TAR Fellows

Hannah Bowling

TAR Project Abstract

As part of Texas A&M’s Core Curriculum requirements, students are required to take at least one English class. In an average lower-level English course, such as ENGL 104 (Composition and Rhetoric) or ENGL 203 (Writing about Literature), the vast majority of enrolled students are non-English majors who understandably prioritize their major-specific courses. Often, however, by the end of the aforementioned classes, students express regret at not prioritizing the class because of the transferable skills they acquire (or were introduced to) over the course of the semester. These transferable skills are often linked to the institutional requirements of the course (like communication), which overlap with the skills that designate these courses as fulfillment of Texas A&M’s Core Curriculum.

This study seeks to discern what, if any, relationship exists between student agency within courses and the institutional requirements that inform the course. As a practitioner-scholar, I hypothesize that the pedagogical theory Open Pedagogy may prove an effective teaching framework for engaging students in introductory-level, non-major specific English literature classes and inspiring deep learning experiences. Open Pedagogy focuses on collaborative student agency, both peer-to-peer and student-teacher, and integration of 21st-century technological advancements (see Riehman-Murphy and McGeary, “The Open Pedagogy Project Roadmap”). Specifically, I seek to discern from student reflections on the major assignments of my Fall 2023 ENGL 203 course what relationship students perceive between their sense of agency in the classroom and the institutional requirements as represented in our class’s syllabus.

In alignment with this study’s focus and goals, I employ a narrative inquiry-based approach. My research is collected through short-answer survey responses and reflective writing assignments, assigned periodically throughout the semester. The questions focus on the following topics: (1) self-evaluation of progress towards personal and institutional learning goals established at the beginning of the semester; (2) self-reflexive anecdotes assessing their work and their sense of its value; (3) appraisal of the course and my ability to help them achieve their learning goals and institutional requirements.

Fellow Biography

Hannah Elizabeth Bowling is a Ph.D. student in Texas A&M University’s English department. Her dissertation research centers on how Black diasporic groups use Shakespearean drama to assert notions of philosophical Blackness as well as teaching students how to mindfully engage in conversations of race with digital technologies in the classroom. She has earned a number of certificates, including ones in Africana Studies, Digital Humanities, and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). She has presented her research at numerous local and national conferences and won an interdepartmental teaching award in 2021 for her innovative approach to teaching synchronously online. She has previously served as a Doctoral Research Fellow with the World Shakespeare Bibliography (WSB), a Research Assistant with Digital Restoration Drama (DRD), and as the resident digital humanist for the Texas Freedom Colonies Project (TxFCP). Additionally, she contributes to the Digital Design for Student Success (D2S2) Group, in conjunction with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB), to create educational resources for first year composition courses in the college classroom. She recently won a grant from the Center of Digital Humanities Research (CoDHR) to continue the development of her digital project: Shakespeare and Black Aesthetics: A Teacherʼs Guide to Teaching Black Aesthetics in 20th/21st Century Shakespeare Productions. This teacher’s guide articulates a coherent pedagogical praxis for teaching Shakespeare within the context of the Black experience in the format of an open-access educational resource (OER)

Garrett Brogan

TAR Project Abstract

My project will examine the impact of teaching about agriculture-smart technologies within agriculture engineering classes. My study will focus on how teaching and having students engage in hands-on projects to learn about these technologies impacts students' interest in careers utilizing agriculture smart technologies. Students are learning about different agriculture-smart technologies and their impact on agriculture. I will conduct focus groups and interviews with students at the end of the semester to understand more about their perception of agriculture-smart technologies. Then seek to know what should change or be added to improve the courses for future students. 

Fellow Biography

Garrett Brogan is a graduate research assistant at Texas A&M University in the Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications. His research interests are in international agricultural development, natural resource communication and education and empowerment of marginalized populations. He is a graduate research assistant working under Dr. Kim Dooley working on the GetAgSmart USDA grant as part of the evaluation team. His thesis research took him to East Africa to understand the role of artisan cooperatives on women empowerment. Brogan also has experience in helping as a graduate teaching assistant in multiple leadership classes taught in the department. His background is in natural resource management and production agriculture. His bachelor’s degree is in International Agribusiness from Utah State University. He completed his masters here at Texas A&M in the same department he is currently in. Hailing from the gem state of Idaho he grew up being surrounded and participating in the great outdoors. Some of his hobbies include running, photography, volleyball, and traveling. 

