Tag: Fischler College of Education & School of Criminal Justice

Teachers of Tomorrow Conference Sees Unprecedented Success

More than 150 students, educators and guests attended the student-organized Fischler Academy Teachers of Tomorrow Conference on Saturday, Jan. 13.

The event was organized by a committee of Fischler Academy students and led by the chair of the committee, Sean Stanton. It was the conference’s second year, evolving from a small event in a couple of classrooms in the Carl DeSantis Building to a much larger event in the Alan B. Levan I NSU Broward Center of Innovation.

The theme of the conference was “Technology and Equity in Education.” Topics focused on the ways technology, such as artificial intelligence, can strengthen teacher practice and improve outcomes for students.

The event featured nationally recognized speakers such as EdTech consultant and expert Dr. Monica Burns, educational consultant Ken Shelton and educator and digital learning pioneer Holly Clark.

Plans for the conference began months in advance, and Fischler Academy Director Luke Williams said the event was also made possible through the support and leadership of Dr. Jennifer Berne, the faculty adviser.

“She played a huge role in really guiding these students in a lot of ways with what this event would look like and helping to put some of those pieces together,” he said.

Williams also cited the support of Director of Special Projects Jessica Rodriguez, Department Chairs Carmen Session and Marcelo Castro, and Dean Kimberly Durham.

Posted 03/03/24

Education Alum Publishes Book Chapter and Article

Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice alum and adjunct Professor Beverly Knox-Pipes recently published a magazine article and a textbook chapter.

Knox-Pipes graduated from NSU with her Ed.D. in instructional technology and distance education. She was delivering the keynote speech at a conference in Las Vegas last summer when the owner of a home-health organization whose employees were predominantly low-income women and people of color, asked her to write an article addressing breaking the cycle of poverty through education and leadership.

Having worked with Title I schools and in lower economic minority neighborhoods, Knox-Pipes was especially suited to the task. She published “Understanding the Impact of Poverty on Home Health Care Workers” in the magazine Home Care Evolution Quarterly.

Knox-Pipes wrote that it’s important to listen to people in struggling communities and to provide support and opportunities for training and mentorship to benefit employees and their organization.

“Take care of your employees and they will take care of you,” she wrote.

Knox-Pipes also wrote a chapter for the book “ED. Matadores: Revolutionizing the Educational System.”

Reflecting on her extensive career, ranging from teacher to assistant superintendent and professor, Knox-Pipes discussed the challenges and successes of implementing change in education.

To read Knox-Pipes’ magazine article, click here. To check out the book, click here.

Posted 02/18/24

Education Professor Earns Recognition from Guinness World Records

Professor Hui Huang Fang Su

Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice Professor Hui Huang Fang Su has earned a new accolade: recognition from Guinness World Records.

Su was recently named as one of Chapter 23’s Positive Change Makers in the World 2023.

The chapter focuses on 23 influential people from various fields who are making a difference in the world. Su, one of two people selected from the United States, was recognized for her contributions to the field of education.

Learning of the accolade, Su said she was shocked but honored. She traveled to London for a ceremony, where she accepted the award and got to speak at the House of Parliament.

Su was recognized for her work as the creator of Project MIND: Math is Not Difficult, which helps eliminate the fear of math and make learning fun and more accessible.

While in London, Su met professors from other universities, one of the advisers to King Charles II and British politician Bob Blackman.

Posted 02/05/24

Fischler Grad is First Black Woman to Serve in School’s Faculty Senate

Latonya Peterson, Ed.D.

Latonya Peterson, Ed.D., a Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice graduate, is the first black woman to serve in the faculty senate at Baker University.

She was recently elected for a second term to the two-year position. Peterson learned she made history shortly after she had been elected for her first term.

She said she received an email that said, “Thanks for making history” and when she inquired about it, she learned she was the first black woman in that role.

“It means a lot because it means I’m breaking barriers,” Peterson said.

The overall senate is made up of nine members, but Peterson is the only minority. There also only two other women serving as well.

Members of the faculty senate have a host of duties, including making recommendations regarding admissions criteria, degree requirements, new majors and more, serving as the policy body for programs and courses through the School of Professional and Graduate Studies and much more.

