Faculty Engagement

The Office of the Chancellor-Provost has collaborated with the Center for Teaching Advancement and Assessment Research (CTAAR) to create the Provost’s Teaching Fellows Program to support pedagogical innovation to improve student learning outcomes. Fellows will define their own goals for course redesign using best practices as supported by teaching and learning scholarship. The program will include full cohort sessions to share goals and build networks, as well as small group consultations focusing on different elements of course redesign. Fellows will have the opportunity to engage in reflective and research-driven change and to choose from a menu of strategies that will enhance learning in their courses.

Fellows are selected based on their proposals for exploring and adopting new pedagogical approaches for their courses and endorsements from their department chairs. In recognition of participation in the program fellows receive a research stipend of $2,000.

Submit an application

2021-22 Cohort of Provost’s Teaching Fellows

• Joseph Agresta, Rutgers Business School
• Christy Beal, School of Arts and Sciences
• Steven Brechin, School of Arts and Sciences
• Brian Dashew, Graduate School of Education
• Jeff Dowd, School of Arts and Sciences
• Sophia Fu, School of Communication and Information
• Anna Hausmann, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences
• Barry Jesse, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences
• Anne Keating, School of Arts and Sciences
• Michael J. McDonough, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
• Xenia Morin, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences
• Ines Rauschenbach, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences
• Kathy Shoemaker, Graduate School of Education
• Kristen Springer, School of Arts and Sciences
• Dan Stern Cardinale, School of Arts and Sciences
• Paul Takhistov, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences
• Gregg Transue, School of Arts and Sciences
• Maria Venetis, School of Communication and Information
• Kristen Wallentinsen, Mason Gross School of the Arts
• Matthew Weber, School of Communication and Information
• Elin Wicks, School of Engineering
• Zhimin Xi, School of Engineering
• Calvin Yu, School of Arts and Sciences
• Aparna Zama, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences

The Innovations in Education and Teaching Pilot Grant supports novel and creative instructional and learning projects to enhance faculty opportunities to develop and share innovative strategies aimed at remote and/or distance learning for students in all academic disciplines at Rutgers.

The Office of the Provost is pleased to announce the Rutgers–New Brunswick Innovations in Education and Teaching Pilot Grant awards for the 2020-2021 funding cycle.

Assessing Student Learning in Online and Hybrid Teaching with Systems Mapping

Robert Kopp, Carrie Ferraro

Complex systems, such as ecosystems, exhibit emergent behaviors that arise from feedbacks between and flows among different constituent components. System maps, such as causal loop diagrams and stock-and-flow diagrams, are powerful tools for representing and learning about the behavior of complex systems. Student-generated system maps can be used for assessment of student learning, but existing tools are designed for representation rather than automated assessment. Thus, assessment with system maps currently does not scale to larger courses. This project will build a new tool to allow students to produce system maps allow them to be assessed automatically using instructor-defined rubrics.

Computerized Adaptive Testing for Cognitive Diagnosis in E-Learning: Development of Item Cloning Techniques

Chia-Yi Chiu

Computerized Adaptive Testing and Learning for Cognitive Diagnosis (CATL-CD), recently developed by the PI, is an app for E-learning that combines online instruction with close monitoring of students’ learning progress. After every curricular unit each student is presented with an individualized set of items to assess which topics she has mastered and which require further study. The first version of CATL-CD is currently used for the PI’s online course in Introductory Statistics. We propose to build an algorithm for the automatic generation of test items—called “item-cloning”—to secure the supply of large numbers of test items needed for CATL-CD.

Digital Case Studies: An Innovative Pedagogy to Diversity and Global Urbanism in Planning Curricula

Mi Shih, Kathe Newman

The goal of this project is to develop digital case studies to address challenges of diversity and global urbanism in urban planning curricula. Working with graduate students and instructional technology specialists, we plan to launch two to four digital case studies between Fall 2020 and Spring 2021. We seek to create a robust pedagogical approach to learning that synthesizes the benefits of innovative technologies, critical thinking, and experiential learning. The long-term goal is to institutionalize impactful collaborations both across faculty and with international partners. Assessment will be based on students’ listening sessions and the use of the Planning Accreditation Board’s learning competencies.

