Abstracts: Celebration of Teaching – April 9, 2025
1:00-3:00 pm CTE Stinson Faculty Lounge
Nykara Brown, CTE Assistant Director HHMI Collection of Artifacts This collection of artifacts highlights key programs and projects that have emerged in the name and efforts of HHMI IE3. Featured items include updates to the Smooth Transitions program, findings from Xavier’s Structural Obstacles Study and its connection to the Lift Every Voice project, and a matrix used for faculty hiring in the SCIENCE Collaborative Network-funded Students as Partners Program. Reflections from Computer Science faculty on their participation in the PERTS ASCEND sense-of-belonging survey are also included. The exhibit provides an overview of Xavier’s efforts to enhance student engagement and collaboration across institutions.
Kendra Denlinger, Chemistry Does specifications grading more effectively help students learn the fundamentals of organic chemistry? Does specifications grading more effectively help students learn the fundamentals of organic chemistry? I will seek to answer this question by investigating the use of specifications grading in 1 of 2 sections of CHEM 240 in Spring 2025. Spring CHEM 240 is considered “off-sequence” because most students take Organic Chemistry 1 in the fall semester of their sophomore year, so most of the students in these classes have failed or withdrawn from either a General Chemistry course or their first try at CHEM 240. I currently have about 30 students enrolled in total between my two classes.
Alejandra Gonzalez, Psychology Examining the impact of incorporating two pedagogical features into a graduate-level diversity course in psychology The goal of the proposed project is to examine the impact of incorporating two pedagogical features into a graduate-level Diversity course in psychology. PSYC 508 – Diversity is a course where first-year graduate students in the doctoral Clinical Psychology (PsyD) program learn about various aspects of diversity as well as their importance and relevance to developing clinical practice competencies to work with diverse individuals and communities. The two pedagogical features to be evaluated are 1) a series of psychologists with diverse social identities who will be guest speakers in the course and 2) sharing of songs about liberation among students in the course. Regarding the first, the guest speakers will provide a brief presentation relevant to the topic of day and describe their own clinical work with diverse groups and individuals. In the second pedagogical feature, after learning about liberation psychology (e.g., Martín-Baró, 1994) students will select and share a song about liberation to share with their peers and engage in discussion about the content and its relevance to clinical psychology practice. This project aims to determine the cognitive and affective impacts of adding these components on students’ understanding of and commitment to diversity in clinical psychology.
Holly Kaminski, Business Analytics & Info Systems Showcasing Faculty Teaching Practices: A Collaborative Project in Instructional Design and Technology As a Faculty Associate in Instructional Design and Technology, I have undertaken a project to set up a platform to collect and showcase exemplary teaching practices from Xavier faculty across disciplines. By curating real-world examples, the project aims to inspire faculty, foster collaboration, and promote continuous improvement in teaching. This poster will share insights from the project and opportunities for faculty to contribute and engage in the ongoing celebration of teaching excellence.
Supaporn Kradtap, Chemistry Universal Design for Learning (UDL) strategies in chemistry classes Various universal design for learning strategies have been added to the chemistry classes. These include scaffolding materials, adding assignments to improve self-efficacy, encouraging peer support, offering office hours to accommodate schedule conflict, giving opportunities to correct mistakes, and helping students with time management. Students were asked for opinions and suggestions on these strategies. Online vs in-person classes have some differences in effective implementation of certain strategies.
Heidrun Schmitzer, Physics and Engineering Department Motivating Diverse Student Populations in Core Courses: A Science of Teaching and Learning Investigation I would like to explore effective strategies for enhancing motivation and engagement among students from different majors enrolled in core, service or APEX courses, which will ultimately improve their learning experiences and academic success. As outcome, I hope to
identify effective strategies for enhancing student motivation and engagement in core courses with diverse student populations, in my case Forensics course (CORE) and Renewable energy course (APEX).
get insights into the motivational needs and preferences of students from different majors and different age groups, which can help faculty to develop tailored interventions and instructional practices.
be able to make recommendations for faculty teaching core, service and APEX courses to foster a supportive and inclusive learning environment that promotes motivation, learning, and academic success among all students.
I am teaching core courses and major courses for about 20 years. The different motivational levels of the students in these courses are evident to me. Recently, I even have the perspective of an instructor for APEX courses, which are aimed at adult learners. Their level of motivation has surprised me positively. It became clear to me, that I need to systematically investigate and implement evidence-based motivational strategies in core courses with diverse student populations, and adapt these strategies to the audience. My project aims to contribute to the enhancement of teaching and learning practices in core, service and APEX courses at Xavier University. When we understand the unique motivational challenges inherent in heterogeneous classrooms, we as faculty can address them by creating more engaging, relevant, and inclusive learning experiences that empower students to succeed academically and professionally across disciplines.
