NYU School of Professional Studies Awards Dean’s Faculty Teaching and Learning Innovation Scholar Grants Across a Broad Range of Disciplines

Grant Program Focuses on Empowering Faculty Members to Develop Inventive Curricular and Teaching Design Initiatives

New York, NY, July 16, 2019 — The NYU School of Professional Studies (NYUSPS) recently awarded Dean’s Faculty Teaching and Learning Innovation Scholar Grants to faculty members for the 2019-2020 academic year. The grants serve to empower NYUSPS faculty members to develop inventive curricular and teaching design initiatives that challenge conventional classroom boundaries and engage students in rich and meaningful learning experiences. What is so striking about these grants is the broad range of topics they cover—from the impact of gamifying course content on student learning, engagement, teaming, and overall course evaluation; to examining the impact of virtual and traditional field trips on higher-level instruction in the humanities and social sciences; to examining the use of Reddit on skill acquisition. 

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) is a growing movement in higher education that seeks to transform students’ learning experiences through systematically inquiring, reflecting, and publicizing teaching practices, and it is a part of the very fabric of teaching and learning at NYUSPS. “These grants are a wonderful example of the ways in which faculty members are innovating in the classroom and sharing their experience with colleagues to enrich the overall teaching and learning experience,” noted Karen Miner-Romanoff, assistant dean of the NYUSPS Center for Academic Excellence Support (CAES).

The grant program was designed in partnership with CAES to boost teaching effectiveness and learning quality. Grant awardees receive a stipend of $2,500 and support from CAES in developing and implementing new design and teaching strategies at NYUSPS, while measuring their impact through evidence-based research. 

This year’s grant awardees include:

• Anna Abelson, NYUSPS Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality, who will study the effects of real and/or virtual field trips on student motivation and learning. 
• Roy Altman, NYUSPS Division of Programs in Business, who will examine the use of technology on positive business outcomes. Students in the MS in Human Capital Analytics and Technology will use a blog to share with and to learn from other students and industry experts’ experiences and perspectives. 
• Mariya Breyter, NYUSPS Division of Programs in Business, who will assess the use of experiential learning via Google’s Design Sprint framework, as well as its effect on learning, decision-making, and problem-solving in the field of project management. 
• Todd Cherches, NYUSPS Division of Programs in Business, who will explore the impact of visual thinking, visual communication, and experiential learning-based methodologies on student attendance, attention, understanding, recall, participation, contribution, and satisfaction.
• Brandon Chicotsky, NYUSPS Division of Programs in Business, who will examine the impact of field trips on students’ retention, interest, ability to make connections to real-world scenarios, and understanding of the social media and branding marketplace. 
• Jerrod Delaine, NYUSPS Schack Institute of Real Estate, who will examine the effectiveness of providing students with internship experiences to complement their academic education journey.
• Donatella Delfino, NYUSPS Division of Applied Undergraduate Studies, who will implement and assess a teaching strategy aimed at enhancing students’ experience of linear algebra.
• Donatella Delfino and Christos Noutsos, NYUSPS Division of Applied Undergraduate Studies, who will examine the effects of implementing a web-based lab component and open-source course materials within a Human Genetics course on students’ perceived learning, motivation, and achievement. 
• Michael Diamond, NYUSPS Division of Programs in Business, who will study the different approaches to integrate experiential learning in teaching statistics. 
• Andres Fortino, NYUSPS Division of Programs in Business, who will develop a smart-search system using a student coding contest in the Research Process and Methods graduate classes to develop a working Python program.
• Andres Fortino and Edward Kleinert, NYUSPS Division of Programs in Business, who will launch a two-part study, examining the impact of quizzes and strategic feedback on students’ knowledge acquisition. They also will examine the effect that this method has on students’ grades on the final comprehensive exam, and their attainment of basic skills and competencies in the field of project management.
• Myron Gould, NYUSPS Division of Programs in Business, who will explore the impact of employing a simulation on students’ long-term retention and application of Strategic Marketing course material. 
• Nira Kaplan, NYUSPS Division of Applied Undergraduate Studies, who will examine the impact of virtual and traditional field trips on higher-level instruction in the humanities and social sciences.
• Barbara Inge Karsch, NYUSPS Center for Applied Liberal Arts, who will examine and establish measures of terminology entries that are driven by the practical needs of a translator.
• Julia Keefer, NYUSPS Division of Applied Undergraduate Studies and the Center for Applied Liberal Arts, who will examine the components of storytelling in unconventional ways, the integration of new technology tools, and the use of multisensory stimulation to bring literature to life.
• Thomas Kennon, NYUSPS Division of Programs in Business, who will examine the use of the social network Reddit on skill acquisition. 
• Joshua Moritz, NYUSPS Division of Programs in Business, who will investigate pedagogical approaches to integrating marketing simulations into courses taught within the MS Integrated Marketing.
• Joshua Moritz and Michael Diamond, NYUSPS Division of Programs in Business, who will examine the impact of different teaching approaches on students’ retention of the programming language R and basic statistical concepts.
• Alison Munsch, NYUSPS Division of Programs in Business, who will implement and assess experiential learning opportunities for integrated marketing students to optimize marketing strategy.
• Lilian Ajayi Ore, NYUSPS Division of Programs in Business, who will examine the types of knowledge, skills, and abilities students transfer to the workplace after taking a problem-based learning course on integrated marketing.
• Abby Porter and Mary Ritter, NYUSPS English Language Institute, who will examine the extent to which a reciprocal teaching model improves listening comprehension in adult, intermediate-level intensive English classes.
• Olivia Mendivil Ramos, NYUSPS Division of Applied Undergraduate Studies, who will examine the use of machine-learning techniques to improve the teaching of STEM-related subjects. 
• Mary Ritter and Abby Porter, NYUSPS English Language Institute, who will research and create valuable opportunities for pronunciation improvement as part of a task-based curriculum.
• Diane Rubino, NYUSPS Division of Programs in Business, who will study the effect of contemplative pedagogy on students’ perception of their ability to focus and learn in an internationally diverse classroom. 
• Thomas Schmidt, NYUSPS Division of Programs in Business, who will examine the impact of gamifying the Managing Big Data course on student learning, engagement, teaming, and overall course evaluation.
• Joshua Spodek, NYUSPS Division of Programs in Business, who will measure the effectiveness of method learning on leadership education. 
• Anna Tavis, NYUSPS Division of Programs in Business, who will assess the integration of ePortfolios in the Human Capital Analytics and Technology program.