Yanwen Chen

TAR Project Abstract

Yanwen Chen's research project focuses on addressing and mitigating the gender gap through an innovative approach that integrates virtual reality (VR) and video game technology. As a researcher and Visualization MS student, Yanwen has developed a compelling video game specifically designed to immerse users in scenarios that vividly depict gender disparities. By leveraging VR technology, the game provides an immersive experience, allowing players to navigate and interact with scenarios that simulate real-world instances of the gender gap. The project aims to contribute to early childhood education by creating a learning tool that engages students with the critical concepts surrounding gender equality. Yanwen believes that the immersive nature of the VR-enabled video game will enhance the understanding of complex issues related to the gender gap, fostering empathy and awareness among early childhood education students. Through this unique educational demo, Yanwen envisions a transformative impact on the way students learn about social issues, encouraging thoughtful discussions and reflections. The project aligns with current educational trends that emphasize experiential and interactive learning, offering a dynamic tool for educators to supplement traditional teaching methods.

In summary, Yanwen Chen's project represents an innovative fusion of technology and education, utilizing VR and video games to immerse early childhood education students in scenarios that illuminate the gender gap. The goal is to inspire empathy, awareness, and meaningful discussions that contribute to fostering a more equitable society.

Fellow Biography

Yanwen Chen, a dedicated Visualization MS student, is fueled by a passion for revolutionizing education through the integration of cutting-edge technologies. Her academic journey is marked by a profound interest in artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), and video games, where she envisions transformative possibilities for interactive learning experiences. In her pursuit of a Master's in Visualization, Yanwen actively explores innovative ways to incorporate AI, VR, and video games into educational settings. Her goal is to create immersive and interactive learning environments that captivate learners, offering a fresh perspective on information acquisition.
 Beyond academics, Yanwen is a vocal advocate for the responsible and ethical use of technology in education. She seeks to bridge the gap between technology and pedagogy, ensuring that advancements not only enhance understanding but also foster inclusivity and accessibility. Yanwen Chen emerges as a trailblazer in the visualization field, advocating for the thoughtful integration of AI, VR, and video games to reshape the landscape of interactive education. Her journey embodies a commitment to harnessing the potential of emerging technologies for the betterment of learning experiences, marking her as a future leader in the dynamic intersection of education and technology.

Meikah Dado

TAR Project Abstract

"Photography offers a unique outlet for students to tell a story. In combination, international agricultural development is a complex topic to understand in a classroom. To better comprehend international agricultural development, photography will be used as a tool to learn both photography concepts and international agricultural development topics. This study specifically follows Kolb’s theory of experiential learning by creating lessons for each stage of the four-stage process including concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation. The concrete experience includes taking photos that they believe reflect agriculture or international agriculture, reflective observation includes reflecting on the photos they’ve personally taken, abstract conceptualization includes indicating how the photos tie to agricultural development, and active experimentation includes participating in the Q set methodology approach. Through a Q methodology approach, a Q set will be determined from a defined set of expert photos that describe international agricultural development. The photos that make the Q set will be used within AGCJ 308 students as the P set to examine students' understanding of agricultural development. The research objectives include a) examining agricultural communication students' understanding of agricultural development, b) understanding agricultural communication students’ global competence, c) examining how photography can be used as a tool to teach agricultural development topics, d) understanding students’ knowledge of photography concepts". 

Fellow Biography

Meikah Dado, M.S. is motivated by her belief that all individuals should have equitable access to food and education. With a background in dairy science, Meikah is a Ph.D. student in the Texas A&M University Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communications. Her research interests are in international agricultural development, agricultural education, and dairy science. She holds a research assistantship at the Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture and Development. Here she works on the Africa Team as a program coordinator for the International Agricultural Education Fellowship Program and research assistant. In her time at the Borlaug Institute, she has assisted in attracting over $1.5 million in grant programs, completed monitoring and evaluation efforts, and conducted a variety of other research efforts. Additionally, she serves as a board member and evaluator of a nonprofit, Her Mighty Hands. Meikah specializes in the area of monitoring and evaluation, grant writing and management, and a variety of other research initiatives.  

Umer Farooq

TAR Project Abstract

Researchers have increasingly focused on examining the effectiveness of student-centered instructional practices in conceptually hard STEM courses. However, the effectiveness was measured mainly by comparing the improvements in students learning in new practice against the traditional instructional approach. However, there is a need for another critical question: What are students' responses or perceptions about using such instructional practices in their classes? Since instructional practices are at the heart of effective teaching, understanding students' perceptions of them and how they perceive their impact on engagement and performance is also crucial.