Extending the Conversation: Multimodal Innovations in Expository Writing

Abigail Reardon, Elizabeth Decker

With Extending the Conversation: Multimodal Innovations in Expository Writing, we seek an Instructional Design and Implementation Pilot Grant to support the research, development, and implementation of a new multimodal digital-humanities assignment in Expository Writing 01:355:101. By reconceiving the culminating work of this course—which more than 6,200 undergraduate students take each academic year—as a public-facing assignment designed to encourage reflection upon the interdisciplinary thinking at the core of the Rutgers–New Brunswick writing program’s curriculum, our project will enhance the educational experience of the undergraduate population, both within and beyond the walls of the composition classroom.

Gamification Strategies and Interactive Immersion In Healthcare Interpreting Education

Laura Ramirez-Polo, Hank Dallmann

The New Brunswick area hospitals and clinics serve a wide multilingual population, which poses the challenge of offering adequate interpreting and mediation services. Rutgers has been offering training to volunteers and bilingual staff through some dedicated courses and the Interpreter Project. However, due to the new challenges posed by the current pandemic and the need to extend this training to more participants, it is necessary to create materials for online and remote instruction. In this project we will explore strategies, limitations and solutions for simulation and gamification in healthcare interpreter education in the online environment. We will focus on four areas of healthcare interpreter education: 1) code of ethics, 2) medical terminology, 3) interpreting skills and protocols, and 4) cultural mediation and interaction between patient-healthcare providers.

Hands-On Virtual Engineering Laboratories – A Paradox or Oxymoron?

Kimberly Cook-Chennault

The goal of this project is to explore the perceptions, concept retention, and experiences of diverse populations of undergraduate mechanical and aerospace engineering students engaging in the department’s first virtual laboratories post COVID-19. Prior virtual lab research centers on case studies about its incorporation into classrooms or design of virtual laboratory technology. However, a validated engineering educational instrument for assessment of virtual laboratories that includes subcultural identities, e.g. gender, race does not exist. To initiate this endeavor, a Mixed Method Research Design Approach framed on two theoretical models: Technology Acceptance Model and Inputs-Environment-Outcome Conceptual Model for Assessment of Student Learning and Development is proposed.

Online Active Inquiry-Based Learning in General Chemistry

Darrin York

Active learning is an evidence-based approach that significantly improves student performance in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) [PNAS, 111, 8410 (2014)]. A particularly effective form of active learning is inquiry-based learning. We propose to develop, implement, test and scale a novel online active, inquiry-based learning paradigm in general chemistry. Focus will be on the theory of chemical bonding (approximately four chapters). Technology and activity materials will be delivered to approximately 2,500 general chemistry students in the fall as part of weekly homework and assessments over a three-week period. This will serve as an innovative model for active learning online.

Remote Immersion: Utilizing Technology to Incorporate the Patient Perspective into Biomedical Research

Kristen Labazzo

The Biomedical Engineering Department has developed a successful collaboration (entering its fourth year) with the Matheny Medical and Educational Center, a facility for the severely disabled, as part of senior design. Students spend an immersion period at Matheny where they observe patients and talk to caregivers in order to understand the “voice of customer” and better ideate new or improved medical devices for the disabled. In this era of remote learning, we wish to try and adapt the immersion experience virtually so that the current seniors can benefit from these unique patient interactions while maintaining distance around a vulnerable population.

Teaching Intimate Partner Violence through an Interactive Online Case Studies Module

Sarah McMahon, Rachel Schwartz, Rupa Kheterpal

The purpose of the proposed project is to develop an innovative, interactive, scenario-based exercise to engage students in online learning about the barriers to help-seeking faced by intimate partner violence (IPV) victims. A key part of preparing professionals to work with victims in effective ways is to increase their understanding of the complex challenges involved with IPV and to develop empathy towards victims (Warrener et. al, 2013), which are two of the key goals of the proposed activity. Given a shift to online learning, it is essential to employ teaching methods that are engaging and offer aspects of experiential learning.

