VITAL Faculty Associate Program
The Faculty Associate Program provides the opportunity and the time for the following groups of faculty to pursue a special interest related to teaching and/or students鈥� learning: (1) tenured faculty members; and (2) faculty members who hold full-time, permanent continuing non-tenure track positions and who have been at 草榴社区 for six or more years. Faculty Associates spend a semester and/or summer working with VITAL on a project of their choice that must have the potential to enrich teaching and learning at 草榴社区 and thus strengthen 草榴社区鈥檚 academic community. Faculty Associates meet regularly with the director of VITAL for project design and consultation on implementation and assessment.
In partnership with VITAL, Faculty Associates can serve several roles:
- work on projects that enhance the teaching and learning resources within their academic programs (undergraduate / graduate level)
- conduct research pertaining to the teaching/learning interests and/or needs of the department, college, or University
- provide leadership for faculty communities of practice, programs, book discussions, and/or faculty consultations
- share their teaching expertise by developing instructional resources and/or programs for 草榴社区鈥檚 academic community in partnership with VITAL. VITAL invites faculty with interest in two areas: (1) using A.I. for learning and teaching; (2) designing engaged student learning in the new LMS
- develop departmental processes to assess student learning, conduct peer observations, assess effective teaching in the discipline, create teaching portfolio.
VITAL has two Faculty Associate positions available. Each position is for a single semester, which may be fall, spring, or summer. During the fall and/or spring semester, Faculty Associates will receive a reduction of one course in their teaching loads during the semester of their appointment. During the summer, Faculty Associates will receive a stipend. Project-related expenses up to $1,000 may be requested. Eligible faculty members will receive letters of invitation to apply to the Faculty Associate program late January each year.
Applications for AY 2025-2026 are due Monday, April 28, 2025. Please contact Gabriele Bauer with project ideas prior to submitting a proposal.
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VITAL Brightspace for Learning Fellow for Fall 2024
M. Laura Lenardon, PhD
Associate Teaching Professor, Spanish
Dr. Lenardon will apply her experience in intentionally building comprehensive online learning environments that deepen students鈥� engagement with authentic language materials and assessments, to course development in Brightspace. She will explore the capabilities of Brightspace with more functionality and engagement tools within the goals and context of the Spanish for Heritage Speakers I course. Also, she will partner with VITAL to develop faculty instructional resources grounded in the instructional use of Brightspace tools.
VITAL Microsoft for Higher Education Fellow
Valentina DeNardis, PhD
Director of Classical Studies
7-year
Dr. DeNardis will offer online sessions that demonstrate use cases for Microsoft tools in higher education. Sessions will focus on particular topics or tools or provide an overview of various tools. Dr. DeNardis will create an online community (using Microsoft Teams) where 草榴社区 faculty and staff can share their ideas and experiences using Microsoft tools on campus. The learning community will also be apprised of the latest Microsoft tool resources and updates.
Spring 2023
Joseph Drury, PhD
Associate Professor,聽Department of English
Project: "Comprehensive Review and Assessment of English Department's Core Courses"
Synopsis: The project encapsulates two goals: (1) conduct a formal review of the Core Writing courses to assess their fit for purpose; and (2) conduct research on equivalent courses at peer institutions to inform recommendations.
