Active Learning Faculty Mentors

Active Learning (AL) Faculty Mentors expand the support by the Center for Teaching and Learning’s (CTL) support for Active Learning Summer Institute (ALSI) faculty across an academic year. The AL mentor-mentee relationship provides ALSI faculty with consultative support to develop and implement their (re)-designed courses and receive student feedback on their course.

Program Goals

The AL Faculty Mentor Program aims to provide a support system for ALSI faculty, with the alignment of mentors to mentees with similar interests and/or challenges. AL Faculty Mentors are supported by CTL personnel to provide consultations and peer feedback for ALSI faculty on their course (re)-designs. ALSI faculty benefit from the expanded experiences of the AL Faculty Mentors who help to ensure the effective adoption and implementation of active learning pedagogy in their course.

The invaluable expertise gained from engagement in ALSI, a course (re)-design and use of Active Learning all serve AL Faculty Mentors with the knowledge and experiences to effectively support and mentor recent ALSI participants. AL Faculty Mentors provide 1:1 assistance with current ALSI faculty to ensure a successful implementation of Active Learning with their course (re)-design and provide guided motivation.

Responsibilities & Opportunities

The AL Faculty Mentor Program runs parallel to the academic year for three mentors. The AL mentors typically take on the following responsibilities & opportunities

1. Serve as panelists for a yearly ALSI Alumni Panel: Surprises & Successes (during ALSI in May-mester) to share their experiences about their course (re)designs and meet the ALSI faculty cohort.

2. Attend an AL Mentor Kickoff meeting, scheduled and hosted by the CTL in late August, to meet and (re)establish relationships with the current ALSI faculty and check in with past ALSI faculty.

3. Host Open Office Hours (virtual or in person; once a month for one hour) for ALSI alumni to ask questions and seek feedback about the implementation of their course redesigns.

4. Mentoring sessions to consult (hour-long one-on-one or group sessions and/or up to 30-minute micro-mentoring sessions) with ALSI Faculty, depending upon the identified topics and requested support needed.

5. Facilitate Mid-Semester Formative Evaluations (MSFE), with CTL’s training resources and support, for two assigned faculty from the current ALSI faculty cohort.

6. AL Faculty Mentor / CTL Check-ins with the CTL Active Learning Initiatives team (late November and early April) to share their engagement with faculty mentees, update the CTL on the instructional progress of the AL faculty cohort, and address teaching development and concerns, if any.

7. Attend a yearly Active Learning Summit to support AL faculty cohorts.

Eligibility

Each year the CTL selects three AL Leader faculty who demonstrate effective implementation of active learning practices in their own classrooms (for a minimum of two semesters post-ALSI course (re)-design).

In the role AL mentors will be supported by CTL personnel to:
– participate as a panelist during an ALSI session featuring ALSI alumni
– contribute to the faculty mentees’ course redesign curriculum
– provide peer feedback to faculty on their course redesigns
– meet regularly to share their observations and insights with the CTL

Each AL Faculty Mentor will receive a $2,000 stipend which is eligible for use as
salary or operating expenses.

Application and Selection Process

The CTL accepts applications for the Active Learning Faculty Mentor Program every February and has interviews in March of each year. A group of three AL Faculty Mentors are selected from the interview process to work with ALSI faculty in ALSI and across the academic year.

For More Information

Please see the Call for Applications for additional information and guidance on applying.

Active Learning Mentors
(2025-2026)

A headshot of Drew Benson who is wearing a white collared shirt with a black suit and tie.

Drew Benson

Associate Professor
Department of Poultry Science
College of Agriculture
and Environmental Sciences

A headshot of Sabrena Deal who is wearing a blue sweater.

Sabrena Deal

Senior Lecturer
Department of Advertising
and Public Relations
Grady College of Journalism

A headshot of Clair McClure who is wearing a white button up shirt with a black blazer.

Clair McClure

Senior Lecturer
Department of Textiles,
Merchandising, & Interior
College of Family and Consumer Sciences

A headshot of Catherine Simpson who is wearing a dark navy sweater.

Catherine Simpson

Principal Lecturer in Spanish
Department of Romance Languages
Franklin College of Arts and Sciences

Active Learning Mentors
(2024-2025)

A headshot of Krista Capps who is wearing a black shirt.

Krista Capps

Associate Professor
Odum School of Ecology

A headshot of Catherine Simpson who is wearing a dark navy sweater.

Catherine Simpson

Principal Lecturer in Spanish
Department of Romance Languages
Franklin College of Arts and Sciences

A headshot of Nandana Weliweriya who is wearing a blue checkered button-up shirt.

Nandana Weliweriya

Lecturer
School of Physics and Astronomy
Franklin College of Arts & Sciences

Active Learning Mentors
(2023-2024)

A headshot of Jewon Lyu who is wearing a black short sleeved shirt.

Jewon Lyu

Assistant Professor
Textile, Merchandising, & Interior Design
College of Family and Consumer Sciences

A headshot of Ted Gragson who is wearing a khaki hat and a brown shirt.

Ted Gragson

Department Head & Professor
Department of Anthropology
Franklin College of Arts & Sciences

A headshot of Duncan Elkins who is wearing a gray shirt.

Duncan Elkins

Literacy Data Lecturer
Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources

Active Learning Mentors
(2022-2023)

A photo of Toyin Alli wearing a gray checkered shirt. Her hands are touching a whiteboard with writing on it.

Toyin Alli

Senior Lecturer
Department of Mathematics
Franklin College of Arts & Sciences

A headshot of Melissa Landers-Potts who is wearing a black shirt.

Melissa Landers-Potts

Senior Lecturer
Human Development and Family Science
College of Family & Consumer Sciences

A headshot of Marni Shindelman who is wearing a black shirt.

Marni Shindelman

Associate Professor
Lamar Dodd School of Art
Franklin College of Arts & Sciences