These Innovation Fellows were selected in April 2022, will participate in the Innovation Institute in May 2022, and will complete their fellowship projects in the 2022 – 2023 Academic Year. Scroll down to see the abstracts for their projects. Particular areas of focus for this iteration of Innovation Fellows are within the following areas connected to academic excellence and distinction:
- Experiential and/or Austin-based pedagogy: Revising courses to incorporate new approaches, activities, and/or Austin-based content that can provide students with a richer academic experience.
- Inclusive and Antiracist Teaching: Redesigning your courses with an eye toward equitable, inclusive, and anti-racist practices, such as including Open Educational Resources (OER); adopting Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles; or working toward inclusive and anti-racist content and assessment practices.
- Online Course Design or Revision: Revising courses previously offered online for remote teaching or in-person into well-designed online courses to create flexible options to help students complete their degrees in a timely manner.
Innovation Fellows
Carsten Andresen, Criminal Justice, Behavioral and Social Sciences, CRIJ 4341: Comparative Legal Systems
Emily Bernate, Languages, Literatures and Cultures, Arts and Humanities, SPAN 4305: Introduction to Translation
Mary Brantl, Visual Studies, Arts and Humanities, ARTS 2322: Modernists & Others
Timothy Braun, Literature, Writing, and Rhetoric, Arts and Humanities, FSEM 1401.02: The Play is the Thing.
Robert Denton Bryant, Visual Studies, Arts and Humanities, VGAM 3332: Methods of Digital Production
Kelley Coblentz Bautch, Religious and Theological Studies, Arts and Humanities, RELS 4351: Mentored Research in Religious and Theological Studies
Laurie Cook Heffron, Sociology and Social Work, Behavioral and Social Sciences, SOCW 4344: Macro Systems: Social Work Practice with Organizations & Communities
Megan DeWhatley, Biological Sciences, Natural Sciences, BIOL 1107: General Biology I Lab
Kim Garza, Visual Studies, Arts and Humanities, VGAM 3332: Methods of Digital Production
Michelle Green, Biological Sciences, Natural Sciences, BIOL 1108: Gen Bio II Lab
Jamie Hinojosa, Literature, Writing, and Rhetoric, Arts and Humanities, WRIT 3332: Workplace Writing
Andrea Holgado, Biological Sciences, Natural Sciences, BIOL 1307: General Biology I
Drew Loewe, Literature, Writing, and Rhetoric, Arts and Humanities, WRIT 2325: Analyzing Rhetoric
Shelbee NguyenVoges, Teaching, Innovation, and Leadership, Behavioral and Social Sciences, MSOL 6315 : Leadership & Social Justice
Yongshin Park, Marketing, Operations, and Analytics, Munday School of Business, BUSI 2305: Business Statistics
Georgia Seminet, Languages, Literatures and Cultures, Arts and Humanities, Span 3399 (may change to Span 3355 – going to Academic Counsel): Spanish for the Health and Helping Professions
David Thomason, Political Science, Global Studies, Environmental Science and Policy, Behavioral and Social Sciences, POLS 3354 and POLS 4398: NONONPROFIT ADVOCACY AND INTEREST GROUPS and Topics in Political Entrepreneurship
Sasha West, Literature, Writing, and Rhetoric, Arts and Humanities, WRIT 2304: Environmental Writing
Jane Xie, Accounting, Economics, and Finance, Munday School of Business, FINC 4341: Investment Principles & Analysis
Fellows and Project Abstracts
Carsten Andresen, Criminal Justice, Behavioral and Social Sciences, CRIJ 4341: Comparative Legal Systems
This 2022-2023 Innovation Fellowship focuses on bringing an experimental pedagogy to Comparative Legal Systems, a criminal justice course that investigates how technological and communication innovations have had a global impact on crime and the administration of justice. Specifically, the Fellowship provides the opportunity to reengineer the course, which will no longer have a class textbook, to be more dynamic and connected to the quickly changing world. Additionally, the Fellowship refines the Comparative Legal Systems to make it project-based and connected to individuals and organizations that have been impacted by global crime and justice issues. The redesigned Comparative Legal Systems course will connect students to the world around them through short, focused readings, classroom projects, guest speakers, and local field trips (to locations that reflect different aspects of the international world). Finally, the Fellowship will also bring in more information about other countries less explored in prior iterations of this course.
