Who We Are
The Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL) is an NSF Center for Learning and Teaching in higher education. CIRTL uses graduate education as the leverage point to develop a national STEM faculty committed to implementing and advancing effective teaching practices for diverse student audiences as part of successful professional careers. The goal of CIRTL is to improve the STEM learning of all students at every college and university, and thereby to increase the diversity in STEM fields and the STEM literacy of the nation.
The University of Iowa recently became a CIRTL certified institution. During the 2016-2017 academic year I served as a CIRTL Ambassador to help introduce the program to the campus via presentations and workshops. I was also a graduate student member of the CIRTL Steering Committee.

In addition to the involvement described above, I have also participated in the three learning outcomes associated with the CIRTL Network: CIRTL Associate, CIRTL Practictioner, and CIRTL Scholar. Completing each outcome I have described in more detail below.

Associate Level

I completed the Associate Level Training of CIRTL in the summer of 2016 by attending a series of workshops on the topics outlined below:

  1. Introduction to CIRTL at University of Iowa
  2. Teaching Your Research
  3. Evidence-Based Practices
  4. Mentoring Undergraduates
  5. Assessment of Teaching and Learning Projects

Practioner Level

I was selected as one of ten graduate students to receive a teaching as research (TAR) fellowship for the 2017-2018 school year. TAR Projects are intended to provide students with a chance to use evidence based practices to develop teaching practices that advance learning outcomes for students. I designed a model for a 'partially' flipped college Trigonometry course that featured instructional videos created through the Doceri for iPad app, an assessment based on those videos, and one flipped class period per week.
Picture
Presenting CIRTL Tar Project at Poster Session in August 2017.

Scholar Level

To become a CIRTL Scholar you must disseminate findings from your TAR project to a national audience. I presented at the MathFest Conference hosted by the Mathematical Association of America in July of 2017. I gave a talk and a poster presentation. The talk was entitled, "A Partially Flipped Model for a College Trigonometry Course." I also presented a poster entitled "Enhancing a Partially Flipped Classroom with Inquiry Based Learning."