NC State once again showcased the outstanding scholarship of the university’s faculty at the third annual Conference on Faculty Excellence, held March 6 in Talley Student Union.
NC State’s Office for Faculty Excellence (OFE), Digital Education and Learning Technology Applications (DELTA) and the NC State University Libraries invited faculty, postdoctoral scholars and professional staff from all six member institutions of the Cooperating Raleigh Colleges (NC State, Meredith College, Saint Augustine’s University, Shaw University, Wake Tech Community College, William Peace University) to attend the 2025 NC State Conference on Faculty Excellence.
The third annual conference brought together campus partners with an investment in faculty excellence. Leading experts from OFE, DELTA and the Libraries offered workshops throughout the day focused on the following subjects:
- Mentoring and Career Mapping
- Creative and Critical Thinking
- Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
- Online and Hybrid Education
- Library Support of Teaching and Learning
The sold-out event featured various presentations, workshops and a poster session. Attendees had a variety of choices for interactive workshops, including:
- The Missing Link: Using Online Library Resources to Supplement Learning
- Tech Tools to the Rescue: From Challenge to Solution
- Building a Faculty Learning Community Focused on High-Impact Interdisciplinary Student Experiences
“Faculty communities of practice have been shown to be an effective way to support faculty development and improve teaching and learning,” said Kim Grainger, workshop presenter and senior vice provost for Faculty Excellence. “They can provide a space for faculty to come together to discuss teaching and learning, share ideas and collaborate on projects. Faculty communities can also be used to support the development of high-impact interdisciplinary student experiences.”
Additionally, attendees could listen to presentations covering a wide range of higher education topics, including:
- Using AI to Cultivate or Crush Creativity in Students’ (and Your Own) Writing and Speaking
- Memes, Dystopias and Cyborg Anthropology: A Flipped Classroom Approach to Teaching Technology and Society
- Low Stakes, High Impact: The Wicked Problems Wolfpack Solutions Experience
- Supporting Faculty Excellence via the Alt-Textbook Project
- Strategies for Integrating Gen AI Into Your Teaching or Research
Several panel discussions also took place, one of which was “COIL: Connecting Classrooms Across Continents.” Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) programs are transformative, high-impact experiences that connect students with peers at international universities, fostering global engagement, enhancing cultural awareness and promoting interdisciplinary collaboration. The panel brought together faculty from a variety of academic disciplines to share their experiences implementing COIL initiatives in their classrooms.
The panelists (Megan Lupek, assistant teaching professor of forestry and environmental resources; Alice Lee, associate teaching professor of biological sciences; Robert Mera, assistant teaching professor of marine, earth and atmospheric sciences; and Karl Jicha, lecturer in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Agricultural Institute) discussed innovative approaches to designing and executing COIL programs, including strategies for building partnerships with international institutions, integrating technology to facilitate cross-cultural interaction and aligning COIL activities with course objectives. They provided actionable insights for educators interested in adopting COIL pedagogy, fostering dialogue on best practices and inspiring new collaborations.
Thirty-seven teams of faculty and staff presented posters to the conference. The winning posters were:
- Raymond Haggerty (postdoctoral scholar, Biotechnology Program) and Melissa Srougi (associate teaching professor, Biotechnology Program): “Trans*forming Science Education: The Impact of Instructor Transgender Identity on Student Experiences”
- Melinda Knuth (assistant professor of horticultural science): “Exploring Artificial Intelligence Literacy Among Two-Year Horticulture Students”
An honorable mention went to Bevin Maultsby, teaching associate professor of mathematics, for her poster, “Investigating the Impact of Sub-score Based Testing on Student Stress and Success in Online Calculus Courses.”
