Colonial Academic Alliance

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First Round of IN/CO Grants Awarded

April 25, 2018 by CAA Admin

The Colonial Academic Alliance is awarding four grants totaling $156,500 to kick off its new Innovate/Collaborate (IN/CO) program.

Elon, N.C. (Updated April 24, 2018) – The Colonial Academic Alliance is awarding four grants totaling $156,500 to kick off its new Innovate/Collaborate (IN/CO) Grant Program.

The grants were given to four multi-institutional teams from the 10-member Alliance to pursue collaborative initiatives. Funded projects include:

  • Tracking Experiential Learning Outcomes Across Three CAA Campuses | $40,000
    Drexel University, College of Charleston, University of North Carolina Wilmington
  • Innovative Strategies for High Impact Practices: Access, Success, and the CAA Student-Athlete | $42,500
    Elon University, University of North Carolina Wilmington, College of Charleston, University of Delaware, Drexel University, Hofstra University, James Madison University, Towson University, College of William & Mary
  • Learning to Learn: A Student Operator’s Manual for the Brain | $34,000
    Elon University, Hofstra University
  • Engaging Difference:
A Deep Dive into the Assessment of Transformative Learning | $40,000
    James Madison University, Elon University

The grants are the first to be awarded under the Alliance’s new IN/CO Grant Program. The IN/CO Program was launched in 2017, providing grants of $5,000—$20,000 per year (for two years) for initiatives that address pressing policy challenges in higher education; fuel collaboration between institutions; enhance institutional excellence; and promote innovation in intellectual inquiry.

“The IN/CO Grant Program affords our member institutions a unique opportunity to work together with other universities and develop creative initiatives to address shared challenges,” said Lindsey Interlante, Executive Director of the Colonial Academic Alliance. “Given the diversity and geographic range of our members, we believe that IN/CO Grant awardees will positively impact their institutions, advance scholarship on teaching and learning, and bring a fresh perspective to some of the shared challenges we face in higher education.”

IN/CO Grants were created to fund teams of faculty and staff from two or more Alliance member institutions. Awards were selected by the Alliance’s Provosts’ Council, its governing board. Any future opportunities for funding will be publicized on the Alliance’s website, www.caa-academics.org.

The Colonial Academic Alliance facilitates collaboration and communication across its 10 member institutions. Its purpose is to engage faculty, staff, and students in meaningful initiatives that challenge the status quo, enrich the academic environment, and advance student success. Alliance members include the College of Charleston, University of Delaware, Drexel University, Elon University, Hofstra University, James Madison University, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Northeastern University, Towson University, and the College of William & Mary.

Filed Under: Featured

IN/CO Grant on Experiential Learning

April 25, 2018 by CAA Admin

To kick off the Innovate/Collaborate (IN/CO) Grant Program, a $40,000 grant was awarded to a team of faculty and staff from Drexel University, the College of Charleston,University of North Carolina Wilmington and the College of Charleston in Summer 2017. This grant project, titled “Tracking Experiential Learning Outcomes Across Three CAA Campuses,” was awarded to support development of a validated instrument and database to enable careful assessment of experiential learning across multiple types of experiences and campuses.

Background

Among the challenges of measuring the educational impact of experiential learning is that a diverse array of experiences–from course-based projects to study abroad to internships, to name but a few–can all be considered as experiential/applied learning . Typical approaches to assessing experiential learning include assessments of students’ perceptions of the value of the experience. This project team seeks to develop a richer understanding of the specific learning and student development that takes place in experiential learning opportunities, as well as the impact on student learning in subsequent coursework, academic programs, and further applied learning settings.

Updates & Progress

Drexel University hosted the first post-award grant team meeting in November 2017. During this session, the project team discussed existing experiential learning assessment tools and practices on each campus, the infrastructure required (e.g., offices involved, systems used to collect data, availability of existing data), the instrument development process, and grant sustainability. University of North Carolina Wilmington convened the project team for a second in-person meeting in February 2018, focusing on the identification of common student learning outcomes and the logistics of piloting the instrument across all three campuses. College of Charleston hosted a third in-person meeting of the IN/CO grant team in April 2018 to review the draft instrument; examine platforms, delivery, and timeline; and follow up on mining current data. Opportunities for future funding and project sustainability were also discussed.

