Center for Teaching and Learning

The primary goal of the Center for Teaching and Learning is to enhance and to focus on the culture of innovation and pedagogical experimentation in learning across the university. The CTL provides workshop spaces and academic resources for exploring, testing, and assessing new ideas in teaching and learning which enhance student learning experiences, learning outcomes, and learning efficacy. Resources include advancements in pedagogical research initiatives, partnerships and collaboration opportunities, clinical placements, community engagement, and consultations as needed. Lastly, the CTL facilitates several campus events and fosters connections across other colleges or K-12 schools to create a network of sharing and collaborative learning throughout the region.

The Center for Teaching and Learning aims to become a cultural hub within the University, creating an innovative space in which exchanging ideas, experimenting with new innovative strategies, and hosting regular campus events will uplift teaching and learning throughout all levels of the University, and will position Gwynedd Mercy as a premiere hotspot for innovation among other regional academic institutions.

SoYoung Kang, PhD
Director of Center for Teaching and Learning
kang.s@gmercyu.edu 
University Hall E202
In-Office: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
Remote: Monday

Dr. Kang is the Director of Center for Teaching and Learning and an adjunct professor at GMercyU.

Prior to this, she was a tenured Associate Professor of Education at Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania and an Assistant Professor at Ohio University. Courses that she taught include English Language Learners and Cultural Diversity, Diversity within Family, School, and Community Partnership, Education and Cultural Diversity, Cross-Cultural Perspectives and Educational Leadership, Organizational Research and Theory Development, Foundations of Education, School, Society and the Professional Educator, Honors Research, Student Teaching Supervision, and Professional Studies: Teachers, Schools, and Society. Her field of research interest includes multicultural education, comparative education, culturally responsive teaching, cultural studies, social justice issues in education, care theory, philosophy of education, literacy, identity, and English Learners.

She was recognized and awarded as Teacher of Honor by Kappa Delta Pi, international honor society in education. She received her M.Ed in Community Counseling in Education, and her Ph.D. in Cultural Studies in Education from the University of Tennessee.

Dr. Kang has presented at many professional conferences and published numerous articles in national/international journals, newspapers, and books.

Michelle Simms, EdD
Assistant Director of Center for Teaching and Learning
simms.m@gmercyu.edu 
University Hall E216
In-Office: Thursday
Remote: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday

Dr. Michelle Simms is the Assistant Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning, becoming a part of the Teaching and Learning Innovation (TLI) team after a long-term service in the Academic Technology division of ITS. She also serves as an adjunct instructor in the School of Education, having taught technology integration courses in their various iterations throughout the years.

Dr. Simms is a Dissertation Advisor in the EDD program at Gwynedd Mercy University and is also a member of the Black Doctoral Network, a national organization that works to support doctoral candidates and to share knowledge and ideas around research concepts and collaborative projects. Her research interests include exploring and harnessing the power of traditional, emerging, and frontier technologies towards engagement, motivation, innovation, and efficacy in 21st-century classroom learning. She received her M.Ed. in Educational Media, an MBA in Strategic Leadership, and her Ed.D. in Instructional Technology and Distance Education.

The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) strives to offer services focused on engaging and innovative practices, strategies, and initiatives in higher education.

GMercyU faculty can access many of the CTL's services through this link: Center for Teaching and Learning Sharepoint

The CTL's service programs include:

• Collaborative Partnership Opportunities in Regional and International Learning Communities
• Campus-wide Hosted Teaching and Learning Events and Activities 
  • CTL Faculty Forums (sharing scholarship, research publications, community service, and special projects)
  • Professional Development Workshop and Training Series
  • Pedagogy Book Club
  • Adjunct Faculty “Conversations in Teaching” (ACT)
  • Invited Guest Speakers
  • Annual University Research Conference
  • Community Partnership/Outreach Events
• New Faculty Orientation & Faculty Residency
• Scheduled Teaching Classroom Observation
• Scheduled Faculty Consultation
  • Inclusive and Culturally Responsive Teaching
  • Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
  • Faculty Team Building
  • Pedagogical Research
• Scholarly Academic Resource Materials  

The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) offers and hosts multiple projects within its Community Partnership and Outreach programs of service. These partnerships reach both local and international communities and strive to bring creative collaboration into an educational context beyond school borders. The CTL works with regional school districts as well as international foundations and organizations and continues to expand its initiatives that benefits both the GMercyU community and its partnership stakeholders.

