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- Instructor Support Cycle
- Instructor Support Cycle
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- Instructor Support Cycle
- Instructor Support Cycle
- Before Term
- During Term
- After Term
- …
- Instructor Support Cycle
- Instructor Support Cycle
- Before Term
- During Term
- After Term


Special Interest Group Cohort
Each Special Interest Group Cohort consists of a small, dedicated group of faculty who are interested in exploring a teaching and learning topic to grow their professional practice. This community, or topic-based special interest group (SIG), meets a minimum of 4 times during the academic year (once per term) to dive into their selected SIG, apply relevant resources and strategies from the SIG into their classroom/program, and shares those applications university-wide. a
Criteria
- Participant will attend all sessions for their selected special interest group (SIG). If a participant is unable to attend, they will schedule and have an individual consultation with their Teaching Innovation Fellow lead.
- Participant will participate consistently in collaborative sessions with their cohort throughout the academic year to reflect, apply, and assess the SIG’s teaching concepts.
- Participant will apply the teaching and learning strategies from their SIG sessions to their own classrooms. When not actively teaching, the participant will create or develop teaching materials that incorporate their learnings for a future class or their program.
- Participants will email their innovative teaching SIG evidence that was applied, or will be applied, in the classroom or program to the Faculty Center for Innovation. This may be in the form of the participant’s choosing (i.e., a screenshot, file, video, etc. of a newly created or revised assignment or activity) to potentially be featured in FCI outlets.
Badge Recipients
2023-2024 SIG Cohorts
Educating in the Age of AI
Join the Educating in the Age of AI special interest group (SIG) and explore the transformative power of artificial intelligence in all instructional modalities. Engage in lively discussions with experts and colleagues as we delve into the latest strategies, ethical considerations, and cutting-edge technologies that are reshaping the future of learning and teaching. Don't miss this opportunity to share insights and contribute to the dialogue on navigating the evolving landscape of education in the era of AI!
Fall 2023 Cohort Completers
- Jana Neiss, Organizational Leadership and Adult Learning (College of Education and Health Professions)
Spring 2024 Cohort Completers
- Jamie Els, Organizational Leadership and Adult Learning (College of Education and Health Professions)
- Deborah Green, Mathematics (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
- Marsha Kaufman, Sports and Exercise Science (College of Education and Health Professions)
Wellness Matters
The Wellness Matters: Strategies for Happier and Healthier Students special interest group (SIG) focuses on integrating healthy habits into our students' daily learning experiences and helps faculty customize their courses to support overall wellness. Practical and evidence-based strategies for managing these topics will be discussed, and participating faculty will develop and share strategies to integrate wellness into their learning environment.
Fall 2023 Cohort Completers
- Jamie Els, Organizational Leadership and Adult Learning (College of Education and Health Professions)
- Erica Jansen, English (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
- Marsha Kaufman, Sports and Exercise Science (College of Education and Health Professions)
- Jolene Lampton, Accounting (College of Management)
- Brant Winn, Education (College of Education and Health Professions)
Spring 2024 Cohort Completers
- Alivia Zubrod, Psychology (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
Truth or Consequences
Interested in learning methods to enable your students identify relevant, credible sources? Join the Truth or Consequences: Discussion of Scholarship in the Digital Information Frontier special interest group (SIG), where faculty will learn strategies to help students develop usable and transferable critical thinking skills to separate intellectual wheat from a universe of digital chaff—both for a more successful academic career and for productive life as a citizen.
Fall 2023 Cohort Completers
- Jamie Els, Organizational Leadership and Adult Learning (College of Education and Health Professions)
- Wen Hsin, Computer Science (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
- Courtney Rilinger, Communication (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
- Alivia Zubrod, Psychology (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
2022-2023 SIG Cohorts
Experiential Learning
The Experiential Learning SIG explored how experiential learning methods can enhance teaching and learning. Participants shared their thoughts and listened to each other's ideas to investigate best practices of experiential learning and how to successfully apply these strategies into the classroom.
- Robert Kao, Finance (College of Management)
- Jolene Lampton, Accounting (College of Management)
Beyond the Basics: Developing the Whole Student
The Beyond the Basics: Develping the Whole Student SIG connected colleagues across the university to guide and support student achievement. By going beyond the basics, faculty are able to help students move past basic cognitive skills and find innovative ways to assist students as they take a holistic approach and transform their learning.
