Teaching as Research Participant Testimonials
Jody Googins (Education), Grant recipient in 2019-2020
“While I had experience with research in general, i.e., the IRB process, qualitative methods using interviews or focus groups, and analyzing that qualitative data, conducting research on my students and pedagogy was a new experience and opportunity on my scholarship journey. What began solely as a study of students’ experiences became, through my participation with the Teaching as Research program, scholarship that expanded the original study I began in the fall of 2020 to include a practitioner piece that examined not only student experience, but also my own pedagogical choices in structuring and teaching my classes. Working with a group of other teacher-scholars at Xavier created a community where we could discuss our current projects and seek support and feedback from others. The workshops and resources provided were always a welcome addition to support my work. As a part of the Teaching as Research program, I was pushed to think more critically about my choices in the classroom, and how studying those choices can be a valuable experience not only for me, but for other instructors that might be reached via scholarship. As a result of this work, I not only feel like I am a better instructor, I am more capable of critically assessing how my students are engaging in the course and what responses I might have to their engagement. I have presented on my teaching as research work several times, and I currently have two manuscripts out for review.”
Supaporn Kradtap Hartwell (Chemistry), Grant recipient in 2016-17
I teach Chemistry and I have been doing research extensively in the laboratory. Xavier’s emphasis in effective teaching got me interested in learning about SoTL or Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. The Teaching as Research program was the starting point for me to explore education research. The program offered a series of workshops where I learned for the first time about the IRB process, how to recruit student subjects, and how to collect and analyze qualitative data through survey and interview. Part of my project proposal for the mini-grant was about creating a globally enhanced chemistry course by implementing an intercultural assignment where Xavier students worked in teams with Chemistry students in Thailand. At a glance, the cultural competency aspect seems out of context for STEM classes, but I have shown through this project how it can be done and how it helps students see the relevancy of chemistry to society and culture. My work has been published in the Journal of Chemical Education with a very good rating by the reviewers, especially on teaching pedagogy. I am grateful for having had this opportunity to learn to conduct classroom research. The Teaching as Research program has helped me to expand my scholarship in a new direction. I would like to encourage colleagues to join the Teaching as Research Program to learn about education research, or if you already do education research, to use this opportunity to assess your new teaching ideas and to keep yourself active and productive in teaching and scholarship.
Tina Davlin-Pater (Sport Science and Management), Grant recipient in 2019-2020 and 2016-2017
The Teaching as Research program helped me learn to conduct quality scholarship in the area of teaching and learning. I have been involved with the mini-grant program twice. The first time, I learned more about qualitative research which helped a great deal with a study that examined the implementation and assessment of a new program requirement to promote professional development in the athletic training major. The data was valuable to the academic program and the study was published in a peer-reviewed journal. Recently, I wanted to study student perceptions of a new multisource feedback tool. This tool was created to provide students with feedback on soft skills from different perspectives (clinical and academic). Again, the workshops and support from the CTE was valuable and appreciated. The data is being used to inform decisions about how the tool will be used in the future and I plan to submit the study for publication. I highly encourage any faculty member to participate in the Teaching as Research program.
Eileen Alexander (Health Services Administration), Grant recipient in 2016-2017