Over the next academic year, the draft instrument will be piloted with a diverse range of students who have participated in experiential learning opportunities. Focus groups will be conducted with participating students to gauge both student perceptions and the efficacy of the instrument in capturing data. The project team will also present on this grant at the fifth annual Drexel Assessment Conference (September 12-14, 2018).

Meet the Experiential Learning IN/CO Grant Team 

Principal Investigators 

Adam Fontecchio, Ph.D. | Director, Center for the Advancement of STEM Teaching & Learning Excellence (CASTLE); Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering | Drexel University
Paul Townend, Ph.D. | Associate Vice Chancellor and Dean of Undergraduate Studies; Professor, Irish & British History | University of North Carolina Wilmington
Elizabeth Meyer-Bernstein, Ph.D. | Director of Undergraduate Research & Creative Activities; Associate Dean of Honors College; Associate Professor of Biology (neuroscience) | College of Charleston

Project Team

John DiNardo, Ph.D. | CASTLE Faculty Fellow; Professor of Physics | Drexel University
Jennifer Stanford, Ph.D. | Co-Director, CASTLE; Associate Professor of Biology | Drexel University
Jason Silverman, Ph.D. | Co-Director, CASTLE; Associate Professor of Mathematics Education | Drexel University
Eric Brewe, Ph.D. | Associate Professor of Physics and Science Education | Drexel University
Bill Mongan | Teaching Professor, Computer Science | Drexel University
Alyssa Martin, Ph.D. | Assistant Director of Assessment, CASTLE | Drexel University
Mark Freeman, Ph.D. | Vice Provost for Institutional Research, Office of Enrollment Management | Drexel University
Mary Quigley | Assistant Vice President, Academic Information & Systems | Drexel University
Thomas DeChiaro | Vice President of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer | Drexel University
Jess Boersma, Ph.D. | Director of ETEAL; Co-Director of SURCA; Associate Professor of Spanish | University of North Carolina Wilmington
Diana Ashe, Ph.D. | Director, Center for Teaching Excellence & Center for Faculty Leadership; Associate Professor of English | University of North Carolina Wilmington
Van O. Dempsey III, Ph.D. | Dean, Watson College of Education | University of North Carolina Wilmington
James DeVita, Ph.D. | Assistant Professor of Higher Education; Program Coordinator, M.Ed. in Higher Education; ETEAL Senior Fellow | University of North Carolina Wilmington
Kristin Bolton, Ph.D., MSW | Associate Professor of Social Work; MSW Coordinator; ETEAL Assistant Fellow | University of North Carolina Wilmington
Colleen Reilly, Ph.D. | Professor of English; CTE Applied Learning Faculty Associate | University of North Carolina Wilmington
Divya Bhati, Ph.D. | Associate Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness and Strategic Planning | College of Charleston
Mark A. Staples | Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer | College of Charleston
Zach Hartje | Director of Teaching, Learning, & Technology and Deputy CIO | College of Charleston
Jim Posey, Ph.D. | Associate Vice President for Institutional Research, Planning, and Information Management | College of Charleston
Susan Anderson | Assistant Vice President for Research; Director, Office of Research & Grants Administration | College of Charleston
Denise Ciccarelli | Director of Corporate and Foundations Relations | College of Charleston
Lynn Cherry | Associate Provost for Curriculum and Institutional Resources; Associate Professor of Communication | College of Charleston

Not pictured: 

  • Robert Hicks | Social Research Assistant for ETEAL | University of North Carolina Wilmington
  • Lea Bullard | Assistant Director of General Education Assessment, College of Arts & Science | University of North Carolina Wilmington
  • Karin Roof | Director of Academic Assessment and Strategic Planning | College of Charleston

