INDIANAPOLIS—After four years, more than 60 classrooms, and 103 past and present faculty participants, the Mosaic Initiative at IU is a powerhouse in the burgeoning field of active learning.
The Mosaic Faculty Fellows program is a big part of that success. The one-year fellowship gives faculty the chance to explore and reflect on active learning approaches with other Mosaic Fellows, as well as to contribute to the development of learning spaces across IU.
The one-year fellowship gives faculty the chance to explore and reflect on active learning approaches with other Mosaic Fellows, as well as to contribute to the development of learning spaces across IU.
On September 6, IU hosted the latest Mosaic Institute, where the 2019-20 Mosaic Faculty Fellows for the Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis campus and regional campuses gathered for a day of orientation, discussion, and camaraderie.
Watch a video about the Mosaic Institute:
“This is our eighth Mosaic Institute, and the longevity speaks to the value faculty place in the Fellows program, the skills they hone within it, and the connections they make with like-minded colleagues,” said Tracey Birdwell, Mosaic program director. “Our Fellows first meet at the Institute, but we also gather for six additional sessions throughout the academic year. I find that the Fellows often develop deep friendships based on their love of teaching and their commitment to active learning.”
This year’s new Mosaic Faculty Fellows are:
Cohort 8, regional campuses
- Jean Abshire, associate professor, political science and international studies, IU Southeast
- Yamini Bellare, clinical assistant professor, Department of Psychology, IU Kokomo
- Adam Booth, visiting assistant professor, School of Nursing, IU Southeast
- Amanda Carmack, associate dean and assistant professor, School of Nursing and Health Sciences, IU East
- Greg Dam, assistant professor, psychology, IU East
- Jennifer Essig, program director and clinical associate professor, speech language pathology, IU South Bend
- Sarrah Grubb, assistant professor, School of Education, IU Kokomo
- Denice Honaker, assistant professor, School of Education, IU East
- Kevin McElmurry, associate professor and department chair, sociology and anthropology department, IU Northwest
- Stacie Merken, assistant professor, criminal justice, IU South Bend
- Christina Romero-Ivanova, assistant professor, School of Education, IU Kokomo
- Barbara Spinda, clinical assistant professor, clinical laboratory sciences, IU South Bend
- Amy Zink, senior lecturer, Spanish, IU Southeast
Cohort 9, IUPUI:
- Kathy Berlin, associate professor and director, School of Health and Human Sciences, IUPUI
- Leigh Britt, lecturer, mathematics, IUPUC
- Emily Davis, clinical assistant professor, School of Nursing, IUPUI
- Betsy Holtel, lecturer, School of Nursing, IUPUI
- Lasana Kazembe, assistant professor, School of Education, IUPUI
- Laura Liu, assistant professor, School of Education, IUPUC
- Fawzi Ben Messaoud, lecturer, School of Informatics and Computing, IUPUI
- Sharon Miller, associate chair, director, and clinical associate professor, biomedical engineering, IUPUI
- Frank Wadsworth, professor and division head, business, IUPUC
- Lin Zheng, clinical associate professor, Kelley School of Business, IUPUI
Post-Institute, the 23 new Fellows are eager to immerse themselves in the one-year program.
After spending time in a couple of the Mosaic classrooms, I have been reimagining my courses in my mind.
Lasana Kazembe, assistant professor, IUPUI School of Education.
Jean Abshire, an associate professor of political science and international studies at IU Southeast, is ready to get started in her new role. “I’m excited to become a Mosaic Fellow because it gives me an opportunity to explore, in a more systematic way, how space and technology can be used to enhance student learning experiences, in particular, to encourage active learning,” she said.
“I am looking forward to the opportunity to move from reflection to action in terms of utilizing physical space and technology in future classes,” said Lasana Kazembe, assistant professor in IUPUI’s School of Education. “After spending time in a couple of the Mosaic classrooms, I have been reimagining my courses in my mind.”
Mosaic Fellows don’t just work with students and spaces to improve learning outcomes, however—they also promote evidence-based teaching. As part of the Mosaic program, they will study the effect active learning spaces and instructional approaches have on student learning, later producing scholarship to help other instructors learn about new approaches to teaching.
“My biggest takeaway from the Mosaic Initiative today is that we have no shortage of impressive faculty at all of our IU campuses,” said Kelly Scholl, principal Mosaic consultant. “We have no shortage of people who want to learn and better their teaching. Beyond that, more and more of our Fellows are looking into doing research and sharing those ideas, even outside of Indiana University.”