Peterson said her last term went well and the senate was able to accomplish a lot. One area they looked at was recruitment and making it easier for students to transfer to the school.

“We did vote on making it easier to transfer, you know, making sure we accept certain transfer credits, because the students have done the work and it shouldn’t be that hard for them to transfer,” she said.

Peterson said she hopes to build upon her previous success during this next term.

Peterson graduated from NSU with her M.S. in Criminal Justice, and her Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership. In addition to serving on the Faculty Senate at Baker University, she also teaches there as an adjunct professor with the Criminal Justice Program and the Master of Business Administration Program. Peterson is also a full-time Criminal Justice professor at American InterContinental University.

Congratulations Latonya Peterson! Fins up to you for making history!

Posted 01/14/24

Education Alum Named Finalist for STEAM Educator of Year

A Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice graduate has been named a finalist for STEAM Educator of the Year for Women in Technology.

Marquita Blades

Marquita Blades graduated from NSU with her doctorate in Instructional Leadership. After working as a teacher for 16 years, she began her own education consulting business. She also teaches classes at NSU as an adjunct professor.

However, Blades said that it wasn’t until she left the K-12 classroom that she finally began to win awards for her work, and most recently, her dedication to education earned her a nomination as STEAM Educator of the Year.

“It felt a little bit unbelievable,” Blades said. “It really felt like that after 20-plus years in the game, I am finally getting my just-rewards, and finally having my dedication validated in the broader community, and it’s not just within the education community, it’s in the broader STEM community.”

Blades was nominated by a friend and colleague for the recognition.

“She said, Well, I think that you’ll be a great fit for this, I think you’d have a good chance of being recognized.’”

The colleague’s hunch proved to be correct, as Blades made it to the final round, something that she has heard is unheard of for a first-time nominee.

The event was held in October in Atlanta, and the overall award was given to Dr. Hannah Oldham. However, the acknowledgment has propelled Dr. Blades to continue working in the field and to amplify her voice.

“When I got recognized by the Women in Technology, it just empowered me to become more vocal about the technology work that I am doing,” she said.

Blades works as a consultant training teachers on various aspects of STEM education. She also conducts a seminar called the 50 Best Tech Tools and Strategies for Increasing Science Engagement. She also recently developed and launched an AI tools for a science teachers training.

“I’ve been working to advocate for the presence of K through 12 science educators to become more vocal and more seen in the legislative community, but this — being recognized in this way by the Women in Technology — it has given me a bigger platform and a bigger voice to do more of that.”

Congratulations Marquita Blades on all your hard work!

Posted 01/14/24

Several Fischler Professors Named Dooley Trust Recipients

The Robert E. Dooley Trust NSU Center for Autism Endowment Fund was set up to help fund and support NSU programs that benefit individuals with autism, and several professors at the Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice have been named as recipients of the award.

Among the recipients of the award are Maribel Del Rio-Roberts and Timothy Scala, along with a project involving Dana Scott Mills.

Mills will serve as the methodologist/statistics person on a project titled “Measuring rehabilitation health services access and use among emerging adults on the autism spectrum: A pilot study.”

The study aims to “develop and test a questionnaire for the measurement of rehabilitation access and utilization among emerging adults with autism spectrum disorder.”

Overall, the goal is to understand the challenges young people with autism spectrum disorder face, and how rehabilitation services can help improve their health and quality of life.

Scala and Del Rio-Roberts also received funding for a project titled, “A Training Program to Support Faculty & Staff Working with Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Higher Education.

Both Del Rio-Roberts and Scala are serving as PIs for the project. The aim of this program is to provide comprehensive training to “selected NSU staff who may encounter a student with ASD, so they can more effectively provide support.”

The program also aims to provide training to faculty and public safety officers as well. The training will be provided through psychoeducation and Mursion simulation activities.

Del Rio-Roberts also received the award for a project supporting Access Plus. The effort, titled “Supporting a Comprehensive College Support Program for Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder.”

Access Plus is a program at NSU that offers various supporting services to students with autism spectrum disorder throughout their college career. Funds from the Dooley Trust are now being used to support and cover the fees associated with the program.

Congratulations to all!