The Introduction of Metacognition to Promote Equity and Anti-Racist Pedagogy in the Online Classroom

Sara Plummer, DuWayne Battle

Higher education has a responsibility to offer students a platform to learn based on equity and anti-racism. The recent national events highlight the need to dismantle the status quo. The Bachelors of Social Work (BASW) program is leading the way by infusing an anti-racist pedagogy, supported by the use of metacognitive theory, and online delivery throughout its curriculum. Courses will be restructured in 1. content, 2. delivery, and 3. assessment. All three areas will be based on the concepts of anti-racism and metacognition with the goal to increase students’ knowledge of systemic anti-black racism, educational equity, and academic success.

Transitioning Active Learning and Engagement-based, Introductory STEM 

Geraldine Cochran, Roy Montalvo, John Kerrigan

Many introductory STEM recitations are based on the results of discipline-based education research and designed for in-person, active learning environments. We propose using qualitative and quantitative measures to evaluate the effectiveness of course coordinators’ efforts to transition these recitations to remote instruction. First, we will document the efforts of coordinators to attend to 1) modify workshops that rely on sophisticated technology/equipment typically used in recitations, 2) prepare TAs/recitation instructors for teaching online, and 3) create accommodations to mitigate the impact of access inequity and environmental inequality. Second, we will evaluate student perceptions of active learning in the online recitations.

Utilization of Virtual and Augmented Reality to Innovate and Diversify Earth and Planetary Science (EPS) Education

Lujendra Ojha, Lauren Neitzke Adamo, Roy Schlische, Gregory Mountain, Ying Reinfelder, Kenneth Miller

The switch to remote instruction due to the COVID-19 pandemic has hampered the quality of numerous EPS courses that require field excursions and/or interaction with physical specimens of rocks, minerals, and fossils. Here we propose to create virtual field trips and 3D renderings of hand samples to alleviate the effect of remote instructions on EPS courses. The development and utilization of proposed technology also holds considerable promise to engage students with disabilities or other restrictions that would prohibit them from doing field work. After a successful pilot project, we plan on applying to NSF for external funding.

The Big Ten Academic Alliance is the academic arm of the Big Ten Conference. As a member, Rutgers–New Brunswick can take advantage of opportunities for students, faculty, collaborations, and the sharing of resources. Two leadership training programs are offered by the BTAA every year. Academic Units at Rutgers-New Brunswick may nominate participants for these programs annually.

• Big Ten Academic Alliance Academic Leadership Program
• Big Ten Academic Alliance Department Executive Officers Seminar

Higher Education Resources Services provides leadership training for women. The HERS Institute is a transformational experience, designed to strengthen and elevate women holding mid-to-senior level positions in higher education. Participants are asked to share their vision of leadership and what they hope to contribute to their respective institutions, and are challenged to actualize this professional vision for themselves. Academic units at Rutgers-New Brunswick may nominate participants for this program each year.

Rutgers–New Brunswick is an institutional member of the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD), an independent professional development, training, and mentoring community of faculty, postdocs, and graduate students from more than 450 colleges and universities. Its resources are highly beneficial to those who are in need of general mentoring and other resources to support transitions throughout their careers.

All faculty, postdocs, and graduate students at Rutgers University have access to the following member resources at no additional cost:

• Weekly Monday motivator
• Monthly core curriculum webinars
• Monthly guest expert webinars
• Access to multi-week courses
• A private discussion forum for peer-mentoring and problem-solving
• Monthly accountability buddy matches
• Moderated writing challenges
• Access to the member library that includes past webinar materials, referrals, and readings

The center also offers professional development training and intensive mentoring programs. To claim your free institutional membership, you will need to activate your personal membership account. View PDF instructions on how to activate your account. We encourage you to take advantage of the resources available to you through the NCFDD. If you have any technical questions, please email NCFDD at membership@facultydiversity.org.

