Marna Winter,聽teaching聽professor of education and associate director of 福利亚洲国产精品鈥檚 Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning (CATL), will present two聽projects聽exploring student reflection, joy and engagement at the (SoTL) Summit, held聽virtually Sept.聽16-18.

The conference brings together educators from colleges and聽universities聽across the United States and internationally to share聽SoTL聽research and approaches to teaching.聽Since its beginning in 1993, the summit has developed into a space for both experienced and emerging teacher-scholars to exchange research across disciplines and explore聽new approaches聽to student learning.
In 鈥淲hen Students Wonder, Instructors Learn: Building a Metacognitive Feedback Loop,鈥� Winter will present聽alongside聽聽professor聽of psychology and聽director of聽SoTL聽at the United States Air Force Academy.

Their work grew from the 鈥淚 Wonder鈥� project,聽an activity聽originally used聽by聽Winter聽at the end of a semester to encourage students to reflect on lingering questions about their learning. Winter found that聽those reflections could also reveal misconceptions, gaps in understanding and areas of curiosity that could inform teaching.聽After presenting initial work at the 2025聽SoTL聽Summit, Winter connected with Scharff, leading to a contribution to the聽聽blog and ongoing collaboration.聽At the summit, Winter and Scharff will share new findings聽and introduce a metacognitive instructional cycle for using student reflection to inform pedagogical decisions.

Winter鈥檚 second presentation, 鈥淔rom Play to Pedagogy: Reflective Inquiry into Joy and Student Engagement,鈥� explores how聽brief, intentional 鈥渕ini play sessions鈥� at the beginning of class can help students pause,聽connect聽and transition into learning.聽Drawing on student reflections and survey data, Winter鈥檚 ongoing聽SoTL聽inquiry considers how small moments of play can foster curiosity, focus and engagement, positioning joy not as an addition to learning but as part of creating the conditions for meaningful learning.

Together,聽Winter鈥檚聽two presentations reflect a broader focus聽on聽her聽active聽scholarship on creating learning environments that are responsive to students and attentive to how they experience the classroom.

For Winter, presenting at the聽SoTL聽Summit offers an opportunity not only to share what she has learned through her own teaching,聽but also to continue developing that work through conversation with educators examining聽similar questions聽about student learning and engagement.

This August,聽福利亚洲国产精品 hosted university and college educators from across the region and around the world for the聽22nd Annual Teaching and Learning Conference. A free, hybrid event sponsored jointly by the聽Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning (颁础罢尝),听Teaching and Learning Technologies (TLT), and the Office of the Provost.

Nearly 70聽educators attended the conference on Elon鈥檚 campus, including faculty from Queens University of Charlotte,聽providing an opportunity for educators聽to connect and exchange ideas. Hundreds more聽participated聽virtually from聽institutions across the country and beyond.

Rather than simply streaming the in-person conference, the fully hybrid format offered distinct programming for virtual and on-campus participants throughout the day. The two groups came together聽virtually for聽the聽conference鈥檚聽keynote, while other sessions were designed specifically for each mode of participation.

This year’s conference, themed “Teaching for Tomorrow: Building Transferable Skills and Lifelong Learners,” encouraged attendees to reflect on how today’s teaching practices shape students’ abilities to adapt, think critically and thrive in the future.聽Presentation submissions聽addressed聽one of聽four related sub-themes: Technology and the Future of Learning, Foundations for the Future, Building Transferable Skills for Tomorrow, and Teaching Innovations.

罢丑别听keynote聽address聽was given聽by聽director for curriculum transformation initiatives at聽,聽titled “Boldness by Design: Reimagining our University from the Classroom Out.” McGowan聽shared聽how universities might move from preserving tradition to designing new models, structures, and pathways toward the learning outcomes they聽seek聽for students, drawing on her experience leading institution-wide educational transformation initiatives.

Following the keynote, McGowan and Jill McSweeney, assistant director of CATL, led an in-person workshop for on-campus attendees, “Envisioning Structures of the Possible,” which invited participants to imagine a new, fully experiential core curriculum requirement for the year 2032. The workshop asked educators to consider experiential learning as a holistic, emergent and relational response to the complexities of higher education today.

Throughout the day, presenters shared research, practices, and teaching strategies aligned with the conference鈥檚 themes, creating opportunities for both virtual and in-person participants to connect with colleagues and exchange ideas about the future of teaching and learning.

The Teaching and Learning Conference is held annually at Elon and聽remains聽free for registrants.聽Information about the 2026 conference schedule, past conferences and future calls for proposals is available on the CATL and TLT websites.

The daylong workshop, co-sponsored by the聽Isabella Cannon Global Education Center聽and the聽Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning, was designed for faculty and staff who teach or lead study away programs, though it was open to anyone interested in strengthening global learning.