Interested in what Alliance institutions are saying about these grants? Check out the following: 

http://today.cofc.edu/2018/03/13/cofc-joins-colonial-academic-alliance-members-research/

https://uncw.edu/news/2018/02/uncw-awarded-80,000-in-caa-innovatecollaborate-grants.html

Filed Under: Featured

IN/CO Grant on High-Impact Practices for Student-Athletes

April 25, 2018 by CAA Admin

High impact practices (HIPs), such as study abroad, internships, learning communities, and undergraduate research, have repeatedly been shown to positively affect academic performance, yet not all students have equal access. Given the high time demands and resource constraints, many student-athletes are particularly limited in their ability to participate in HIPs. To fuel the success and academic experiences of CAA student-athletes, the Alliance awarded a $42,500 IN/CO Grant focused on “Innovative Strategies for High Impact Practices: Access, Success, and the CAA Student-Athlete.” This grant involves nine of the ten CAA member institutions.

Project Goals 

The long-term goal of this work is to develop transferable solutions, at both the institutional and conference level, to allow for greater student-athlete participation in HIPs. The short-term goals for this project are first to assess and understand student-athlete opportunities for HIPs at CAA institutions and subsequently to develop best practices, improving access and success of student-athletes around HIPs.

Timeline & Objectives 

Progress Update

In spring 2018, the project team surveyed each CAA institution to create a snapshot of HIP offerings and student athlete participation in HIPs. In summer/fall 2018, academic affairs leaders, athletic academic advisors, and department chairs will receive a second survey on institutional priorities, definitions of HIPs, and operationalization of HIPs on each campus to inform the project’s future direction. In addition, a document analysis exploring the marketing of HIPs on CAA institution websites was initiated.

The project team will present accepted abstracts for presentation to the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (October 24-26 – Bergen, Norway) and the 5th annual Drexel Assessment Conference (September 12-14, 2018).

Meet the HIPs/Student-Athlete IN/CO Grant Team 

Principal Investigators

Eric Hall, Ph.D. | Professor of Exercise Science; Faculty Athletics Representative | Elon University
Caroline Ketcham, Ph.D. | Professor of Exercise Science; Chair of the Department of Exercise Science | Elon University
Tony Weaver, Ph.D. | Associate Professor of Sport Management; Chair of the Department of Sport Management | Elon University
James DeVita, Ph.D. | Assistant Professor of Higher Education; Program Coordinator, M.Ed. in Higher Education; ETEAL Senior Fellow | University of North Carolina Wilmington

Institutional Leads 

Kate Tiller | Director of Student Athlete Academic Services | College of Charleston
Jennifer Judy | Senior Associate Athletic Director, Student Services & Sport Administration; SWA | University of Delaware
Tammy L. Anderson, Ph.D. | Professor of Sociology; Faculty Athletics Representative | University of Delaware
Ellen Staurowsky, Ed.D. | Professor of Sport Management | Drexel University
Cliff Jernigan, Ph.D. | Department Chair and Associate Professor in Media Studies and Public Relations; Faculty Athletics Representative | Hofstra University
Herb Amato, D.A. | Associate Vice Provost for Academic Development | James Madison University
David Shonk, Ph.D. | Associate Professor, Hart School of Hospitality, Sport, and Recreation Management | James Madison University
Sue Combs, Ph.D. | Program Coordinator and Professor of Physical Education & Health; Faculty Athletics Representative | University of North Carolina Wilmington
William Sterrett, Ph.D. | Associate Professor; MSA Program Coordinator | University of North Carolina Wilmington
Jessica Braunstein-Minkove, Ph.D. | Associate Professor Sport Management; Faculty Athletics Representative | Towson University
John Donahue, Ph.D. | Professor and Dean for Educational Policy; Faculty Athletics Representative | William & Mary