Emily Bernate, Languages, Literatures and Cultures, Arts and Humanities, SPAN 4305: Introduction to Translation
Working with the Innovation Fellowship will provide time and expertise to adapt the course sequence of SPAN 4305: Introduction to Translation. The course is being redesigned to align with the goals of a new certificate program on Spanish for the Health and Helping Professions. The course currently focuses on written English to Spanish translation for the Spanish-speaking community in Austin. Although written translation will continue to be useful for students in this program, those interested in health and social service careers will also need practice with oral interpretation. The plan is to replace two of the current course units with lessons on simultaneous and semi-simultaneous oral interpretation. One of the units will focus on interpretation for the education and social services sector, and the other will focus on interpretation for the healthcare field. Both units will involve consultations with a professional interpreter and the development of an online interpretation-focused portfolio.
Mary Brantl, Visual Studies, Arts and Humanities, ARTS 2322: Modernists & Others
As true in many disciplines, Art History is facing up to the embedded values and unacknowledged lacunae that haunt its “master” narrative. For decades, I have framed most of my history courses around issues of canon and margins, and increasingly, in recent years, I have interjected assignments into my history courses to invite interrogation of the meta-discourse by taking on the unquestioned and the absent—be it to call into question the tokenist treatment of Harlem Renaissance artists or to puzzle out the need to be in New York or Paris to truly be “modern.” With the new Fall ’22 ARTS 2322—Modernists & Others course, to put it simply, I plan to reinvent the survey of Modern Art—enriching it for art and art history students and for the general education students for whom it is now intended to be accessible.
Timothy Braun, Literature, Writing, and Rhetoric, Arts and Humanities, FSEM 1401.02: The Play is the Thing.
The course will explore the psychology, sociology, history, philosophy and idea of “play”, what is “play”, and what is “play” for. Students will construct games, attend a sporting event, see a play, and building controlled research projects in exploring the concepts of rules and laws in our society using multi-model learning.
Robert Denton Bryant, Visual Studies, Arts and Humanities, VGAM 3332: Methods of Digital Production
Traditional project management methodologies often fall short when applied to software development, as specifications often change mid-project due to technological changes, product testing, and client feedback. Software development is complex and requires very careful coordination among team members so that each is contributing optimally to ensure that a product is delivered on time and on spec. This course, Methods of Digital Production, is designed to allow students to both learn and practice such modern production techniques as agile development, scrum, stand-ups, etc., by creating their own team project over the course of the class. Students will work in groups to create a mobile game or app from concept to testing and release. In designing the course, Ms. Garza and I will be identifying and vetting production methods, development tools, and some types of games and apps that would be achievable on a one-semester timeline.
Kelley Coblentz Bautch, Religious and Theological Studies, Arts and Humanities, RELS 4351: Mentored Research in Religious and Theological Studies
This Innovation Fellowship project focuses on the development of RELS 4351 Mentored Research in Religious and Theological Studies with attention to honing SLOs and, through backwards design, ensuring the incorporation of best practices in undergraduate research. The addition of this course to the RELS major provides students rich opportunities for further clarifying their values and career interests through mentored research with their faculty. Mentored research is a high-impact practice reflecting current trends in higher education toward experiential and field-based learning. Moreover, RELS 4351 accords with the University’s strategic plan to enhance and support research and scholarship among students and are in line with our attention to both liberal arts and providing students with professional opportunities.
Laurie Cook Heffron, Sociology and Social Work, Behavioral and Social Sciences, SOCW 4344: Macro Systems: Social Work Practice with Organizations & Communities
The Innovation Institute provides an opportunity to redesign an upper-division social work course, SOCW 4344: Macro Systems: Social Work Practice with Organizations & Communities, with attention and intention towards experiential and Austin-based learning, as well as inclusive and anti-racist teaching. This course will be redesigned to improve connections between connect course content, assignments, and activities and students’ culminating experience (the social work field internship site). It will also incorporate content, activities and assignments to help students practice diversity, equity, and inclusion-oriented organizational assessment strategies (making use, for example, of existing tools such as a disability justice audit tool and anti-racist organizational assessment strategies) and intervention and evaluation practices. These changes will help students learn and practice strategies to understand, assess, and work towards diversity, equity, inclusion and justice in social change efforts at the organizational and community levels and to practice professional and ethical engagement with community-based organizations in Austin.
Megan DeWhatley, Biological Sciences, Natural Sciences, BIOL 1107: General Biology I Lab
Due to several shifts in modality since 2019, General Biology I Lab has become heavily dependent on student study outside of scheduled labs. The revision of General Biology I Lab will increase experiential learning and thereby promote deeper learning of the scientific method and research process. These changes are geared towards improving student retention of skills and knowledge while simultaneously increasing their confidence in their abilities as scientists in training. Beyond applicability to other labs facing similar challenges from previous shifts to online learning and back, the efforts to increase the depth of student learning by honing the focus of the curriculum could apply to a course in any field of study.
