Aspen Institute Prize Money Allocated to Faculty-Led Classroom Initiatives

Fort Lauderdale, FL (November 6, 2017) – Broward College has chosen to disburse its Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence $100,000 award to faculty who want to innovate in the classroom. Following a rigorous selection and judging process, 24 projects were chosen for funding.

"We were impressed by the quality of the applications and wish we had the resources to support each one. A total of 37 proposals were submitted, of which 24 were selected for funding," said Broward College President J. David Armstrong, Jr. "The new and dynamic approaches to innovation and the extent to which the proposals incorporate project-based and collaborative learning will go a long way in helping our students succeed in the classroom and achieve their educational and career goals."

In August, faculty were asked to submit applications for project funding to the Broward College Faculty Innovation Grant. All full-time and adjunct faculty members with a satisfactory rating on their last annual evaluation, faculty librarians, and faculty counselors were eligible to apply. Proposals submitted for consideration needed to meet specific requirements including strong backing from research, a strong focus on student success, and an alignment with the 2017 – 2022 strategic plan. All projects were evaluated on their ability to develop and implement the most emergent technologies and teaching methods to create learning environments that are flexible and responsive to local, national, and international needs.

Individual submissions received up to $4,000 with larger funding amounts provided to joint or partnership projects. Faculty reviewers and scorers included STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Professor Laura Iossi; Health Sciences Professor Belinda Mouradian, and Faculty Librarian Lori Albrizio.

Selected projects include:

• The Sound of Student Success:  Incorporating Podcasts into the Broward College Classroom - Peter D'Ettore, AHCD (Arts, Humanities, Communications, and Design) Pathway
• Writing about the Environment:  A Collaborative Field Work-Based Research Course - Eduardo Astigarraga, AHCD Pathway
• SPARK:  Reading Across the Disciplines - Amoy Reid, Jennifer Solley, Maureen Forbes, Thea Knight, and Stacey Stember, AHCD Pathway
• BLISS (Branched Learning Innovations for Learning Success) - Melinda Luis, June Small,  and Stephanie Petrosky, Health Sciences Pathway
• Teaching Professionalism to Health Science Students - Yvonne Simone and Kim Krinsky, Health Sciences Pathway
• Identifying and Remediating At-Risk Attributes of Online MAC1033 Learners at Broward College Using eMath Ready - Pascal Roubides, STEM Pathway
• Contextualizing with GIS - Chris Casper, Education Pathway; and Julie Mura, SBSHC (Social and Behavioral Sciences and Human Services) Pathway
• Seahawk Digital Read-Alouds - Christine Rodriguez, Education Pathway
• Many Voices:  Digital Storytelling - Billy Jones and Andrew McFeaters, AHCD Pathway
• The (IM)possible of Truth: Philosophy and Rheteric in the Contemporary Classroom and in the Global Workplace - Joseph Dewey, AHCD Pathway; and Rod Jenks AHCD Pathway
• Gamification in the Classroom - Benjamin Botero, Public Safety Pathway
• Teaching and Learning with Images and Artifacts - Benjamin Botero, Public Safety Pathway
• Academic Research Showcase - Billy Jones, AHCD Pathway
• Teaching Statistics through Learning Projects - Deoraj Bharath and Barry McFarlane, STEM Pathway
• Promoting Student Engagement in Face-to-Face and Blended EAP Classes - Caroline Webb, AHCD Pathway
• You Teach Me How to Teach You:  Seeking Improved Teaching Methods Through Student Demonstration & Views - Jovana Vukovic, Rudy Jean-Bart, and Edward Cornejo, SBSHS Pathway
• Faculty Media Creation Hub - David Perdian and Russell Betts, STEM Pathway
• Pathways to Growth Mindsets - Sharry Kimmel, Dominique Charlotteau, and Christine Rodriguez, Education Pathway; and Mirella Baker Bemmel, SBSHS Pathway; Kaya Hamer-Small, SBSHS
• Service Learning Projects in General Chemistry I (CHM1045) to Improve Student Learning and Success - Lidia Berbeci, STEM Pathway
• Student Research Initiative Project (SRIP) - Andrew Dutka, AHCD Pathway; Kristin Kroger, Health Sciences Pathway; Elena Hall, STEM Pathway; and Nathalie Franco, SBSHS Pathway
• 3D Printed Models for Science Education - Amber Abels, STEM Pathway
• First Generation Faculty Visibility Campaign:  A Collaborative Student Success Initiative for First Generation Students - Nathalie Franco, Mirella Baker Bemmel, Noelle Crooks, SBSHS Pathway; and Italia Folleco, Health Sciences Pathway; Kaya Hamer-Small, SBSHS; Jodie Weinstein from College Academy
• Empirical Rules the World: Promoting Graphic Novels and Information Literacy in the STEM Classroom - Mitzi Fulwood, Elena Hall, and Simone Williams, STEM Pathway
• The Power of GRIT - Dominique Charlotteaux, Education Pathway ; and Richard Berstein, SBSHS Pathway

Projects will receive awarded funding in December and begin work during the Spring 2018 semester. Grant awardees will provide the College community with an overview, status report, and preliminary results during Professional Development Day.