Digital Teaching Fellows

Digital Teaching Fellows are full-time faculty members who are committed to deepening their understanding of how technology affects teaching and learning. In collaboration with the Office of Digital Teaching and Learning, each of the cohort's participants will design and conduct a research project that focuses on the intersection of technology and teaching. While projects will be individual to each participant, together the work of the Fellows will center on and speak to a common theme specific to the cohort. Digital Teaching Fellows form a professional learning community who share their expertise with the broader Loyola community by distilling key lessons and best practices from both the existing literature and their own research and sharing that knowledge through faculty development activities offered throughout the year (e.g., symposia, workshops, sessions offered at the Teaching Enhancement Workshops, mentoring other faculty).  

Working in collaboration with the Office of Digital Teaching and Learning (ODTL), Digital Teaching Fellows serve for two years and receive $2,000 ($1,000 each year) for their service to the university. Fellows elect a chair, annually. The chair convenes monthly meetings, facilitates discussions, coordinates faculty development activities, and prepares a brief annual report that summarizes the Fellows’ activity for the year. The chair receives an additional $1000 for each year of service.

Overview

A general overview of the Fellows’ activities by year is offered below:

Year 1

• Meeting regularly with cohort members and the ODTL to discuss practices, relevant literature, proposed projects, progress, results, and key ideas related to the common theme
• Project planning and design; ideally, preparation for the project is completed during the Fall semester and the project is conducted during the Spring semester
• Sharing with other Fellows findings and lessons learned through the project as well as from venues, such as web-based resources, workshops, and conferences
• Developing and offering faculty development activities related to the common theme throughout the year (e.g., symposia, workshops, sessions offered at the Teaching Enhancement Workshops, mentoring other faculty)

Year 2

• Serving as a mentor to members of the incoming cohort
• Facilitating discussions with the incoming cohort and the ODTL around best practices and lessons learned for digital teaching and pedagogic research
• As a cohort, presenting findings from individual projects as they relate to the common theme to the Loyola community (e.g., research symposium offered in Fall semester, sessions at Fall TEW)
• Being available to serve as a mentor to faculty and programs interested in a deep-dive collaboration on implementing best practices in digital teaching
• Revising teaching approaches based on project findings
• Optionally continuing to pursue and disseminate the findings from projects both internally and externally (e.g., conference presentations, journal submissions)

The Charge

Digital Teaching Fellows are charged with creating a professional learning community to explore the impact of technology on teaching and learning, promote best practices related to the utilization of technology online and in the classroom, and serve as a campus resource for expertise in digital teaching and learning.

Theme for 2023-2025 Digital Teaching Fellows Cohort: Artificial Intelligence: Opportunities and Challenges for Inclusive Teaching and Learning 

Digital Teaching Fellows will explore the potential for artificial intelligence (AI) to provide personalized, adaptive, and creative learning experiences that cater to the diverse needs of students and promote inclusive teaching and learning environments, and will consider the ethical, practical, and pedagogical issues associated with AI becoming more prevalent in higher education.

2023-25 Digital Teaching Fellows Cohort

• Kelly Keane, Education Specialities
• Elizabeth Kennedy, Information Systems, Law, and Operations
• Elliott King, Communication
• Peggy O'Neill, Writing
• Nicole Reibe, Theology
• Leah Saal, Teacher Education
• Qiyu (Jason) Zang, Marketing 

2022-24 Digital Teaching Fellows Cohort

(Theme: Equity-Minded Digital Teaching Practice)

• Tuugi Chuluun, Finance
• Billy Friebele, Fine Arts
• Suzanne Keilson, Engineering
• Christine Mahady, Education Specialties
• Sarah Tyler, Modern Languages and Literatures
• Sarah Vitale, Modern Languages and Literatures 
• Dobin Yim, Information Systems, Law and Operations