Kim Garza, Visual Studies, Arts and Humanities, VGAM 3332: Methods of Digital Production
Traditional project management methodologies often fall short when applied to software development, as specifications often change mid-project due to technological changes, product testing, and client feedback. Software development is complex and requires very careful coordination among team members so that each is contributing optimally to ensure that a product is delivered on time and on spec. This course, Methods of Digital Production, is designed to allow students to both learn and practice such modern production techniques as agile development, scrum, stand-ups, etc., by creating their own team project over the course of the class. Students will work in groups to create a mobile game or app from concept to testing and release. We willl be identifying and vetting production methods, development tools, and some types of games and apps that would be achievable on a one-semester timeline.
Michelle Green, Biological Sciences, Natural Sciences, BIOL 1108: Gen Bio II Lab
My Innovation Fellowship project is focused on redesigning BIOL 1108 to increase experiential learning opportunities, deepen Austin connections, and create more inclusive and equitable assessment techniques. I hope to develop new activities that provide students with opportunities to conduct scientific research on Austin-area streams, increase their confidence as scientific thinkers, and reflect on the broader implications of scientific inquiry.
Jamie Hinojosa, Literature, Writing, and Rhetoric, Arts and Humanities, WRIT 3332: Workplace Writing
WRIT 3332 or Workplace Writing is a course designed around preparing students for the real, applicable writing and documents they will face when they enter the workforce. This course will be redesigned to be an online asynchronous course to allow students from any major to take this writing-rich marker course and gain valuable experience. By moving this course into an asynchronous format, more students would be able to take this course and benefit their interaction and experiential learning with the community and with their future career paths. Students would be able to share their real-world experience and knowledge with their peers which provides student autonomy and more equity in their learning experience and career growth, as well give students real-time knowledge to assist in their other endeavors outside of coursework.
Andrea Holgado, Biological Sciences, Natural Sciences, BIOL 1307: General Biology I
As an authentic Hispanic-Serving Institution that builds on bilingual, bicultural, and bi-literate assets, starting Fall 2022, the Department of Biological Sciences will begin offering a Bilingual Spanish-English section of General Biology I. The innovation Fellowship will be instrumental in facilitating the transformation of the current offering of General Biology I to a Bilingual Spanish- English and embedding a COIL (collaborative online international learning) project in the course.
Drew Loewe, Literature, Writing, and Rhetoric, Arts and Humanities, WRIT 2325: Analyzing Rhetoric
This project aims to create open-access materials to replace a required textbook in WRIT 2325: Analyzing Rhetoric, a core course in the WRIT major that is also taken by some students in other majors and that is typically taught each semester. Part of inclusive pedagogy is being mindful of costs. What’s more, online course materials can be updated readily, optimized for accessibility and the use of assistive technologies, but print books cannot. In addition, students themselves could be contributors to the open-access materials by providing examples of quality work, additional resources and links, etc.
Shelbee NguyenVoges, Teaching, Innovation, and Leadership, Behavioral and Social Sciences, MSOL 6315 : Leadership & Social Justice
Institutions of higher learning and leadership have historically been looked to as emancipatory spaces aimed at the liberation of thought and opportunity through learning and unlearning of educative concepts. In the 21st century, we are tasked with revisiting this notion and reconciling the growing disparity between the contemporary needs of our society and the capacity of organizational systems and leaders therein to meet these ever-evolving needs in a time of palpable cultural, political, economic, and social unrest. Growing uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as dissent, and further, distrust of American institutions which prepare individuals for living and working in the new normal has reignited a critical discussion of power, inequity, and social justice. The aims of this course are to:
- Expand and apply knowledge of concepts, frameworks, theories, research and individual experience relevant to the broader context of social justice.
- Recognize and acknowledge the diversity and complexity of social justice issues.
- Critically analyze a range of social justice issues from a leader’s perspective.
- Identify individual, interpersonal and institutional structures that support or impede social justice.
- Develop and refine interactive skills that effectively address social justice issues.
