eLearning Research Institute is Gaining Traction

The eLearning Research Institute (eLRI), located in the College of Education, is providing a valuable resource to the College and university as faculty and staff members complete professional development sessions to earn various Quality Matters certifications. The eLRI,  under the direction of Acting Director, Dr. Pamela Morgan, has been established to provide a central location for instructional training for formal and informal educators. Within the last quarter, much activity has taken place. 

Comments from Dr. Morgan  - The eLearning Research Institute is proud to announce that Dr. Randy Parker and Dr. Dawn Basinger have recently completed the online Peer Reviewer Course with Quality Matters, Inc. The Peer Reviewer Course is an intensive professional development activity designed to prepare faculty members for the rigorous review of online and hybrid courses using the research-based Quality Matters Higher Education Rubric. Quality Matters uses a peer review process to partner faculty reviewers with course instructors or developers to review and provide specific, detailed, and constructive feedback in order to improve the quality of online and hybrid course design. The College of Education Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Leadership houses the eLearning Research Institute which is working throughout the LA Tech University to provide training and support for the development and improvement of online and hybrid courses.

The eLearning Research Institute would like to congratulate the following College of Education Staff and adjunct faculty members who recently  graduated from the  Applying the Quality Matters Rubric Professional Development Course: Mr. Glenn Larson, Mr. Chris Campbell, Mrs. Lindsey Keith-Vincent, Ms. C. Smiley Reeves,  Mrs. Melanie Gleason, Dr. Jean Chen, Dr. Jordan Glenn, Ms. Lacey Deal, and Mrs. Susan Rogers. This two week, online course is designed to teach faculty and course designers the process of using the Quality Matters Rubric to review his or her own course and is a precursor to training to become a Peer Reviewer. Through a variety of learning objectives, participants learned to apply Specific Standards developed from research and best practices, how alignment of course components is critical to valid assessment, and  how to draft helpful recommendations and feedback for colleagues.

To learn more about eLRI and opportunities available for you to engage, you can email Dr. Morgan and pmorgan@latech.edu.

PEK Welcomes New Kinesiology Leaders

 On Thursday, Dec 10th 6:00 pm a new member initiation ceremony was held for Phi Epsilon Kappa Honor Fraternity in Kinesiology in the College of Education. There were 17 inductees that joined. The La Tech Chapter is Eta Eta, established in 2012.  The ceremony was conducted by President Erin Nevala, Secretary Stephanie Smart, and Vice President Lainie LeGrande.   Many faculty, friends, and family of new members joined the new PEK students, as well as members of the ESPE organization. For more information about  PEK, check out the link orgsync.com/PhiEpsilonKappa . Mrs. Smiley Reeves, one of the PEK advisors, submitted this exciting story and provided a personal message of congratulations. She stated, "We are proud of students who qualify for the honor fraternity. They have achieved a GPA of 3.0 or better and have demonstrated excellence. Congratulations! "

COE Kinesiology Student Named 2015 Outstanding Young Professional of the Year!

Our COE Department of Kinesiology was well represented in early November at the Louisiana Association of Heath, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance! Ms. Kimberly Paker, Ms. Smiley Reeves, Dr. Lanie Dornier, Dr. Tammy Schilling, Dr. Jean Chen and Ms. Victoria Arnold attended the event and celebrated Ms. Parker's being named as the Louisiana Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance Outstanding Young Professional of the Year for 2015, a prestigious statewide honor!

Kinesiology and Agricultural Sciences Students Demonstrate Quality Collaborative Skills to Beautify Tech Campus

On Friday, October 2, 2015 the Department of Kinesiology hosted a Plant & Trim Memorial Gym workday. Kinesiology volunteers partnered with La Tech Green house staff and Greenscape students to plant a beautiful new plant/flower bed in front of the Scotty Robertson Memorial Gym building. Kinesiology sponsors two student organizations, ESPE - Exercise Sciences and Physical Education, and, PEK - the Phi Epsilon Kappa Honor Fraternity Eta Eta. Members of these two student organizations partnered for this event with the Agricultural Sciences student organization, Greenscape, Plants were provided by Jacob Reichley and his Greenhouse staff  located on the south campus. This collaborative effort made for a fun filled day and provided a much needed "haircut" to the overgrown shrubs around the building. Dean Schillinger (College of Education) noted, "the interdisciplinary nature of this unique collaboration has led to the beautification of our campus and a new partnership that may lead to other worthwhile initiatives. It brings me great joy to see students and faculty working together, engaged in transformative and exciting activities that enhance the culture and environment of our University." The new bed will be maintained by the student organizations. We hope this effort will serve as another reminder of the collaborative nature and Tech Spirit students continue to exemplify through volunteerism. All the co-laborers enjoyed music, pizza, and a great time. Many students walking through the area on their way to classes stopped to say "Thank you" to the volunteers. This project is one more reason we areproud of our students and our campus! go Bulldogs!

This story was submitted by Ms. Smiley Reeves of the Department of Kinesiology. Pictured above are a few of the amazing students, faculty, and administrators who helped with project.