Three faculty members in UA’s School of Social Work’s have been named a 2019 Innovation Scholar Team.
The team members are:
- Dr. Tania Alameda-Lawson, associate professor of social work
- Dr. Karen Johnson, assistant professor of social work
- Sherron Wilkes, MSW Instructor
For their team project, the group is collaborating with the College of Continuing Studies, Instructional Technology Academic Services Team on a project that will:
- Create a new platform that allows our online students to simulate community and organizational social work practice including, but not limited to, working in teams, windshield surveys, and asset-based community development
- Increase students’ sense of connectedness with the instructor, between and among other students in the course and cohort, the SSW, and with the Tuscaloosa community
Due to its scope, the team’s project will be rolled out over several academic years, with Phase I slated for piloting in Fall 2019.
UA’s Innovation Scholar award programs give online teaching faculty and content experts the opportunity to benefit from technology funding and Innovation Team consultation and support toward a proposed Innovation project. The Innovation Scholar Team award program recognizes innovation projects that involve groups of faculty in development, implementation and assessment phases.
“UA and SSW are continuously exploring cutting-edge teaching and learning strategies to improve the academic experience of students enrolled in our face-to-face programs and in the SSW’s new distance learning BSW program and our top-ranked MSW program,” Dr. Alameda-Lawson said.
Social Work Instructor Nancy Payne also received a 2019 Innovation Scholar program award. Payne was named a 2019 Innovation Spirit Scholar for her innovation project exploring the concept of how to better serve students and faculty with invisible disabilities in online courses.