The Office of the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs offers three signature cohort programs to support faculty development.

The office also offers writing support, common interest groups, and individual mentoring that are open to all faculty universitywide.

• Rutgers Connection Network
• OASIS Leadership & Professional Development
• Program for Early Career Excellence

The Rutgers Center for Organizational Leadership offers a suite of collaborative leadership education initiatives for aspiring and current leaders at Rutgers. These programs seek to improve the leadership capacity of academic leaders and administrative leaders and to build a culture of leadership development across the institution.

• Leadership Education

The Rutgers Center for Teaching Advancement and Assessment Research runs workshops and supports teaching and learning through a variety of areas: pedagogy and faculty development, assessment programs, instructional technologies, classroom technologies, and faculty and staff information technologies.

The COVID-19 Pandemic has adversely impacted faculty across institutions of higher education. The pandemic has created conditions where families prioritize their caregiving responsibilities ahead of making progress towards their academic career goals. Numerous articles about the COVID-impact on the academy points to the disproportionate adverse impact on women. For example, Jillian Kramer, author of "The Virus Moved Female Faculty to the Brink. Will Universities Help?” points to the widening of gender-based performance gaps that disproportionately impact women (New York Times, October 6, 2020, retrieved on March 22).

The university has provided an institutional response that addresses the COVID adjustments faculty can use, including the extension of the probationary period, exclusion of teaching evaluations from their reappointment and/or tenure packets, and guidance for special notification in the tenure promotion process to mention a few. However, the Chancellor/Provost office, in partnership with academic deans, seeks to provide additional support that will allow faculty to advance their scholarly productivity. Through this program, tenure-track (TT) and non-tenure-track (NTT), early-career faculty can seek funding to support their teaching release or student assistance or training to support scholarly activities as determined to be appropriate by their dean.

Application Process

Applicants will be a junior or early mid-career Tenure Track/Non-Tenure Track (TT/NTT) faculty whose scholarly productivity has been adversely impacted by COVID. Applicants will be required to provide a clear plan detailing how the fellowship will lead to increased scholarly productivity. Plans should include both external and internal strategies for increasing productivity. For example, external elements may consist of university or national training series or formal or informal writing groups. Internal aspects should include schedules, milestones, and goals. Applicants will also be required to describe tangible outcomes that will reflect their desired results (e.g., number of pages drafted, number of article submissions, number of grant proposals). Given the limited availability of funds, junior faculty members who are primarily responsible for caregiving duties in their families will be prioritized, as will any other relevant information the applicant provides.

Award Amounts

• Award amounts will vary according to demonstrated need and not exceed a total of $5000.00.
• Funds will be available starting July 1, 2021, and used by June 30, 2022.

Applications should be submitted to your dean's office by May 1, 2021, and accompanied by the following:

• A brief statement of COVID impact on scholarly productivity
• A plan detailing how the fellowship will lead to increased scholarly productivity:
  • Include external plans (e.x. university or national training series, formal or informal writing groups) and/or internal plans (e.x. time schedules, milestones, and goals).
  • How will the money be used? (e.x. provide cost for activities-training, release time, research support, etc.). Please note course release requests should not exceed the cost for PTL hire to cover the course.
  • Describe tangible outcomes that reflect goal achievement (e.g., number of pages drafted, number of article submissions, number of grant proposals).
  • A report on accomplishments will be due at the end of the cycle.
• Deans’ recommendations will be forwarded to the Provost’s Office for final approval.
• Applicants will be notified by the deans of the academic units.

Given the limited availability of funds, junior faculty members who are primarily responsible for caregiving duties in their families will be prioritized. Please contact your dean’s office for more information.

The Office of the Chancellor-Provost at Rutgers University–New Brunswick is pleased to announce the biomedical and social science research awardees for COVID-related research at Rutgers. Twenty-two projects were competitively selected from a diverse pool of over 150 applications to the Center for COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness.

See the research awards