Franklin A. Tuitt

Frank Tuitt is the University of Connecticut’s Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer and Professor of Higher Education and Student Affairs in the NEAG School of Education. In 2019, he received the National Association of Chief Diversity Officers in Higher Education Individual Leadership Award in recognition of “outstanding contributions to research, administration, practice, advocacy, and/or policy, and whose work informs and advances understanding of diversity and inclusive excellence in higher education.” He is a coeditor and contributing author of five books including Plantation Politics and Campus Rebellions: Power, Diversity, and the Emancipatory Struggle in Higher Education (SUNY Press).

Moderated by Science of Learning Research Initiative (SOLER) Program Director Adam Brown, this panel explored the intersection of scientific research and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) through the lens of cognitive psychology, clinical training, and undergraduate journeys. Professor Janet Metcalfe discussed her role as a co-chair of the SOLER Faculty Advisory Committee and the relationship between laboratory psychology research and classroom-based studies of teaching and learning in K-12 and higher education contexts. Beth Barron reported on her dual collaboration with the CTL and SOLER investigating race- and gender-based implicit bias in the evaluation of medical students’ clinical skills. Arya Rao shared her experience progressing from student to teaching assistant in a virtual reality (VR)-based Introductory Biochemistry course led by Professor Brent Stockwell, a SOLER grant recipient studying the impact of VR on student engagement and learning. Panel included a Q&A. 

Moderated by Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) Senior Director of Faculty Programs and Services, Amanda Irvin, this panel explored faculty innovations in teaching and learning made possible through the Office of the Provost’s Teaching and Learning Grants. Professor of Psychology, Lila Davachi, along with PhD student Ana DiGiovanni, discussed the collaborative project, “Cultivating Science Identity and Increasing Persistence in STEM: Expanding Access, Training, and Support for Undergraduate Researchers.” Babi Kruchin, Lecturer in English as a Second Language at the American Language Program, and Elizabeth Walters, Lecturer in Discipline and the co-Director of the American Studies cohort at the University Writing Program, offered insights from their funded project, “Improving International Students Writing Skills through Reviews and Teacher Feedback in an Academic Writing Course.” Associate Professor of Nursing, Natalie Voigt, shared innovations from her funded project, “Increasing Student Critical Thinking through Case-Based Learning Modules in Medical Surgical Nursing Education.” 

Remarks from Columbia Provost Mary Boyce

Despite best efforts to advance diversity, postsecondary institutions around the world have found themselves in the midst of campus protests. Arguably, at the heart of increased activism on college campuses is the failure of postsecondary institutions to create more anti-racist learning environments where minoritized students can experience teaching that suggest their lives and their lived experiences really matter. Accordingly, this presentation by Dr. Frank Tuitt explored how a commitment to an anti-racist praxis can contribute to the promotion of anti-racist teaching and learning environments both in and outside of the classroom. Following the presentation, Dr. Tuitt took questions from the audience.