Yongshin Park, Marketing, Operations, and Analytics, Munday School of Business, BUSI 2305: Business Statistics
For this project, I proposed redesigning an asynchronous course, “BUSI 2305 Business Statistics”. The proposed course will significantly shift from lecture-based to teaching-learning enterprises, making the course more active and learner-center to lessen the fear of statistics. This new course will provide a projected-based learning environment and utilize cutting-edge tools and technologies such as R, Excel, Tableau and more. Students will engage in group assignments that scaffold to form the basis of their course projects. Students will connect the statistical methods they are learning with real-world problems related to their disciplines or sustainability issues and industry 4.0. Some of the benefits to students by redesigning the course will include but are not limited to improved group collaboration, growth mindset, sense of belonging and student motivation, critical thinking, digital skills, and the ability to construct statistical research in general.
Georgia Seminet, Languages, Literatures and Cultures, Arts and Humanities, Span 3399 (may change to Span 3355 – going to Academic Council): Spanish for the Health and Helping Professions
Our university is home to a large number of bilingual students that are fluent in daily conversations but have not been given the experience to develop dialect awareness and the ability to discuss abstract topics such as mental health and domain-specific vocabulary relating to diseases and health practices in Spanish. Given the current need in the health and helping professions for bilingual and bicultural professionals, the linguistic and cultural competencies addressed in the certificate will situate our students to become leaders in the health and helping professions as advocates for the Latino/Latinx population in the U.S. The Spanish program has designed a certificate to help prepare students to meet the need for bilingual professionals, and as part of the certificate I am re-designing a course that I have taught as a topics course in the past. Spanish 3355 will focus on the study of terminology specific to health and healthcare support professions. I will also include research on the cultural issues related to successful interactions with Spanish-speaking patients or clients and their families. It will introduce students to a wide array of vocabulary and topics particular to health-related fields such as performing sight translation and interpretation strategies. The course also developa cultural understanding of medicine and illness in the Spanish-speaking world. I am seeking support for the development of the course as an online offering, and specifically for the development of modules that facilitate assignments for sight translations, brief interpretation assignments, and assignments in which students will role-play situations in which they are asked to interpret or translate in a medical, counseling, mental health or social work setting.
David Thomason, Political Science, Global Studies, Environmental Science and Policy, Behavioral and Social Sciences, POLS 3354 and POLS 4398: NONONPROFIT ADVOCACY AND INTEREST GROUPS and Topics in Political Entrepreneurship
Starting next fall, St. Edward’s University students will have the opportunity to actively interact and work on Austin public policy issues through the new Political and Civic Engagement minor and political science track. As part of this fellowship, two of those courses being offered in the fall 2022 will be designed and ready for an August launch Those two courses focus on experiential learning and Austin based content in solving public policy problems. The courses are Non-Profit Advocacy and Interest Groups (POLS 4454) and Topics in Political Entrepreneurship (POLS 4398). The courses are part of a series of new courses being offered n the next year for the Political and Civic Engagement (PACE) track, combining to apply the theory of political concepts to working and solving real public policy problems in Austin and beyond.
Sasha West, Literature, Writing, and Rhetoric, Arts and Humanities, WRIT 2304: Environmental Writing
This project redesigns WRIT 2304 Environmental Writing to serve as the gateway class for a new Environmental Humanities minor. New scaffolded versions of core assignments will better serve non-WRIT-majors, while integrating the core foci of the minor will prepare students for other courses. A commitment to environmental justice and inclusive course design will lead to selecting new texts, designing equitable co-curriculars in nature for experiential learning, and investigating inclusive practices in assessment. The course will serve students with interests in environmental justice and climate change who either aren’t majoring in STEM and policy fields—or who are and want tools to communicate more widely about their work. This will supplement other ways students are learning about global stewardship and sustainability through their time at St. Edward’s. Discoveries in this project might be replicable in other arts- or practice-based courses and could serve as a model of how social justice issues can infuse teaching in all disciplines.
Jane Xie, Accounting, Economics, and Finance, Munday School of Business, FINC 4341: Investment Principles & Analysis
Students in FINC4341 Investment Principles and Analysis are introduced to Bloomberg Terminal’s unique tools and functions for security analysis and portfolio management, which are typically used by financial analysts and portfolio managers in financial institutions. Students are required to earn a Bloomberg Market Concepts (BMC) certificate, which demonstrates that the students are knowledgeable about the gold standard market data platform. Finance students have to make extensive effort to learn the terminal in order to fully enhance their understanding on investment concepts. The experience of learning the terminal would help the students advance their careers in the future. Providing an education focused on what the financial industry needs would increase student retention rate and attract more students. The terminal would be integrated in other upper-division finance courses. It also provides accounting and economic data that students in these two majors can benefit.