by Julie Lineback
University of West Georgia Assistant Professor of Counselor Education and College Student Affairs Dr. Julia Whisenhunt was recently selected to be one of 10 Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Fellows by the University System of Georgia for the 2016-17 academic year. As a fellow, Dr. Whisenhunt will conduct a classroom-based research project to foster student success while working as part of a community of SoTL scholars from other Georgia universities and colleges.
“It is an honor to be given this opportunity to work with other faculty who share a love of research and a desire to constantly improve our teaching, thereby improving our students’ learning experiences,” Dr. Whisenhunt said.
The purpose of the program is to foster a community of learners and to provide support while participants design and implement classroom-based research projects. Dr. Whisenhunt’s research will focus on self-injury and will investigate the effectiveness of a program she developed that measures students’ knowledge of the subject and perceived competency to intervene with others who self-injure.
“Anecdotally and informally, we can gather a lot of information about how our students respond to our teaching interventions,” she shared. “However, that may not really indicate the effectiveness of our teaching practices. SoTL focuses on helping faculty identify ways to collect data that can support their modification of teaching practices to optimally support student learning.”
Prior to being named to the USG SoTL Fellowship, Dr. Whisenhunt was a member of the UWG fellows program. She hopes participation in the system-wide consortium will help her become a stronger and more reflective instructor.
The news of Dr. Whisenhunt’s accomplishment came as no surprise to COE Dean Dianne Hoff.
"The College of Education is so proud of Julie, who is an emerging star,” said Dr. Hoff. “Her research, service, and teaching all reflect her caring attitude and hard work. This is a very exciting honor, and I am thrilled she received this recognition.”
Do you have a comment or opinion about this story's topic? Perspective Online wants to hear from you. Submit a letter to the editor today.
