College of Education Newsletter

Mrs. Ashley Cox (TLC Director) and Ms. Melissa Earls (TLC Technology Specialist) hosted a Bear Hunt the week before finals (April 22-26). During the Bear Hunt, students were tasked with finding laminated bear face stickers throughout Mashburn. Once the bear face was found and returned to the TLC, students received a stress ball and a snack. The students loved the hunt and the TLC let College of Education faculty and staff in on the hunt on the 26th.

For the 2023-2024 academic year, eight faculty members across campus completed and were honored in the Recognition of Achievement Program through the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Academic Leadership (CETAL). This program aims to guide faculty members through structured professional development opportunities and grow in teaching effectiveness. For more information about the program you can visit https://uca.edu/cetal/recognition/.

Half of this year's awardees represented the College of Education at CETAL's annual reception:

Amber Brantley, Ed.S. (Department of Elementary, Literacy, and Special Education)

Olivia Bundrick, Ed.S. (Department of Teaching and Learning)

Evan Faidley, Ph.D. (Department of Leadership Studies)

Brandy Walthall, Ph.D. (Department of Elementary, Literacy, and Special Education)

Over 600 elementary school students gathered at the Conway Corporation Center for Sciences on May 7th for a day filled with exploration and discovery. These enthusiastic second to fourth graders got hands-on with activities like building straw rockets, exploring space in the planetarium, creating houses for their favorite book characters, and decoding their names in Egyptian hieroglyphics! Representatives from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission facilitated the Mobile Aquarium session as well as a session from the international and national wildlife education program; Project WILD.

Thank you to our volunteers from various departments, registered student organizations, and our generous sponsors: UCA Foundation, Heroes Against Bullying, UCA STEM Institute, Conway Kiwanis club, and the Office of Diversity and Community. This event was organized by Ms. Catherine F. Miller (Department of Elementary, Literacy, and Special Education) and Dr. Todd Abel (Department of Mathematics) for organizing this event.

For more information about STEM Day you can visit https://sites.google.com/uca.edu/ucastemday2024/home.

Students from ELSE (Elementary, Literacy, and Special Education) Internship I recently attended training at Arch Ford Co-op focused on the preparation for taking the Foundations of Reading exam. Here is what they had to say.

Baylee Sparks: "I am so grateful for the opportunity to deepen my understanding of reading instruction at the Arch Ford FoR prep class. I was able to gain more knowledge and also make connections to the content I have learned in my classes at UCA. Literacy instructors including Lisa Herrington, Ashley Wilson, and Amber Brantley have done so well at preparing me and have equipped me and my classmates with so many resources to help me feel confident to take the test."

Katie Johnston: "I think this opportunity to take the FoR prep class, along with our classes at UCA, have truly prepared me to take the test. Instructors Amber Brantley, Lisa Herrington, and Ashley Wilson have taught me so much about reading and how to instruct my students. I am thankful for the chance to learn under these wonderful women, and for the chance to sharpen my skills at Arch Ford."

Pictured from left to right: Back Row-Caitlyn King, Nicole Ball, Emily Wood, Ava-Kate Jenkins, Sam Paquette, and Sydney Chambers. Front Row-Stephanie Givens, Katie Johnston, Katie Turner, Paige Kelley, Baylee Sparks, Keeley Barnhouse, and Sydney Tanner.

Jr. Block interns spent their lunchtime on 4/17/24 creating gifts for their mentor teachers. Melissa Earls (Technology Specialist in the Technology Learning Center) made personalized acrylic bookmarks with each mentor teacher’s name. These were made on the TLC's Glowforge.

These junior interns made their tassels for the bookmarks, wrote out thank you notes, and tied a candy bar to it all up with ribbon to give to the mentor teachers on their last day of field. Everyone had a great time hanging out in the TLC and Ms. Melissa Earls, Mrs. Dee Dee Cain, Mrs. Amber Brantley, Mrs. Ashley Wilson, Ms. Jamie Dallas, and Dr. Stefanie Sorbet were there to assist them in making these gifts.

Students in Dr. Matthew White's (Department of Teaching and Learning) EDUC 3322 participate in a carousel activity as they explore ways to cultivate social-emotional learning skills for their students. In addition to studying trauma-informed practices, these educators also examined the CASEL framework for social-emotional learning and the Arkansas Department of Education's G.U.I.D.E for Life.

Karyna Johnson (UCA College of Education Alumni) was recently named Elementary Teacher of the Year by the Little Rock School District. She received her Bachelors of Music Education and Masters of Music from UCA. Karyna began teaching in Colorado where she earned the “Mile High Teacher” award for Denver’s most accomplished and inspiring educators.

Karyna is trained in the Orff approach, which focuses on creative music making and improvisation at all ages, and currently serves as president of the Central Arkansas Orff Chapter. She is currently a music specialist at Otter Creek Elementary in Little Rock, AR.

Dr. Evan Faidley (Department of Leadership Studies) had an article published in the Journal of Student Affairs discussing the ethical consideration of using ChatGPT in higher education administrative / student affairs work. This brief literature review introduces the basics of ChatGPT and some recommendations for practice.

The article can be viewed by going to https://mountainscholar.org/items/ba1fd00b-18c7-4e30-82e0-2106f4c94aba.

Dr. Odunola Oyeniyi (Department of Leadership Studies) is the recipient of the 2023-2024 College of Education Service Award.

The award recognizes a faculty member who, over time, has contributed significantly in the area of service by sharing or volunteering time, talent, or resources to the betterment of the college, university, and/or off-campus community. It is intended that the award be given to a faculty member who has gone above and beyond the requirements typically delineated in the Retention, Promotion, and Tenure, or the advancement criteria of their department. This service must have been performed without remuneration.

Dru Sanders (Department of Student Transitions) is the recipient of the 2023-2024 College of Education Teaching Award.

The award recognizes a faculty member who, has demonstrated outstanding teaching with students and working with faculty to the betterment of the college, university, and/or off-campus community. It is intended that the award be given to a faculty member who has gone above and beyond the requirements typically delineated in the Retention, Promotion, and Tenure, or the advancement criteria of their department.

Dr. Crystal Voegele (Department of Teaching and Learning) was recently hired as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning.

Dr. Voegele shared, "For the past decade, I have had the privilege of serving the University of Central Arkansas as a clinical instructor, teaching courses in assessment, learning and development, and literacy. Prior to UCA, I served as a K-12 ESOL and reading instructor, as well as a middle-level English Language Arts educator. Most recently, I achieved a significant milestone by earning a doctorate in Leadership in Adult and Higher Education from the University of Memphis. I eagerly anticipate continuing my research and scholarly endeavors, delving into the profound subjects of disenfranchised grief, teacher well-being, and transformative learning, with the aim of contributing to the profound scholarly work taking place within the College of Education. I am incredibly thankful for this opportunity."

Dr. Donna Wake (Department of Teaching and Learning) is the recipient of the 2023-2024 College of Education Research and Scholarship Award.

The award is given for an outstanding body of scholarly work. Examples include (a) a single outstanding publication, (b) a compilation, consisting of two or more research publications/presentations or original contributions of a theoretical nature that make significant contributions, (c) a book or monograph, on a particular topic, that exemplifies outstanding research and scholarship, or (d) grant activities. The scholarly work must have been published/conducted within the past five years. Nominee must be sole or first author.

Missed an issue? You can view past issues of the COE Newsletter by going to https://uca.edu/education/coenewsletter/.