Biggio Center increases support for faculty with addition of new Faculty Fellows 

Published: August 31, 2020

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In response to an increased demand for faculty programming, the Biggio Center has expanded its Faculty Fellows program to strengthen support for teaching and learning. In the beginning of the semester, the Biggio Center welcomed two new Faculty Fellows – Tom Leathem, associate professor in the McWhorter School of Building Science and Min Zhong, senior lecturer in the Department of Biological Sciences.

Launched in 2019, the Faculty Fellows program helps advance the center’s mission of promoting teaching excellence and increases opportunities for faculty to take advantage of resources offered through the Biggio Center. 

“In addition to an impressive record of teaching and leadership experience, both Tom and Min bring unique insights to educational research and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL),” Lindsay Doukopoulos, Biggio Center associate director of educational development, said. “Together, I am confident they will help to strengthen Auburn’s culture for teaching and learning while enhancing our reputation for elevated student learning.”

Now in its second year, the program has already impacted the teaching culture at Auburn. Faculty Fellows lead faculty learning communities, provide coaching and one-on-one feedback to faculty and lead Biggio mentoring and professional development programs.

With more than 10 years of industry experience, Leathem’s transition to academia led him to the quick realization that, while he knew a lot about his profession, he knew very little about how to teach it well. This realization propelled many endeavors in teaching and learning efficacy, including earning a doctorate in curriculum and assessment from Mississippi State University in 2018. 

“I am excited about the opportunity to engage others with similar interests and establish relationships that will extend well beyond my time as a Faculty Fellow,” Leathem said. “I look forward to opportunities for developing new partnerships serving as a mentor to faculty in my college and hopefully other units across campus.”

A senior lecturer in the Department of Biological Sciences for nearly 10 years, Zhong cites her strong commitment to student learning success and evidence-based educational practices as critical to her work as a Biggio fellow. 

“As a Faculty Fellow, I hope to establish a collaborative network with colleagues dedicated to teaching and SoTL research while also expanding the positive impact of this program on campus,” Zhong said. “My plan is to promote STEM teaching at Auburn by providing evidence-based educational practices and instruction.”

During this fall semester, the Fellows are offering a special service to help faculty teaching in new modalities receive just-in-time feedback from their students through student feedback focus groups via Zoom. This service aims to help faculty learn what is working and what could work better early in the semester and make adjustments. This service will be available from Sept. 1 through Nov. 1 and is open to all faculty and GTAs.  

Faculty interested in the student feedback focus group should visit the Teaching Feedback page on the Biggio Center website.

Zhong and Leathem join the Biggio Center’s first Faculty Fellows Allie Brandriet, lecturer in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Matthew Clary, lecturer in the Department of Political Science.

Submitted by: Marisa Singh