WPI Together: Updates & Resources for Fall 2020

 

Chrysanthe Demetry

Director
Professor
Mechanical Engineering

In her role as Director of the Morgan Teaching and Learning Center, Chrysanthe (Chrys) Demetry provides oversight for several internal grants programs that support innovative teaching, educational development, and curriculum development. She also provides individual teaching consultations for faculty, organizes the Food for Thought teaching and learning workshop and seminar series, and coordinates New Faculty Orientation and the New Faculty Mentoring Program. In partnership with other units on campus, the Center has been a key partner in developing professional development programs related to MQP and IQP advising; teaching that supports diversity, equity, and inclusion; and improving classroom spaces to support active and collaborative learning.

Jeanine Dudle

Associate Director of New Faculty Programs
Associate Professor
Civil and Environmental Engineering

Since 1999 Jeanine Dudle has demonstrated commitment to and excellence in classroom teaching, MQP and IQP advising, academic advising, and program development, in addition to water quality research. She played a key role in development and implementation of the undergraduate environmental engineering program in 2006 and served as its Director through 2016. Her leadership and excellence in teaching have been recognized at WPI and nationally, and she has presented on teaching, technology, and accreditation at national conferences. Within her role as Interim Director of the Morgan Center in 2019-2020, Jeanine is coordinating New Faculty Orientation and the New Faculty Mentoring Program.

 

Kimberly LeChasseur

Research & Evaluation Associate
Morgan Teaching and Learning Center
Center for Project-Based Learning

As a Research & Evaluation Associate with the Morgan Teaching and Learning Center, Kimberly LeChasseur assists faculty in clarifying, documenting, communicating, and using what they know about the processes and effects of their teaching and research. Kimberly facilitates professional learning about research and evaluation through faculty learning communities and consults with faculty to facilitate scholarly writing and publishing on teaching and learning, co-design and draft evaluation and assessment plans, inform the selection or creation of assessments, and analyze data about the value and areas in need of improvement for faculty- and staff-led projects. Kimberly has a joint appointment with the Center for Project-Based Learning where she will be focusing specifically on WPI’s signature pedagogy and assisting colleges and universities in the shift to project-based classes, programs, and institutions. WPI community members who would like to arrange a conversation or consultation with Kimberly should complete this form.

Kimberly Hollan

Program Coordinator

Kim assists the faculty investigators of the ADVANCE Adaptation grant recently awarded to WPI by the National Science Foundation and supports educational development and faculty development initiatives sponsored through the Morgan Teaching and Learning Center. She manages scheduling, promotion, communications, and monitoring of programs and budgets for the wide range of faculty development activity coordinated by the Center. 

Associate Directors for TA and PLA Development

Graduate Teaching Assistants (TAs) and undergraduate Peer Learning Assistants play a vital role in supporting high quality instruction at WPI. This team of Associate Directors focuses on the training, professional development, and recognition of TAs and PLAs. They work to improve the campus-wide PLA training program and enrich professional development opportunities for our TAs. They work with faculty to incorporate TAs and PLAs into effective teaching teams, and help departments and programs develop evaluation plans for their course assistants.

 

Michael Johnson

Associate Teaching Professor
Mathematical Sciences

Mike has served as a teaching mentor within the Mathematical Sciences Department since 2013, working with PLAs, TAs, and faculty colleagues to provide high quality instruction across the department. He is interested in the use of classroom technology to benefit both students and instructors.

 

 

Rudra Kafle

Assistant Teaching Professor
Physics

Rudra has been a key player in transforming introductory physics courses at WPI into a studio format. He has also developed a physics pedagogy course for TAs and PLAs in the department, and as co-PI of a PhysTEC grant is working to prepare future middle school and high school physics teachers.

 

 

Zoe Reidinger

Assistant Teaching Professor
Biomedical Engineering

Zoe has contributed to the planning and delivery of TA and PLA training since winning the TA of the Year award as a PhD student. Through several teaching grants and work with colleagues as well as TAs and PLAs, she aims to understand how different students experience academia and work toward a fully inclusive model of teaching.