- Ashley Bloodgood, Sports and Exercise Science (College of Education and Health Professions)
- Erica Jansen, English (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
- Tamera Jenkins, Criminal Justice (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
- Andrea Lee, Art (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
- Carol MacArthur, English (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
- Elaina Michalski, Art (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
- Jana Neiss, Education (College of Education and Health Professions)
- Carol Povolish, Business (College of Management)
Faculty Actively Fostering a Sense of Belonging
The Faculty Actively Fostering a Sense of Belonging SIG focused on faculty looking inward into how they can create a more inclusive learning environment. Faculty covered a holistic view of this topic, and utilized Dr. Tracie Addy's keynote and book, What Inclusive Instructors Do, as a framework as they shared their thoughts and ideas. By the end of the academic year, faculty had techniques to help them focus on the big question: How can we actively foster an inclusive class and sense of belonging, while also encouraging students to take ownership of their learning.
- Sandra Abbey, Business (College of Management)
- Aisha Hall, Social Work (College of Education and Health Professions)
- Brandi Handley, English (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
- Wen Hsin, Computer Science (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
- Stacey Kikendall, English (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
- Kari Lamer, Social Work (College of Education and Health Professions)
- Glenn Lester, English (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
- Amy Mecklenburg-Faenger, English (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
- Tami Radohl, Social Work (College of Education and Health Professions)
- Courtney Rilinger, Communication (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
- Michael Swoboda, Sports and Exercise Science (College of Education and Health Professions)
- Danielle Theiss, Library (Academic Affairs)
2021-2022 SIG Cohorts
Creating Connected Communities
Would you like to foster a more resilient, connected, and creative community for your learners in the class? Or perhaps move toward allowing your students to connect and learn as they solve problems together? If so, then please join the Creating Connected Communities SIG as we will explore how-to principles to build strong learning communities among our students in all modalities!
- Alla Adams, Healthcare Administration (College of Management)
- Erica Jansen, English (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
- Stacey Kikendall, English (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
- Kimberly Klorer-Griffin, Communications (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
- Jolene Lampton, Accounting (College of Management)
- Brenda Royals, Biology (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
- Kevin Smith, Public Affairs (College of Management)
- Michael Swoboda, Fitness & Wellness (College of Education and Health Professions)
- Julie Wallis, Biology (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
Empowering Online Adjunct Faculty Innovation
Are you an instructor who would love to innovate the course you teach, but feel locked down by the locked content? Come join the Empowering Online Adjunct Faculty Innovation SIG to explore spaces for pedagogical innovation and autonomy over your lectures and assignments, even if you don’t have full editing access. Let’s have some fun and explore creative solutions together!
- Blanca Barragan, Accounting (College of Management)
- Linda Bell, Accounting (College of Management)
- James Frampton, Business (College of Management)
- Milan Hollister, Psychology (College of Education and Health Professions)
- Angela Irias, Management (College of Management)
- Sonya Larkey, Computer Science (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
- Kenneth McKellar, Psychology (College of Education and Health Professions)
- Phyllis Medina, Psychology (College of Education and Health Professions)
- Daisha New, Political Science (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
- Justina Or, Psychology (College of Education and Health Professions)
- Jenna Pirok, Sociology (College of Education and Health Professions)
- Samantha Quinn, Communications (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
- Julio Rodriguez, Political Science (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
- Kristin Shaw, Communications (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
- Cathy Taylor, Human Resources (College of Management)
- Frederick Umar, Psychology (College of Education and Health Professions)
- Linda Waxse, Psychology (College of Education and Health Professions)
- Corey Willinger, Computer Science (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
- Brant Winn, Education (College of Education and Health Professions)
Contagious Kindness
The Contagious Kindness SIG will focus on developing a greater understanding of how we can spread positivity and kindness – at the university, in the classroom, within the community, and beyond. With the world and workplace in an ongoing state of flux, it becomes imperative to understand how emotional states can be transferred directly from one individual to another causing a ripple effect by mimicry and emotional contagion (locally and globally).
- Laurie DiPadova-Stocks, Public Administration (College of Management)
- Jessica Fitzgerald, Nursing (College of Education and Health Professions)
- Aisha Hall, Social Work (College of Education and Health Professions)
- John Hamilton, Criminal Justice (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
- Wen Hsin, Computer Science (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
- Kathy Jackson, Nursing (College of Education and Health Professions)
- Tamera Jenkins, Criminal Justice (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
- Andrea Kennedy, Social Work (College of Education and Health Professions)
- Carol Povolish, Human Resources (College of Management)
- Stephanie Roehm, Nursing (College of Education and Health Professions)
- Hank Roehrich, Business (College of Management)
- Danielle Theiss, Library Services (Academic Affairs)
- Amy Wolf, Education (College of Education and Health Professions)
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