This year鈥檚 workshop centered on 鈥淓mbracing Ambiguity: Multiple Ways of Knowing, Reflection and Preparing Students for Cultural Curiosity.鈥� The theme invited participants to consider how students encounter different knowledge systems, histories, identities and relationships to place through global education.

Following welcome remarks from Dean of Global Education Nick Gozik and Provost and Executive Vice President Rebecca Kohn, the workshop began with a keynote by Laura M. Pipe, director of the University Teaching and Learning Commons at UNC Greensboro.

Pipe, an Indigenous educator of 厂办补谤霉:谤臋 (Tuscarora) and 贬辞诲颈苍枚丑蝉枚:苍颈鈥� (Haudenosaunee) descent, explored how global learning can move beyond a single tradition of knowledge. Drawing on Indigenous and decolonial pedagogies, the Toward a Liberated Learning Spirit model and reflective practice, she encouraged participants to cultivate curiosity, humility and reciprocal learning relationships.

The workshop continued with three breakout sessions:

• In 鈥淓xploring History and Identity through Elon鈥檚 Campus,鈥� Amanda Laury Kleintop, assistant professor of history and coordinator of the museum studies and public history minor, used Elon鈥檚 campus history as a model for place-based learning. Participants considered how monuments, historical sites and museums can help students critically examine history and identity in both local and study away contexts.
• 鈥淪tory Circles for Intercultural Learning,鈥� led by Maureen Vandermaas-Peeler, director of the Center for Research on Global Engagement, and Sandy Marshall, associate professor of geography, introduced participants to the UNESCO Story Circles model. Through a facilitated experience and debrief, participants explored how storytelling can foster intercultural learning and dialogue.
• Corey Roberts, assistant professor of Native American and Indigenous Studies, led 鈥淟ayers of an Abroad Experience.鈥� The session encouraged participants to consider travel in relation to land, history and personal identity. Participants developed activities to help students reflect on their relationship with the places they visit and the histories those places hold.

The day concluded with reflections from Gozik, associate dean of global education Jessica Gisclair and assistant director of the Center for the Advancement of Teaching Jill McSweeney, followed by a wrap-up session.

鈥淭he Global Pedagogy Workshop gives us an opportunity to think carefully about how we prepare students to learn across difference,鈥� said Gozik. 鈥淕lobal education asks students to encounter new places, perspectives and ways of knowing. Our role as educators is to help them remain curious, reflective and open when those encounters do not fit neatly into what they already understand.鈥�

“The workshop was a success and continues to be an important and valued partnership between the GEC and CATL,” said McSweeney. “Faculty are able to dedicate time to thinking deeply about the pedagogy they actively practice in country, while also learning in community from their colleagues. Dr. Pipe offered a range of theoretical frameworks to ground that deep thinking, emphasizing the connecting into Elon鈥檚 goals of evidence-based practices across learning experiences.”

Associate Professor of Spanish Mayte de Lama explored how literature can serve as a powerful tool for raising awareness and fostering meaningful conversations about mental health, at the XLII Congreso Internacional de Literatura y Estudios Hisp谩nicos in Spain.

Drawing on Claudia Pi帽eiro鈥檚 novel “Elena Knows,” de Lama presented a classroom project developed for her course Spanish 3200: Reading Texts, Reading Life. In the project, students analyzed one of the novel鈥檚 central characters, identifying signs of depression and other factors that contributed to her tragic fate. After completing a workshop on wellness developed and taught by the Center for Design Thinking at 福利亚洲国产精品, de Lama鈥檚 students used the same framework to engaged in critical reflection, discussion, and collaborative problem-solving to explore steps and interventions that might have changed the character鈥檚 trajectory.

Moving beyond literary analysis, the project encouraged students to apply these insights to real-world contexts, helping them recognize warning signs, cultivate empathy and consider ways to support mental well-being within their communities, families, and circles of friendship. The presentation demonstrated how the study of literature can contribute to wellness education while strengthening critical thinking and enhancing students鈥� analytical, cultural, and interpersonal skills.

Through this interdisciplinary approach, de Lama highlighted the potential of literature classrooms to promote both academic engagement and student well-being, creating opportunities for meaningful learning that extends beyond the text and into students鈥� everyday lives and relationships.

Sarah Bunnell, director of Elon’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 Elon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 Elon is increasingly recognized as leading. The invitation for the keynote reflects the continued recognition of Elon’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 Elon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 Elon. 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 Elon Core Curriculum; and Brandy S. Propst, director of Elon 1010 and assistant director of Academic Advising.

The collaborative nature of this work is, in itself, a unique reflection of Elon’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 Elon. 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, Elon 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 Elon 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 Elon.

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 Elon 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 福利亚洲国产精品 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 Elon 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. Elon鈥檚 contribution reflects the department鈥檚 ongoing commitment to excellence in nursing education, leadership in simulation and preparation of practice-ready graduates.