Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Kristin Curry Greenwood addresses the audience at Spring Faculty Seminar Day.
On March 12, 鶹Ʒ hosted its Spring Faculty Seminar Day, marking a milestone as the first event of its kind to be entirely led by Mercy faculty. The full-day seminar featured 14 breakout sessions facilitated by 40 faculty members across all six schools, drawing an impressive attendance of more than 160 in-person participants and 90 online attendees.
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Kristin Curry Greenwood, D.P.T., Ed.D., M.S., PT, FNAP, , highlighted the importance of faculty development in improving student outcomes. “Faculty Seminar Day is not just about professional development but also about embracing our own learning so we can be the best educators for our students. By placing experimental and entrepreneurial education at the forefront, we encourage one another to lean in with curiosity—to learn, not judge,” she stated.
Faculty Senate President Amanda Gunning, Ph.D., who also serves as professor and chair of secondary education in the School of Education, expressed enthusiasm about the initiative being faculty-led for the first time. “This is a wonderful development that leverages the expertise of our own faculty, sharing knowledge and fostering collaboration across disciplines. It’s a great opportunity to learn from one another and strengthen our academic community,” she said.
The event featured a variety of breakout sessions covering pedagogical innovation, student engagement strategies and emerging technologies in education and showcased Mercy faculty’s expertise. Breakout sessions included:
- Integrating Project-Based Learning (PBL) into Your Courses
- Facilitators: Dr. Devdutta Deb, SHNS, Dr. Tharushi Perera, SHNS, Dr. Geetha Surendran, SHNS, Dr. Jacqueline Fisher, SSBS, Dr. Jeff Chang, SLA, Kimberly Merani, SHNS
- Focused on integrating PBL methodologies across STEM and other gateway courses.
- Honors as a Laboratory for Innovation
- Facilitators: Dr. Patrick Fazioli, SLA, Emily Seibert, SLA, Dr. David Kilpatrick, SLA, Dr. Caitlin Wiesner, SLA
- Explored how the honors program serves as an experimental space for refining best teaching practices.
- Student-Centered Assessment
- Facilitator: Dr. Amanda Gunning, SofE
- Discussed summative assessments currently in use and explored alternatives for different courses.
- Online Teaching and Experiential Activities: Fostering Student Engagement
- Facilitators: Dr. Dorothy Balancio, SSBS, Olga Bristol, Mercy Online
- Focused on conflict resolution, negotiation, and other experiential activities to improve student engagement.
- Harnessing Generative AI for Ethical Student Use: Promoting Critical Thinking and Creativity
- Facilitator: Dr. Emily Murphy, SSBS
- Examined how AI can be integrated into assignments and foster critical thinking.
- Unlocking the Power of Blackboard Ultra: A Faculty-Led Exploration of New Features and Best Practices
- Facilitators: Dr. Linda Shand, SofN, Dr. Renu Varughese, SofN, Dr. Teresa Quackenbush, SofE, Mary Lozina, Mercy Online, Melissa Harwin, Mercy Online, Olga Bristol, Mercy Online, Amelia Luckey, Mercy Online
- Provided insights into new features and faculty experiences with Blackboard Ultra.
- Active Learning in Action: Strategies to Engage, Motivate, and Empower Adult Learners Across Modalities
- Facilitators: Dr. Roseanne Vallice Levy, SofE, Dr. Elena Nitecki, SofE
- Explored effective teaching strategies for engaging adult learners.
- Quantitative Skills at 鶹Ʒ: General Education and Beyond
- Facilitators: Dr. Danielle Basore, SHNS, Dr. Robert Murray, SLA, Dr. Jeff Chang, SLA, Dr. Jon-Paul Paolino, SLA
- Addressed key quantitative skills that students should develop before graduation.
- AI-Engaged Coursework for Student Readiness and Engagement
- Facilitators: Dr. Saliha Bava, SSBS, Gary Gordon, SBUS
- Discussed how AI-enhanced coursework can improve student engagement and learning outcomes.
- Building Community and Student Success Through a Mercy-Specific First-Year Experience
- Facilitators: Dr. Elise Arnold-Levene, SLA, Dr. Maureen MacLeod, SLA, Dr. Tharushi Perera, SHNS, Rachel Auriemma, PACT, Leighann VanDeBogart, PACT, James Gisondi, PACT
- Highlighted efforts to enhance first-year student engagement through academic and extracurricular initiatives.
- COMMtogether: Best Practices for Communication-Enhanced Courses
- Facilitators: Dr. Brent Saindon, SLA, Dr. Jay Zalinger, SLA
- Explored the new General Education model and its focus on communication skills.
- Protest Music as Political – A Social Welfare Policy Assignment
- Facilitators: Dr. Emily Murphy, SSBS, Dr. Carol Bennett-Speight, SSBS
- Examined how music can serve as a teaching tool for social welfare policy.
- DEI Senate Task Force Report - Revisiting Goals and Recommendations and Reframing the Conversation
- Facilitators: Dr. Renée Haskew-Layton, SHNS, Dr. Saliha Bava, SSBS, Dr. Joi Sampson, Office of the Provost, Dr. Caitlin Wiesner, SLA, John Fuller, SBUS, Dr. Susie Moscou, SofN, Dr. Allison Murphy, SHNS, Dr. Mi-Hyun Chung, SofE, Dr. Moddie Breland, Libraries
- Discussed the current state of DEI initiatives at Mercy and gathered feedback for future improvements.
- The Power of Questions: Enhancing Teaching Through Effective Questioning Strategies
- Facilitator: Dr. Meghan Marrero, SofE
- Focused on how questioning techniques can improve student engagement and critical thinking.
The event was a collaborative effort supported by Mercy’s Center for Teaching and Learning and the Teaching and Learning Advisory Committee. Elizabeth Fritz, an instructional designer at the Center, noted the event's success in fostering discussion on innovative teaching methods. “There was great conversation and energy on the day about how faculty plan to utilize these strategies in their own teaching. We look forward to continuing to highlight the talent of Mercy's own faculty,” she said.
Amanda Bireline, Ed.D., M.S., ACSM-EP, FMS, assistant professor of Health Sciences and Title V Access Grant Activity Director, echoed the sentiment. “The day was filled with enthusiasm and engagement. We have received positive and encouraging feedback from our colleagues and look forward to building upon this momentum in our classrooms,” she stated.
With the success of this inaugural faculty-led seminar day, 鶹Ʒ aims to continue fostering faculty collaboration and professional growth in future academic events.
