Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Faculty Fellows Program

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL) Faculty Fellowship is a unique, two-year, cohort-based opportunity for a diverse group of full-time instructors (NTT, tenure-track, and tenured) at Loyola University Chicago. The fellowship invites fellows to explore and contribute to the literature base in one of FCIP's pedagogical underpinnings: Ignatian pedagogy, anti-racist pedagogy and student-centered design.

The fellowship provides incentive and support for faculty to explore a scholarly direction that may diverge from their typical academic research agendas, while connecting with a community of other scholars with interest in SOTL. The intent of this fellowship is to create a community of scholars who will develop, build upon, or produce new scholarly work in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL) with specific focus on Ignatian pedagogy, anti-racist pedagogy or student-centered course design.

Each year, we welcome a new cohort of SOTL Fellows who meets regularly and gains support from FCIP and one another. Each fellow is awarded a stipend of $2,000 over a two-year period, or $500 per semester. 

Program Goals

• Develop faculty capacity for Ignatian, anti-racist and student-centered teaching, learning and scholarship through a specific scholarly endeavor. 
• Facilitate and build a supportive community of scholars with interest in Ignatian, anti-racist and student-centered teaching and learning. 
• Create collaborative research and writing teams with FCIP staff and other Fellows to complete, disseminate, and submit the scholarly work for publication.  

During the 2-year fellowship, FCIP’s SOTL Faculty Fellows are expected to complete each of these program components.

(1) Initial meetings with FCIP staff and other fellows to identify:

• The nexus between each fellow’s interests and the needs of SOTL in their topical area; and
• A corresponding research project for the duration of the fellowship (e.g. literature review in Ignatian pedagogy, small-scale empirical study of the use of anti-racist strategies in the classroom, meta-analysis of student-centered design in their discipline, etc.).

(2) Attend regular team meetings with FCIP staff and cohort members to discuss project progress or evolution of ideas and directions, trouble-shoot difficulties, etc.

• Maintain communication with FCIP staff and other fellows as needed to ask for (and provide) help and support when necessary;
• Scheduling and frequency of meetings will be jointly determined by cohort and FCIP staff

(3) Complete their individual research project or literature review (within 2 years);

• Review, curate and share relevant pedagogical resources into a shared online repository (for future use by other fellows and Loyola instructors); and
• Draft manuscript (with co-author support available from FCIP and/or other fellows) and prepare for journal submission.

(4) Present project process and methodology and/or findings at Focus on Teaching and Learning or New Faculty Orientation programs on work through fellowship.

Dr. Whelton Miller - Integration of Underrepresented Minority (URM) Scholars into Biomedical Research We wish to develop a 2-part approached for inclusion and diversity in the biomedical programs at Loyola University Chicago, particularly at Stritch School of Medicine (SSOM) and co-sponsored by the new Institute for Racial Justice (IRJ). The aim is to create and install student-centered coursework, outreach programs, and hands-on research opportunities with an anti-racist theme into current and future programs. These activities also offer new research and training opportunities for graduate & undergraduate students, as well as faculty.

Dr. Jennifer Forestal - As a SoTL faculty fellow, she is engaged in two research projects. In the first, she is completing a textbook that introduces students to political science concepts through the lens of engaged citizenship practices. In the second, she is conducting research into the efficacy of reflective assignments in introductory political theory classes.

Dr. Meghan Dougherty - This project explores the intersections of Ignatian Pedagogy and Critical Digital Pedagogy. The project pairs Media Ecology with theoretical frameworks for teaching (Cognitivism, Constructivism, and Connectivism) to illustrate the complementary nature of Ignatian Pedagogy and Critical Digital Pedagogy.

Dr. Murat Kahveci

• Dr. Kahveci plans to collaborate with faculty members in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry to develop diagnostic tools, gather data, and implement targeted teaching strategies to address student misconceptions. The project aims to contribute evidence-based teaching strategies, promote student-centered design, and provide insights into addressing misconceptions that hinder student learning. Dr. Kahveci also plans to present research findings at conferences and publish manuscripts in reputable journals in the field of chemistry education research

Dr. Guofang Wan

• This collaborative and interdisciplinary study explores the issues and benefits of artificial intelligence tools in academics. It provides strategies for university stakeholders to support students and faculty in embracing artificial intelligence tools and ensuring high-quality academic integrity. The study reviews the current status of academic integrity in the age of generative artificial intelligence (AI) on one U.S. college campus. It discusses the excitement and concerns about Cha​tGPT and other new technology tools to arrive soon. It raises the question of “legislating or educating” about AI. The study involves stakeholders and collects data through surveys and interviews. Results may indicate specific strategies for stakeholders (students, faculty, librarians, administrators, and staff) to support teaching and learning with academic integrity while embracing new AI tools. Guofang is a co-author with several LUC professors and graduate students.