Drawing from the ICAP (Interactive, Constructive, Active, and Passive) framework, this project provides the research design for understanding the relationship between students' perceptions of various instructional practices and how those perceptions affect their engagement and performance.

Fellow Biography

Umer Farooq, a dedicated individual hailing from Pakistan, is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Multidisciplinary Engineering. His academic journey follows the completion of a Master's in Computer Engineering, where he honed his skills in the field of machine learning.

Umer's commitment to academic excellence is complemented by a love for sports, a pastime that offers him a refreshing break from his scholarly pursuits. His goal is to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical applications in engineering, aspiring to contribute innovative solutions to real-world challenges.

Mrunmayee Deshpande

TAR Project Abstract

A lot of concepts of engineering are taught on paper which puts a limit on visualizing the concept in the real physical world. Hence, I wish to work on incorporating a software tool in a 200 or 300 level course to demonstrate some of the basic engineering concepts in Mechanical/ Aerospace engineering. While working in the industry, I got a good understanding of the gap between on paper learning and learning through experience. I think this gap can be minimized with the help of “near reality” interactions with various systems. I was a teaching assistant for a course which focuses on fundamental understanding of mechanical structures and forces. Usually, these systems are better understood through physical demonstration or visual tools. I think availability of such a system through the course structure would benefit a lot of students in clearly understanding these concepts. My research will help mainly undergrad students to strengthen their core concepts of engineering

Fellow Biography

I am a second-year PhD student in the Aerospace department, and my research focuses on developing innovative algorithms and tools for robotics. I completed my MS in Robotics from the University of Michigan and worked on developing algorithms for self-driving cars at an automotive company. I joined the PhD program to develop the skill set necessary for transforming innovative ideas into useful products. My aspiration is to create smart software and hardware tools that can enhance the quality of human life. Robotics is an interdisciplinary field that provides a broader platform for innovation and creating useful devices for the betterment of society. Teaching is an immensely significant field that can greatly benefit from the integration of technology. This program will allow me to explore my ideas for utilizing technology in education. It provides a platform for me to develop tools and implement them in the real world, enabling me to analyze their impact. This process will not only deepen my understanding of concepts but also allow me to participate in the end-to-end process. I believe that if the tools I develop prove to be effective in teaching, they could benefit thousands of engineering undergraduate students worldwide. Moreover, this program will give me direction for my career post-PhD and provide me with a robust skillset for lifelong use.

Ahmed Abdelrahman Elezaby

TAR Project Abstract

In this Teaching-As-Research (TAR) project, we design some quizzes to be used during introductory physics (PHYS206 and PHYS207) recitations. The quizzes have 2 main goals: first to investigate the mathematical difficulties that students face solving recitation problems and the main reason behind them, and second is to investigate how to motivate students to play the appropriate “epistemic games” to tackle these difficulties. For the first goal, we aim to identify the reason behind the poor mathematical performance in problem solving and classify them as either 1) lack of formal mathematical knowledge, or 2) use of less useful “epistemic games” to approach problems. Epistemic games are general purpose strategies used to achieve a particular target structure. For the second goal, we aim to focus on rephrasing the same physical problem in different ways to help students construct an effective epistemic game appropriate to the problem and activates their prior former mathematical knowledge. The main approach we plan to study is to see the effect of mapping a known difficult physics problem to either a purely intuitive mathematical problem or to a biology/engineering problem that they are more familiar with from their other courses. The long-term goal of the project is to design an effective protocol for the practice problems that help students connect their prior knowledge to what they are learning in the introductory physics courses.

Fellow Biography

I am Ahmed Elezaby, a Physics PhD student in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Texas A&M University working under Professor Artem Abanov. My main research focus is theoretical condensed matter physics, in particular superconductivity and phase transitions. I am interested in the theoretical modeling of the behavior of materials near a quantum critical point (QCP) where the material exhibits unusual behavior. Originally from Egypt, I did my undergraduate studies in physics at Cairo University. Afterwards I did a high-energy-physics graduate diploma at the International Center for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste, Italy. Alongside my physics research, I have assumed multiple teaching roles ranging from a grader and a lab TA up to an instructor of record. Outside of academia, I enjoy reading classical literature and poetry as well as learning new languages.

