Three professors at Buffalo State College were awarded fellowships by the college?s Carnegie Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (CASTL) Advisory Committee. Each receives a $5,000 fellowship to contribute to the college's CASTL initiative in one of three different areas of study: reflective practice, collaborative teaching and applied learning.



Susan Birden, Ph.D., assistant professor of Educational Foundations, is the reflective practice fellow. Birden will focus on those aspects of teaching suitable for self-study.



Scott Johnson, Ph.D., associate professor of Criminal Justice, is the collaborative teaching fellow. Collaborative teaching issues include communication and support among faculty, staff, and administration as well as teaching practices such as learning communities and team teaching.



Lori Till, Ed.D., associate professor of Hospitality Administration, is the applied learning fellow. Her research will address the question, "How do higher education instructors effectively incorporate real-world activities into the overall learning process?"



CASTL's objective is to apply the tools of research and scholarship to teaching and learning to foster significant, long-lasting learning; enhance the practice and profession of teaching; and recognize and reward faculty members' work as teachers equally with other scholarly work. Each fellow is expected to contribute to the scholarly investigation of teaching and learning in higher education, and to share his or her findings with the Buffalo State community. Each fellow will offer a presentation as part of the development program for new faculty.