Jeremy Steeves, Sport Science & Management Mid semester evaluation of relationship-rich practices used in the classroom Background This project describes which Persistence Project activities students and faculty feel best support their learning and belonging. Methods Data were collected from 63 faculty and 120 students during the Spring 2025 semester. Faculty reported which of the four professor actions they though best and least supported learning, which actions were the easiest and hardest to implement, and actions they used most and least. Students reported which of the four professor actions they thought best and least supported learning, and which actions they saw used the most and the least by their professors. Results Most faculty thought getting to know your students (44.4%) best supported learning, but was hardest to implement (34.9%); while communicating their belief that all students can succeed least supported students (49.2%) but was easiest to implement (38.1%). Faculty perceived they were giving formative, success-oriented feedback the most (30.2%), communicating their belief that all students can succeed the least (30.2%). The activities students felt best and least supported their learning were when professors give formative, success-oriented feedback (40.8%), and when professors communicate their belief that all students can succeed (57.5%), respectively. Students perceived professors learn and use students’ names the most (42.5%), and give formative, success-oriented feedback the least (35.0%), respectively. Conclusions Students and faculty agreed that communicating their belief that all students can succeed least supported students but differed in their perceptions of other actions. Faculty felt they were giving formative, success-oriented feedback the most, while students say this action as done the least.
Joseph Stephens, School of Psychology How the cognitive neuroscience of memory can inform our approach to classroom teaching In this presentation, I will outline several ways in which well-known effective teaching practices are reinforced by recent research in the cognitive neuroscience of memory. A particular focus will be on the connections between semantic memory (i.e., factual knowledge) and episodic memory (i.e. memory for personal experiences), including my own research on the involvement of episodic processes in remembering and updating simple associations. I will provide evidence supporting an approach that views all learning as “experiential” and links the impact of specific learning experiences to their relative support for episodic memory mechanisms. Implications for instructional techniques and strategies will be discussed.
Ashley Theuring, Theology Collaborative Humanities Cohort Pilot Fall 2026 I would like to introduce the Collaborative Humanities Cohort, a new interdisciplinary Sustaining Excellence initiative at Xavier University designed to cultivate deep engagement with the humanities while fostering a strong sense of belonging among students. The program integrates coursework across philosophy, theology, history, and literature, providing a structured yet flexible pathway for students to explore fundamental human questions while developing critical thinking and communication skills. In fall of 2026, piloted as a one-year cohort model, the program will strategically align with existing Core Curriculum requirements to enhance accessibility and sustainability within faculty teaching loads. Through shared coursework and Living Learning Community experiences, students build intellectual community while honing analytical and ethical reasoning skills essential for their academic and professional futures. I hope to include the pedagogical framework, logistical challenges, and anticipated student outcomes of the program, inviting feedback on best practices for interdisciplinary, cohort-based learning models.
Amy Whipple, History Applied Humanites Concentration I will present an overview of my proposed Applied Humanities concentration for the History major (currently under review by the CAS Curriculum Committee). The concentration is designed to augment the critical "soft skills" that our majors receive with specific "hard skills" that employers also value in new hires. I worked with employers and faculty across campus to develop a 5-course concentration for the history program. Other humanities programs have also expressed interest in adopting the concentration, if approved by the curriculum committees.
Exploring Teaching and Assessment Techniques to improve motivation and classroom community FLC Teaching the post-COVID student generation presents multifaceted challenges that instructors must address to ensure meaningful learning experiences for their students. Students’ attitudes toward courses, especially in non-major courses, can range from disinterest to antagonism. Varying levels of prior knowledge and of communication competencies and diverse learning styles significantly impact students' motivation to participate actively in class. Courses with large student numbers make it challenging to cultivate a sense of belonging. This is similar in smaller, but online delivered courses, like APEX courses, which also need to take into account that adult learners have other responsibilities in their lives. We will explore these challenges surrounding student motivation and classroom community. The goal is to find and implement strategies that inspire and sustain student motivation, create a sense of belonging and give students a learning experience that cannot be replaced by AI.
Teaching & Learning in the Age of AI:Exploring the Mindful Integration of AI in Student Learningand Faculty Work FLC This FLC will examine the role of tools that utilize artificial intelligence (AI) to generate writing, artwork, and other works relevant to activities carried out by students and faculty at Xavier. Participants will explore ways in which AI-based tools (such as ChatGPT) can be helpful for student learning and professional tasks carried out by faculty. At the same time, participants will consider strategies to encourage the use of these tools in ethical and responsible ways. Participants will brainstorm ways that assignments and lessons might be crafted to encourage more “humanness” (connections to students’ experiences, interdisciplinary synthesis, writing to specific audiences, context-specific approaches, etc.) as well as lessons that directly incorporate and acknowledge the utility and limitations of AI in writing, art, and other activities.