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Personal Stories Show CIRTL's Commitment to Diversity
Engaging all students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics is a priority goal for U.S. higher education. The Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (CIRTL) seeks to contribute to this goal by enabling present and future STEM faculty to enhance the learning of all students whom they teach irrespective of preferred learning styles, race, ethnicity and culture, gender, sexual orientation, disabilities, religion, age or socioeconomic backgrounds.
An active interest in diversity unites the professional lives of many CIRTL researchers and students. This article introduces the work of Mark Connolly, Carol Colbeck, and Sarah Wright.
A “Stone Soup” Model of Evaluation
Mark Connolly brings to his work a dedication to empowering colleagues and students. As a researcher for CIRTL, he believes in participatory evaluation – training his colleagues to evaluate their own programs.
Connolly’s interests range across many university issues – from undergraduate life to faculty preparation. His appetite led him to pursue a master’s degree and then a doctorate in programs related to higher education. “I absolutely love collegiate life,” Connolly says.
Throughout his career, Connolly has maintained a strong interest in diversity: His research has included a study of the cultural issues surrounding the use of Native American mascots and he has written about the undergraduate experiences of LGBT students.
Connolly’s research on LGBT life on campus inspired him to title one of his new publications “Coming Out as a College Teacher at a Research University.” He compares the stigma of disclosing that one is more interested in teaching than in research to the stigma of revealing one’s LGBT identity. “It’s OK to be a teacher,” he says.
Although he is modest about his techniques, Connolly has a knack for creating inviting environments for participatory evaluation. His inclusive methods are having a positive effect within the Delta Program, CIRTL’s learning laboratory on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus.
Read the rest of the article here.
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