Current Projects

The following are projects on which the 2023-2024 cohort of Nina Henderson Provost Scholars are collaborating with Provost's Office leadership.

Project supervisors: Joe Hawk, executive director of assessment and accreditation, and Manny Sanchez, manager of operations for assessment and accreditation
Scholars: Nadia Jeon and Hailee Mayer

Scholars will work with the team in the Office of Institutional Research, Assessment and Accreditation specifically within Assessment and Accreditation. The major projects of the 2023-24 academic year will be to develop a university assessment plan, institutional effectiveness plan as well as collect and analyze data about course evaluations. All three of these areas will involve the research and collection of data and data analysis in order to inform decision making around these areas. The student will assist with all aspects of these projects including the creation of university reports and plans that will guide decision making and support services. IRAA will also be hosting their annual Drexel Assessment Conference which will include building the program of speakers and presenters as well as hosting the event on campus.

Major responsibilities:

Student focus group set up and facilitation.
Qualitative data coding within learning assessment and student evaluation of teaching
Quantitative data analysis with collected learning assessment data
Support with the creation of white papers from university committees
Participate in committee to facilitate the Drexel Assessment Conference

Project supervisor: Johanna Inman, EdD, MFA, inaugural director of the Teaching and Learning Center
Scholars: Majo Garcia, Charlotte Klass and Jini Mahalanobish

This project examines innovative uses of teaching with technology at Drexel University. The NHP Scholar will engage in research regarding educational technology tools (beyond Blackboard) that are used by instructors at Drexel. The scholar will speak to professional staff, faculty, and peers to gain a better understanding of teaching and learning experiences at Drexel that leverage digital technologies. With guidance from the project supervisor, the scholar will provide general analysis of this research, such as identifying common themes around successes, challenges, and ongoing needs. They will also review instructional technologies used at Drexel’s peer and aspirant institutions (e.g. audience response systems, digital annotation tools, concept mapping tools, etc.) and make recommendations about educational technologies that would make the largest impact on student engagement and success at Drexel University.

Project supervisors: Mathy Stanislaus, vice provost and executive director of The Environmental Collaboratory; Hugh Johnson, senior director of research strategy and development; Sammy Shuster, program manager
Scholars: Alyssa Kemp, Jessica McAtamney and Anh Nguyen

The Environmental Collaboratory (TEC) seeks to co-fund, co-design, and co-implement replicable, transdisciplinary on-the-ground solutions with community partners that drive systemic change and align climate transition and environmental justice with the needs of our communities. The Environmental Collaboratory is centrally positioned in the Office of the Provost of Drexel University to facilitate the expertise in environmental sciences, engineering, data, law, health care, public health, policy, social sciences, and humanities and the capabilities of its faculty, researchers, staff and students.

The NHPS Scholar will be working work on two current TEC initiatives focused on technical assistance for community-based climate transition as part of TEC’s role as a Climate Hubs Learning Partner. TEC will be leading the development of effective models of partnership between universities and community-based organizations and municipalities. The NHPS Scholar will work to develop these mechanisms, in which students and faculty can support community-led partnerships through existing programs and through the development of new forms of collaboration.

Project supervisor: Steve Weber, vice provost for undergraduate curriculum and education
Scholars: Sarah Malik and Satvik Tripathi

Curricular Analytics and Complexity: the Curricular Analytics community represents a recent and rapidly growing national trend across universities to focus on the visualization of curricula and degree requirements by representing curricula in a structured way and calculating the complexity of curricula using a graph-theoretic framework. The project involves implementing this framework on Drexel University curricula and producing a report and presentation in which Drexel's curricula are visualized and analyzed through this framework.

Curricular Applications of Generative AI: Generative AI (GAI) is causing rapid transformation and upheaval of many aspects of work and life, including teaching and learning. Drexel University aims to take a leadership role in establishing proactive approaches to integration of GAI into its curricula and pedagogy. The project involves developing a university symposium on campus in Spring of 2024 at which these topics are discussed by both external invited speakers and Drexel campus leaders.

Project supervisor: Amy Weaver, vice provost for strategic communications and marketing
Scholars: Joe McBride and Ali Youssef

This project is focused on supporting and developing communications around Provost’s Office Strategic initiatives, including its Areas of Excellence and Opportunity initiative. Projects will involve both communications strategy and execution in gathering, organizing and digitally communicating information related to University activities from across its colleges, schools and administrative units. The Nina Henderson Provost Scholar will gain a deeper understanding of some University-wide initiatives and the strategies that drive them while honing their communications, project management, research and organizational skills.