About Us
How I Got Here
In my first year teaching, I was invited to attend a monthly gathering of teachers who talk about teaching hosted by the Math department. Each month had a different topic with connected readings. I learned so much from more experienced teachers who engaged in continuous learning about teaching and learning. I discovered that I loved being part of this group (even though I was the only Humanities teacher there): discussing teaching and learning with colleagues who cared deeply about growing and improving was invigorating. Years later, when I became the director of the teaching center, I was able to fully engage this passion for facilitating faculty discussions of research on teaching and learning and on their own practices.
I am thrilled to serve at OWU because we ground all general education in research-based best practices for learning through the Connections and Core Competencies. I love supporting OWU faculty in teaching and learning because of your strong commitment to student learning.
How I Can Help
My teaching and learning scholarship focuses on teaching frameworks (the categories of teaching practices that have been confirmed as effective for improving student learning from meta-analyses of hundreds or thousands of studies). My experiences leading writing-across-the-curriculum work, intensive summer course design institutes, new faculty orientation experiences, and providing feedback to faculty early in their scholarship journey have led to these areas where I feel most competent:
- Course & Syllabus Design: Crafting clear learning objectives and aligning assessments to match them.
- Learning-Centered Instruction: Shifting the focus from simply delivering content to helping students truly learn.
- Curriculum design and mapping: Connecting the learning outcomes for a major to individual courses and mapping key outcomes across all courses.
- Alternative grading and assessment designs: Using competency-based assessments, “un-grading” processes, specifications grading, or other non-traditional types of assessments at either the assignment level or course level.
- Being a thought partner on scholarship ideas related to teaching and learning.
I’m also available for classroom visits! I can observe a class session and offer friendly, completely confidential one-on-one feedback afterward.
How I Got Here
My path started at the University of Delaware in Spanish Education, back when I assumed I’d become a high school teacher. Instead, I headed to UC Irvine for my PhD, where teaching my own language classes every semester quickly revealed my true passion. When I joined Ohio Wesleyan in 2009 to teach Spanish language and Latin American literature, culture, and film, I knew I had found the right fit. That same first semester, I attended a Lilly Conference on college teaching and was immediately hooked. I’ve continued to be fascinated by the Science of Learning, and I’m thrilled to have received a 2-year GLCA Academic Leadership Fellowship, allowing me to be part of the Smith Center to support, challenge, and collaborate with colleagues across campus as we strive to continually refine our craft.
How I Can Help
I don’t claim to have all the answers, but after 25 years in the classroom, countless workshops and conferences, and ongoing engagement with the Science of Learning, I feel confident that I can offer support with the following:
- Course & Syllabus Design: Crafting clear learning objectives and aligning assessments to match them.
- Active Learning & Engagement: Moving beyond traditional lectures to build vibrant, interactive classrooms.
- Student Success & Belonging: Teaching effective study skills, gathering actionable student feedback, and fostering an inclusive community.
- Learning-Centered Instruction: Shifting the focus from simply delivering content to helping students truly learn.
I’m also available for classroom visits! I can observe a class session and offer friendly, completely confidential one-on-one feedback afterward.
How I Got Here
As a working-class first-generation student, college felt like an entirely new world to me. I was drawn to college with the promise of social mobility and the chance to make the world a better place. But I had to battle imposter syndrome and learn an unfamiliar rule book. If it were not for mentors that guided me through college and programs that supported me, I could not have made it through.
My undergraduate education transformed my life, and I became inspired by the faculty who mentored me and whose research contributed to the greater good. I became interested in both sociology and academia to help make a difference in people’s lives, especially working-class first-gen students. In OWU, I found a university that shared these values and that serves so many first-gen students. Here, my research in the science of teaching and learning, and working in faculty development, have presented additional ways to deepen this impact while being a part of a wonderful community.
How I Can Help
While I can support faculty with a range of faculty development more broadly, I am especially interested to assist faculty in supporting working-class first-gen students in the following ways:
- First-Gen Pedagogy: help in understanding and implementing teaching strategies and activities best support working-class first-gen student learning and outcomes.
- First-Gen Scholarship: support faculty with scholarly research on working-class first-gen students, including the scholarship of teaching and learning.
- First-Gen Programming: help with engaging working-class first-gen students in academic programs such as educational travel, undergraduate research, and more.
Student Employees
The following members are the student workers. You are welcome to contact any of them for inquiries by putting their name in the subject line of an email to smithcenter@owu.edu.
Spencer Augenstein
Student Worker | Smith Center Website Specialist
How I Got Here
As a transfer student majoring in Computer Science at OWU now entering into senior year, I wanted to give back to the community on campus. After discovering the Smith Center student worker position, I noticed it focused on maintaining a faculty website in WordPress which aligned with my interest in web development. This position allows me to apply the technical and professional skills I have learned toward a real-world project which, in combination with the Smith Center team, creates meaningful impact for faculty.
How I Support the Smith Center
I assist the Smith Center by designing the website foundation, layout and functionality, implementing changes requested by team members along with your feedback, and exploring new ways to expand the capabilities of Smith Center across different platforms.
Please contact me if you have suggestions for the Smith Center website!
Sasha Fahd
Student Worker | Social Media & Communications Specialist
How I Got Here
As a Film and Communication student entering my junior year at Ohio Wesleyan University, I’ve always been interested in how storytelling and thoughtful communication can bring people and ideas together. When I discovered the Smith Center student worker position, I was excited by the opportunity to combine my creative and communication skills with work that supports faculty and the broader OWU community. The role allows me to explore how visual storytelling, social media, and digital communication can make the Smith Center’s work more accessible and engaging.
How I Support the Smith Center
I assist the Smith Center by developing social media content, designing promotional materials, and maintaining its digital presence. I help share faculty development opportunities, teaching and learning resources, upcoming events, and faculty scholarship with the OWU community through clear and accessible visual content.
Please contact me if you have scholarship projects you have completed or teaching-related topics you would like to share with other faculty.
Tyler Hosein
Student Worker | Research Specialist
How I Got Here
As a sophomore Computer Science Major at OWU, I was drawn to the researcher position at the Smith Center to help expand my research abilities and see how I could apply my technical problem-solving abilities to real-world education topics. Working here allows me to explore how data and research can be used to support teachers and improve student learning on campus.
How I Support the Smith Center
I support the Smith Center by researching education trends, synthesizing literature on pedagogical strategies, and helping develop guides for the Smith Center website based on my research.
Please contact me if you have teaching-learning topics you would like to see researched.