
University of Baltimore
University of ϡȱ��, Baltimore
University of ϡȱ��, Baltimore County
University of ϡȱ�� Eastern Shore
University of ϡȱ�� University College
Universities at Shady Grove
ϡȱ�� at Hagerstown

Areas of Focus:

Leading Academic Change

Cross Post:

Story

Many Colleges Now See Centers for Teaching With Technology as Part of ‘Innovation Infrastructure’

admin-annika — Tue, 03 Nov 2015 18:38:35 +0000

The survey conducted by the Kirwan Center on directors of academic-technology centers at 163 colleges and universities is featured in an new article in the Chronicle of Higher Education

Read article

News Type:

Higher Education News

Areas of Focus:

Leading Academic Change

News Link:

http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/many-colleges-now-see-centers-for-teaching-with-technology-as-part-of-innovation-infrastructure/57593

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News

Dr. MJ Bishop delivers keynote address at CELDA 2015 in Dublin, Ireland

admin-annika — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 14:26:42 +0000

(Adelphi, Md., Oct. 26, 2015) – William E. Kirwan Center Director MJ Bishop set the direction for the 12th annual International Conference on Cognition and Exploratory Learning in Digital Age, revisiting instructional message design’s objectivist learning theory and transmission-oriented communication theory foundations, discussing current trends and issues being raised in the literature, and exploring ways the field might continue to serve as a “linking science” between learning theory and instructional practice. In her keynote address, Dr. Bishop provided recommendations for a revised guiding theoretical framework based in conversation theory, a broader definitional focus that looks at more than just optimizing cognitive processing, and a new systems view of our approach to research in this area.

The blind peer-reviewed conference [http://celda-conf.org/] held at Maynooth University in Dublin, Ireland, addressed issues concerned with the learning processes and supporting pedagogues and applications in the digital age.

Read more about her address at http://celda-conf.org/keynote-speaker/

News Type:

ϡȱ�� News

Areas of Focus:

Leading Academic Change

Cross Post:

News

New report on Leading‐edge Postsecondary Academic Innovation Centers

admin-annika — Tue, 27 Oct 2015 13:51:53 +0000

The Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation has released today a new report detailing the emergence of a new, interdisciplinary “innovation infrastructure” within higher education administration.

This report presents the findings from the following activities conducted by the Kirwan Center:

Bringing together a cross-section of academic innovation leaders to begin the conversation around academic change leadership during a 2-day Leading Academic Change Summit;
Conducting Interviews with Innovative Teaching and Learning Centers to learn more about how their centers are functioning and where changes are occurring; and
Designing a National Survey of Campus Centers for Teaching and Learning to explore the larger landscape.

News Type:

ϡȱ�� News

Areas of Focus:

Leading Academic Change

News Link:

http://www.usmd.edu/cai/leading-academic-change-early-market-scan-leading-%C2%ADedge-postsecondary-academic-innovation-centers

Cross Post:

News

ϡȱ������ Center for Academic Innovation - Leading Academic Change

Kirwan Center Announces New Round of Elkins SoTL Fellowship Awardees

Areas of Focus:

Cross Post:

Spring 2025 SoTL Showcase Call for Proposals

News Type:

Areas of Focus:

Cross Post:

Inaugural Cohort of Faculty from Five ϡȱ������ Institutions Named SOTL Fellows

News Type:

Areas of Focus:

Cross Post:

Creating a Systemwide IRB for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)

INTRODUCTION

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Areas of Focus:

Initiatives Type:

Cross Post:

Silver Linings: Lessons Learned from Teaching during the Pandemic

Areas of Focus:

Cross Post:

ϡȱ������ OnTrack

Areas of Focus:

Cross Post:

Return on Investment of Academic Innovation

Areas of Focus:

Cross Post:

Many Colleges Now See Centers for Teaching With Technology as Part of ‘Innovation Infrastructure’

News Type:

Areas of Focus:

Cross Post:

Dr. MJ Bishop delivers keynote address at CELDA 2015 in Dublin, Ireland

News Type:

Areas of Focus:

Cross Post:

New report on Leading‐edge Postsecondary Academic Innovation Centers

News Type:

Areas of Focus:

Cross Post:

ϡȱ�� Center for Academic Innovation - Leading Academic Change

Inaugural Cohort of Faculty from Five ϡȱ�� Institutions Named SOTL Fellows

ϡȱ�� OnTrack