Interested in what Alliance institutions are saying about these grants? Check out the following: 

https://www.elon.edu/E-Net/Article/159017

http://today.cofc.edu/2018/03/13/cofc-joins-colonial-academic-alliance-members-research/

https://uncw.edu/news/2018/02/uncw-awarded-80,000-in-caa-innovatecollaborate-grants.html

Filed Under: Featured

IN/CO Grant on Learning to Learn

April 25, 2018 by CAA Admin

Many institutions employ a variety of faculty-based support systems addressing pedagogy, student learning, and learning environments. Faculty at Elon University and Hofstra University are partnering to take this one step further through a $34,000 IN/CO Grant, “Learning to Learn: A Student Operator’s Manual for the Brain.”

Background

The “Learning to Learn” project was initiated in 2016 at Elon University, led by Amy Overman, associate professor in the Psychology Department & Neuroscience Program and associate director of the Center for the Advancement of Teaching & Learning, and J. Todd Lee, professor in the Mathematics & Statistics Department and Faculty Fellow for Technology with Teaching and Learning with Technologies.

The focus is on equipping students with an evidence-based toolkit of how their own brains function and learn in various hi-tech learning environments. “Our ultimate long-term goal is that every student is equipped in their first semester in college with a toolkit to support them as successful, lifelong learners,” Overman said. “We are striving to transform all students into learners who think deeply about their educational experiences and know how their brain operates so that they can maximize their learning and use the rich resources provided by their college or university in a more strategic way.”

Put simply, this initiative seeks to help students develop strategies about how to be successful learners. 

To strategically advance this project through IN/CO Grant funding, Lee and Overman will partner with Elisabeth Ploran, Assistant Professor in Cognitive Neuroscience, Amy Masnick, Associate Professor of Psychology, and Kristin Weingartner, Associate Dean for First-Year Programs & Associate Professor of Psychology at Hofstra University.

“Faculty and staff at our member institutions are generating innovative and powerful ideas to creatively address the challenges we face in higher education, and this grant program supports them as they break new ground,” Said Elon Provost Steven House. “As chair of the Provosts’ Council of the CAA and Elon’s provost, it’s exciting to see Elon faculty taking the lead on an important initiative to better understand how students across higher education are learning. This project and others supported by the IN/CO Grant Program fit right in with the CAA mission of challenging the status quo, enriching the academic environment, and advancing student success.”

Project Plan 

The first phase of Learning to Learn is the development by Lee and Overman of a course that will engage first-year students in the neurocognitive science of how our brains learn, particularly in technologically-enhanced environments like Elon, and teach them how to employ evidence-based practices to enhance their own learning. The course will be co-taught by Overman and Lee, who will partner with faculty at Hofstra University to implement a similar initiative on Hofstra’s campus with the support of the grant funding.

The grant also supports a second phase that includes the development of modules on how learning works that faculty and academic support staff at all Colonial Academic Alliance institutions can adapt for their own courses and that students can use to enhance their own learning.

Progress Update

This initiative will be launched at Elon in Fall 2018 as Learning to Learn: The Brain in Today’s World (L2L), a credit-bearing course for first-year students that will engage them in the cognitive neuroscience of learning, with specific attention on the technologically-enhanced environments of CAA institutions.

The project team is currently planning the pilot implementation at Hofstra University, which will be deployed as Learning to Learn: Applying Psychology Principles to the Classroom, a credit-bearing course available in Spring 2019.

Project Team 

Amy Overman, Ph.D. | Associate Professor of Psychology; Associate Director, Center for the Advancement of Teaching & Learning | Elon University
J. Todd Lee, Ph.D. | Professor of Mathematics and Statistics; Faculty Fellow for Technology | Elon University
Elisabeth J. Ploran, Ph.D. | Assistant Professor of Psychology | Hofstra University
Amy M. Masnick, Ph.D. | Associate Professor of Psychology | Hofstra University
Kristin M. Weingartner, Ph.D. | Associate Dean for First-Year Programs; Associate Professor of Psychology | Hofstra University

Interested in what Alliance institutions are saying about this grant? Check out the following: 

https://www.elon.edu/E-Net/Article/159167

Filed Under: Featured

IN/CO Grant on Engaging Difference

April 24, 2018 by CAA Admin

During the first round of IN/CO Grant submissions, the Alliance received three extremely strong proposals on global education from faculty at James Madison University and Elon University. Given that all three proposals dealt with engaging difference and effectively evaluating students’ experiences, the Alliance Provosts’ Council asked these three groups to participate in a Think Tank, aimed at developing one common research outcome.