Posted 01/10/24

Teachers of Tomorrow Conference Planned for Jan. 13

The NSU Teachers of Tomorrow Conference – presented in collaboration with the Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice, the Fischler Academy Pre-Professional Committee, the BEDI Advisory Council, the Alan B. Levan Center for Innovation, and the Alvin Sherman Library – will be held Saturday, Jan. 13, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Alan B. Levan Center.

The conference is designed to empower future and current educators to learn about equity in technology and education and is open to future educators, school leaders, faculty of higher education, entrepreneurs, professionals in the education sector, and the NSU community.

Top tier speakers including Tanya Avrith, Monica Burns, Holly Clark, Greg Griffith, Joan McGettigan, Ken Shelton, Victoria Thompson, and Jen Williams will lead discussions and workshops on how to harness the power of technology in the classroom. They will talk about artificial intelligence (AI) and other exciting new tech solutions designed to enhance the teaching experience equitably. There will also be special workshops on various topics including Microsoft Certification 1, UN Sustainable Development Goals, Techequity: DEIJ in Education, AI and Education, Book Creator and AI, Infusing Tech in ESE, UDL, and AI in your Classroom.

Participation is free and registration is now open! To view the conference schedule and library guide created for this event, please click here. To register for the conference, please click here.

Posted 01/03/24

NSU Receives Approval by Top University Accrediting Body

Dr. Belle Wheelan, President of SACSCOC with NSU President and CEO George L. Hanbury II

Nova Southeastern University received notification from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) that our Fifth-Year Interim Report has been successfully accepted with no additional reporting requested.

SACSCOC is the body for the accreditation of degree-granting higher education institutions in the Southern states. It serves as the common denominator of shared values and practices primarily among the diverse institutions in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Latin America and certain other international sites approved by the SACSCOC Board of Trustees that award associate, baccalaureate, master’s, or doctoral degrees.

The Commission also accepts applications for membership from domestic institutions in the other 39 states, as well as international institutions of higher education around the world.

Congratulations to all for this recognition of NSU as a preeminent university of quality and distinction!

Posted 12/05/23

FY2025 PRG and QOL Grant Cycles Now Open

The FY 2025 President’s Research Grant (PRG), formerly the Presidents Faculty Research Development Grant (PFRDG), and Quality of Life (QOL) grant cycles are now open! This year the application process will take place on Cayuse Sponsored Projects, NSU’s new grant management system. Applications are due via Cayuse no later than January 22, 2024, 5:00 p.m.. More information, as well as application instructions, can be found on the PRG and QOL websites, linked below. Through these programs, eligible faculty may apply for internal grants of up to $15,000 in support of a variety of research and scholarly activities. PRG and QOL are tremendous opportunities to obtain support for research and scholarship at NSU, and to build faculty research capacity that can be leveraged toward external funding pursuits.

For more information about how to apply and program guidelines, visit the PRG program website here and the QOL website here. For questions, please contact PRG@nova.edu or QOL@nova.edu.

Posted 12/10/23

Education Professor Publishing New Edition of Textbook

Simonson

Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice Professor Michael Simonson, Ph.D., is publishing a new edition of the textbook “Teaching and Learning at a Distance: Foundations of Distance Education.

This will be the eighth edition of the book. Simonson published the first version of the textbook after recognizing there was a future for distance learning back in 1999. When he tried searching for a textbook that could be used at the university level, he came up empty-handed, so he decided to write one himself.

“I put together a team of three in addition to myself and we collaboratively wrote the first edition of Teaching and Learning at a Distance: Foundations of Distance Education,” Simonson said.

Simonson said the book is a best seller in the field.

“It has been in existence in one edition or another for [over 20] years … It’s a book that will give people the background they need, an understanding of what distance education is, what the research and theories are, and then practical information so they can be effective educators at a distance.”

This latest edition of the book focuses on applied research while balancing the theories of teaching and learning that relate to using technology to reach students at a distance.

Simonson said he worked with the Alvin Sherman Library here at NSU to get the edition ready for publishing.

“I had a reference librarian who helped with the references, helped me make sure my citations were done correctly, and she was right there virtually by my side,” he said. “Her name is Melissa Johnson and she was excellent in helping me.”

The book is set to be released next year.

Congratulations on all your heard work Professor Simonson!

Posted 11/26/23

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