For media inquiries regarding the NYUSPS Dean’s Faculty Teaching and Learning Innovation Scholar Grants, contact Michael DeMeo at michael.demeo@nyu.edu or at

212-992-9103.

About the NYU School of Professional Studies

Established in 1934, the NYU School of Professional Studies (NYUSPS) is one of NYU’s several degree-granting schools and colleges—each with a unique academic profile. The reputation of NYUSPS arises from its place as the NYU home for industry-focused education and applied research that is related to key knowledge-based fields, in which the New York region leads globally. This is manifest in the School’s diverse graduate, undergraduate, and Professional Pathways programs that span a broad range of disciplines including: Accounting, Finance, and Law; Applied Health; Arts, Design, and Film, and TV; Economic and Urban Development; English Language Learning; Entrepreneurship; Fundraising and Grantmaking; Global Affairs; Global Security, Conflict, and Cybercrime; Event Management; Hospitality, Travel, and Tourism Management; Humanities; Human Capital Analytics and Technology; Human Resource Management and Development; Languages; Management and Systems; Marketing; Professional Writing; Project Management; Public Relations and Corporate Communication; Publishing; Real Estate, Real Estate Development, and Construction Management; Global Sport; Sports Business; and Translation.

More than 80 distinguished full-time faculty members collaborate with an exceptional cadre of practitioner/adjunct faculty members and lecturers to create a vibrant professional and academic environment that educates nearly 5,400 degree-seeking students from around the globe each year. In addition, the School fulfills the recurrent professional education needs of local, national, and international economies, as evidenced by over 18,000 Professional Pathways enrollments in Career Advancement Courses, Certificates, and Diploma Programs. The School’s community is enriched by nearly 25,000 degree-holding alumni worldwide, many of whom serve as mentors, guest speakers, and advisory board members. For more information about the NYU School of Professional Studies, visit sps.nyu.edu.