Omniya Mohamed

TAR Project Abstract

One of the most significant learning outcomes is the student capability to have team effectiveness involve building relationships that allow for knowledge sharing and consensus, decision making and problem definition, and leadership and accountability. Project management as a field has generated various tools to help with those quality of those processes. The RASCI chart is one of them. During the student’s team meeting, they can complete a RASCI chart to summarize the project or assignments decisions they have made and map out the activities for the coming week – who will do what and by when. I am keen on testing how a teaching approach based on RASCI Planning Chart for Team Projects can enhance the students’ learning experience and make the learning process more exciting and beneficial. Through RASCI Process, Identify activities from the project and list them down the left side of the chart. Also, to ensure each member has the R responsibility for at least one activity, to balance the Rs across all members each week. Finally, to check if the activities list items really guide the student’s efforts, though group assignments or projects. 

The RASCI Process is a tool used to clarify roles and responsibilities within a team or organization. To use the RASCI Process, follow these steps:

1.       List the team members at the top of the chart, including the instructor (who can be listed as either C or I).

2.       Identify the five roles (RASCI) for each task or project and put the appropriate letter in each box.

3.      Assign deadline dates for each R role and add other deadlines if necessary to improve coordination among team members.

Fellow Biography

Omniya Mohamed is a dedicated and passionate master’s student in the Educational Human Resources Development (EHRD) department at Texas A&M University. She anticipates graduating in the summer of 2023 with a GPA of 4.0. Currently, she is working as a Teaching Assistant for Adult Education courses.

Omniya's academic journey will continue as she embarks on doctoral studies in the fall, focusing on Adult Education.

Omniya's involvement in diverse academic projects, including the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) project, where she contributed to the development of onboarding processes and training materials for graduate student orientation, highlights her capacity for tackling challenging endeavors.

Furthermore, she has earned the Academy of Future Faculty (AFF) certificate, driven by her profound passion for teaching.

Recognizing the immense value of her experiences, she proudly joined the CIRTL TAR Fellows program. Omniya is particularly thrilled to collaborate with her mentor, Dr. Michael Beyerlein, within the TAR program, utilizing the necessary research tools and resources to reach her fullest potential and excel in her academic pursuits. By doing so, she aims to establish frameworks that guide teachers in delivering effective learning and development opportunities and ensuring student’s motivation while maintaining optimal performance and desired objectives.

Her ultimate career goal is to become a university professor, where she can inspire and guide students while conducting theoretical research. Omniya envisions leaving an indelible mark on the world, pushing the boundaries of civilization to new horizons.

Christianna Anneke Synder

TAR Project Abstract

My project explores the multiethnic literature classroom as a space that gives students the ability to connect to their own wide array of identities and ethnic and cultural backgrounds. A key aim of the project is to identify which types of academic assignments foster thought and discussion on multiethnic identity, alternate forms of knowledge, and personal experiences. Using a qualitative approach, this project will explore, track, and analyze student’s language-use within activities, discussions, surveys, classroom observations, and traditional and non-traditional writing assignments. By investigating the impact of different assignment types, the project seeks insight into the ways in which instructors can design effective assignments that encourage students to engage with and examine the nuances of their own identities as well as the ethnic and cultural backgrounds of their fellow classmates. Through the incorporation of students’ voices, experiences, and connections to their nuanced identities, the project aims to discover ways to create meaningful and inclusive learning environments in which what is learned inside of the classroom can impact students positively outside of it. The findings from this project will contribute to pedagogical practices on designing assignments that foster academic understanding while facilitating personal exploration. 

Fellow Biography

C. Anneke Snyder is a Ph.D. candidate in English at Texas A&M University. Her research interests include Latinx literature, Chicana feminism, mestiza consciousness, and multiethnic and transnational literatures. Her dissertation is titled “In the Shadowlands: Acknowledging a Fragmented Feminine Whole in Latina Literature” and explores Latina life writing and how this literary form passes on cultural knowledge, fluency, and expression to younger generations of women. She is a current member of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) Doctoral Scholars Program and a former Fulbright grantee in Taiwan. In addition to her research, she collaborates with the Digital Design for Student Success (D2S2) Group in conjunction with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) to create educational resources for colleges and universities. Recently, she received Texas A&M University’s College of Arts and Sciences Award for Outstanding Achievement in Graduate Teaching.