The Think Tank was a success, and resulted in a $40,000 IN/CO Grant award for the combined team’s project, “Engaging Difference: A Deep Dive Into the Assessment of Transformative Learning.”

Background

The field of global education fosters increasing emphasis on understanding the impact of study abroad and away for multiple reasons: student growth and learning, educational pedagogies and policies, financial implications, and many more. The study will address the complex interaction between student characteristics (demographic variables providing information about who the students are) and the experiences they have during or after the study abroad/away.

Participants in all off-campus study programs offered at James Madison University and Elon University will be invited to participate in the study in the first year to maximize response rate. In the subsequent years, additional CAA institutions will be invited to participate in the project. Semester-long and short-term for-credit study abroad and study away programs will be included in the study.

To broaden the potential impact of this project, the research team will partner with Dr. Craig Shealy, Executive Director of the International Beliefs and Values Institute and Professor of Graduate Psychology at James Madison University. Dr. Shealy works with the IBAVI’s Executive and Advisory Boards to lead and coordinate a wide range of scholarly, educational, and service activities and partnerships with individuals and organizations in the United States and internationally, including Cultivating the Globally Sustainable Self, a multi-year, multi-institution Summit Series hosted by James Madison University. Several members of the grant team (below) will have opportunities to attend and participate in the Summit Series.

This grant will also be supported by Core Collaborative International research methodologists Jennifer Wiley, ABD, and Emi Iwatani, Ph.D.

Project Team Perspectives on IN/CO

“The CAA IN/CO grant enabled the research team at Elon to partner with colleagues at James Madison University on a large-scale study of global engagement experiences, utilizing an innovative research tool, the Beliefs, Events, and Values Inventory (BEVI). This collaborative research opened up avenues of exploration related to how students engage difference while studying off campus, and how these experiences may influence their identity, worldview, future pathways, and ways of interacting with others upon return to the home campus. We are grateful for the opportunities afforded by the grant to collaborate with leading scholars and look forward to disseminating outcomes that will influence the field of global education.”
~Maureen Vandermaas-Peeler, Elon University 

Research Team

Vesna Hart, Psy.D. | Director of International Cooperation, Center for Global Engagement | James Madison University
Maureen Vandermaas-Peeler, Ph.D. | Professor of Psychology and Director of the Center for Research on Global Engagement | Elon University
Jennifer Wiley, ABD | Research Fellow, James Madison University
Matthew Buckmaster, Ph.D. | Assistant Dean of Global Education and Associate Professor of Music | Elon University
Olivia Choplin, Ph.D. | Associate Professor of French | Elon University
Jennifer Coffman, Ph.D. | Associate Executive Director, Center for Global Engagement and Associate Professor in the Department of Integrated Science & Technology | James Madison University
Jason Good, Ph.D. | Director of Study Abroad, Center for Global Engagement | James Madison University
Amanda Sturgill, Ph.D. | Associate Professor of Communications | Elon University
Nina Namaste, Ph.D. | Associate Professor of Spanish | Elon University
Craig Shealy, Ph.D. | Professor of Graduate Psychology, Combined-Integrated Doctoral Program at James Madison University; Executive Director, International Beliefs and Values Institute, Mary Baldwin University; Editor, Making Sense of Beliefs and Values: Theory, Research, and Practice
Emi Iwatani, Ph.D. | Partner | Core Collaborative International

Filed Under: Featured

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