GRANTS AND FELLOWSHIPS:
Developmental Education Reform Grant: In October of 2022, the Office of First Year Writing recieved a $39k “Developmental Education Reform” (DER) grant through CUNY. Through this grant, we undertook a project to identify impediments to student engagement and retention in gateway English Courses and to create in-class writing interventions to help students overcome these impediments. I was the principal investigator of the English Department project.
This project, conducted in Spring of 2023, included a writing exercise meant to increase engagement (known as a “Utility Value Intervention”) as well as two additional questions meant to gather information on barriers to learning. Over 700 students in English 1101 and 1121 (Comp 1 and Comp 2) did the survey. The students who participated were 11.7% more likely to pass the course than those who did not. They were also 6% more likely to return to City Tech the following semester.
Learning Loss Grant: In Spring of 2024, the Office of First Year Writing recieved an approximately $20k “Learning Loss” grant through CUNY. Through this grant, we undertook a project (of which I was the Principal Investigator) following up on our Utility Value Intervention study, as well as evaluating the effectiveness of the Procrastination Station and its resources on pass rates and re-enrollment.
In this study, students filled out beginning-of-term and end-of-term surveys regarding their goals as well as their perceived obstacles to engagement. 411 students in 27 sections of English 1101 (Comp 1) did these surveys. The students who did the survey and used the Procrastination Station were 14.7% more likely to pass the course than those who did not. They were also 10% more likely to return to City Tech the following semester.
Transformative Learning in the Humanities Fellowship: In the Spring of 2022, I participated in the Andrew W. Mellon Transformative Learning in the Humanities Faculty Fellowship for the 2021-2022 academic year to share and develop active, creative, participatory learning practices and pedagogical research designed to engage our CUNY students and help ensure their success in and beyond the classroom.
The TLH cohort met multiple times throughout the semester to discuss teaching methods. We also, in smaller groups, developed student-centered lessons and curricula as well as a public-facing project. My group, which consisted of professors and students from five CUNY classes, developed a website, on which our students were able to interact and communicate with each other. Not only did this foster inter-campus communication, it also gave our students live audiences, making their projects feel more real and vibrant.
CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS ATTENDED:
DHSI Title V Student Support/ ATD Conference:
In Fall of 2022, I began work with the DHSI Title V Grant along with faculty and staff from across the college. The purpose of our working group is to support students, to increase communication across the college and to improve the first-year experience. With this in mind, we attended the “Achieving the Dream” Conference on Equity and Inclusion in Chicago in March of 2023
Conference for Writing Program Administrators:
This was a 4-day workshop in which I learned the ins and outs of becoming a Writing Program Administrator. In this workshop, participants learn how to run a writing program and how to lead discussions within their programs about pedagogy, curriculum, and policy. I participated in Baltimore in July of 2019.
CERTIFICATIONS:
- In Spring of 2022, I was certified in Human Subject Research
- In Summer of 2020, I was certified in Online Teaching Credentials
- In Summer of 2020, I was certified in Accessibility and Universal Design
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