Currently, Gwynedd Mercy University has partnered with Western Galilee College in Israel, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in Kenya, and the University of Prishtina in Kosovo to collaborate on research, teaching, learning and institutional advancement initiatives.

The international partnership kicked off in Fall 2022 with 18 GMercyU faculty members and 19 Western Galilee College faculty members. This partnership has expanded and now includes the faculty from Jomo Kenyatta University and the University of Prishtina.

Goals of a Partnership:

• To build international academic partnership with colleges in Israel, Kenya, and Kosovo through collaboration
• To provide innovative, cultural, and experiential teaching and learning experience
• To provide distance learning opportunities to broaden religious, cultural, and social understanding
• To provide scholarship opportunities for faculty
• To encourage faculty and students to work with groups from different cultural background and learn from each other
• To expose students to new ideas, cultures, and ways of viewing the world to broaden perspectives in various disciplines through multicultural, educational experience
• To practice culturally responsive teaching
• To engage in formal and informal discussions to enrich teaching and research
• To increase exposure to cultural diversity on our campus

Potential Collaborations:

• Faculty-Faculty Joint Research
• Joint Teaching
• Joint Student Project
• Joint Pedagogy Book Club
• Conference
• Student and Faculty Exchange Possibilities

If you are interested in learning more or participating, please contact SoYoung Kang, PhD at kang.s@gmercyu.edu. 

The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) Faculty Forum series brings together a wide and exciting array of faculty presentations and research projects. This space provides faculty members to share their scholarship.

Beginning in the Spring 2023 semester, Center for Teaching and Learning hosts bi-weekly faculty forums where faculty will be invited to present on recent research, conference presentations, or any other related happenings in their fields of study.

The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) invites faculty to attend a series of faculty development workshops every semester. As part of the on-going CTL mission, we strive to engage and collaborate with faculty members in the pursuit of innovative teaching and learning strategies, and in the development of scholarly activities. Each semester, we have a theme for the Workshop Series, and we provide four sessions related to the theme throughout the semester.

The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) offers a Pedagogy Book Club. We collaborate with the Distinctive Mercy Experience to host book club meetings every semester both in person and virtually. Books read and discussed: Experiential Education in the College Context, Small Teaching, Inclusive College Classrooms, Relationship-Rich Education, Delivering Inclusive and Impactful Instruction, and The Slow Professor.

The First Year Residency (FYR) includes specific information and training sessions geared towards, new Gwynedd Mercy University faculty members. The various inclusive activities and event sessions are designed to provide essential resources faculty need to get started as successful and well-rounded GMercyU educators.

The Annual University Research Conference at Gwynedd Mercy University is dynamic event hosted by CTL, showcasing both the research acumen and growth in knowledge development and dissemination in GMercyU students. Supporting student research is considered a high-impact practice and leads to transformative student outcomes. Students across all disciplines and majors are invited to present research conducted in their respective courses- the event is attended by the Gwynedd community as well as family, friends and regional organizations, communities, and sponsors. One major outcome of the Research Conference includes highlighting scholarly focus and a love of learning, serving the next generation of Griffin leaders.

The Josephine C. Connelly Endowed Scholarship Fund was created in the 1970s by the Connelly Foundation to support student scholarships and faculty development. The grant’s purpose is to encourage faculty development through scholarly activity.

The Connelly Foundation Grants are available to faculty that are interested in pursuing scholarly activities and research. Proposals should target the following scholarly activities: research, publication, conference presentation and attendance, grant-writing workshops/grant support, and new initiatives/course innovations.

The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) also collaborates with our GMercyU students. With the Asian Students Association (ASA), Black Student Union (BSU), Disability Pride Club (DPC), we host a wide range of engaging cultural events and activities each semester. Each year, many of the highlighted events are featured and shared with the GMercyU community, emphasizing the value of learning and exploration across diverse and multicultural environments.