Eleven Baylor University Faculty Members Selected as 2018-19 Baylor Fellows

Media Contact: Terry Goodrich, 254-710-3321
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WACO, Texas (Aug. 1, 2018) — Eleven Baylor University faculty members have been selected to serve as 2018-19 Baylor Fellows for their excellence in teaching and desire to transform student thinking through innovation.

Baylor’s Academy for Teaching and Learning (ATL) began the fellowship program in 2011, which recognizes outstanding teachers across the disciplines and provides them the opportunity to implement new teaching approaches. Selected faculty members receive an award of $1,845 in honor of the year of Baylor’s founding and the title of “Baylor Fellow.” This year’s theme is Integrating Research and Teaching.

“Baylor Fellows have opportunity to explore ways to integrate research and teaching to facilitate transformational education, one of the four pillars of Baylor's Illuminate academic strategic plan,” said Lenore Wright, Ph.D., ATL director and associate professor in the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core of the Honors College.

Baylor faculty facilitate transformational education through the integration of research and teaching in several ways, including research possibilities, internships offerings, study-abroad experiences and discipline-specific missions experiences. These engaged learning opportunities are interdisciplinary, research-driven and combine curricular and co-curricular experiences that attract students.

“Baylor Fellows will strive to meet this expectation by creating learning opportunities related to their scholarly research and engage students in the transformative experiences that distinguish a Baylor education,” Wright said.

Baylor Fellows are free to choose how to implement the theme in their teaching. Each Fellow identifies one course as an “incubator” or “lab” classroom, then develop activities and assignments to address the theme. In accord with the best practices of evidence-based scholarship, the Fellows also develop means to assess their projects.

A secondary program aim is to provide a forum in which Baylor Fellows can share their efforts, collaborate, hold one another accountable and forge interdisciplinary networks. Discussions are held monthly. All full-time faculty members, regardless of rank, are eligible to serve as Baylor Fellows.

Nominations are solicited from the deans of the colleges and schools, from former Baylor Fellows and from the Academy for Teaching and Learning advisory council. The nominations are presented to the provost’s office for selection of the Fellows.

The 2018-19 Baylor Fellows are:

• Brooke Blevins, Ph.D., associate professor of curriculum and instruction, School of Education; 2017-18 Baylor Fellow selected to serve as Senior Baylor Fellow in 2018-19.
• Andy Arterbury, Ph.D.,associate professor of Christian Scriptures, George W. Truett Theological Seminary
• J. Brian Elliott, M.A., senior lecturer of film and digital media, College of Arts & Sciences
• Jonathan Hu, Ph.D.,associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, School of Engineering and Computer Science
• Bill Jordan, Ph.D.,professor of mechanical engineering, School of Engineering and Computer Science
• Bessie Kebaara, Ph.D.,associate professor of biology, College of Arts & Sciences
• Karenna Malavanti, Ph.D.,lecturer of psychology and neuroscience, College of Arts & Sciences
• Gabrielle Miller, Ph.D.,assistant professor of Spanish, College of Arts & Sciences
• Stacie Petter, Ph.D.,professor of information systems, Hankamer School of Business
• Yuko Prefume, Ed.D., senior lecturer of Japanese, College of Arts & Sciences
• Kelly Ylitalo, Ph.D.,assistant professor of public health, Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 17,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.