VITAL Faculty Associate Program
The Faculty Associate Program provides the opportunity and the time for the following groups of faculty to pursue a special interest related to teaching and/or students’ learning: (1) tenured faculty members; and (2) faculty members who hold full-time, permanent continuing non-tenure track positions and who have been at Villanova for six or more years. Faculty Associates spend a semester working with VITAL on a project of their choice that must have the potential to enrich teaching and learning at Villanova and thus strengthen Villanova’s academic community. Faculty Associates meet regularly with the director of VITAL for project design and consultation on implementation and assessment.
In partnership with VITAL, Faculty Associates can serve several roles:
- work on projects that enhance the teaching and learning resources within their academic programs (undergraduate / graduate level)
- conduct research pertaining to the teaching/learning interests and/or needs of the department, college, or University
- provide leadership for faculty communities of practice, workshop sessions, consultations, and/or faculty mentoring
- share their pedagogical expertise by developing instructional resources and/or programs for Villanova’s academic community in partnership with VITAL. VITAL invites faculty with interest in two areas: (1) using A.I. for learning and teaching; (2) student engagement with the new LMS.
- develop departmental approaches to the assessment of student learning, peer review process, or documentation of effective teaching.
VITAL has two Faculty Associate positions available: one in each semester respectively. As the ultimate goal of the program is to enrich the educational process at Villanova, Faculty Associates receive a reduction of one course in their teaching loads during the semester of their term. Project-related expenses up to $1,000 may be requested. Eligible faculty members receive letters of invitation to apply to the Faculty Associate program early February each year.
Applications for AY 2025-2026 are due Friday, February 28, 2025. Please contact Gabriele Bauer with project ideas prior to submitting a proposal.
Past Faculty Associates (PDF)
VITAL Brightspace for Learning Fellow for Fall 2024
M. Laura Lenardon, PhD
Associate Teaching Professor, Spanish
Dr. Lenardon will apply her experience in intentionally building comprehensive online learning environments that deepen students’ engagement with authentic language materials and assessments, to course development in Brightspace. She will explore the capabilities of Brightspace with more functionality and engagement tools within the goals and context of the Spanish for Heritage Speakers I course. Also, she will partner with VITAL to develop faculty instructional resources grounded in the instructional use of Brightspace tools.
VITAL Microsoft for Higher Education Fellow
Valentina DeNardis, PhD
Director of Classical Studies
7-year Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert
Dr. DeNardis will offer online sessions that demonstrate use cases for Microsoft tools in higher education. Sessions will focus on particular topics or tools or provide an overview of various tools. Dr. DeNardis will create an online community (using Microsoft Teams) where Villanova faculty and staff can share their ideas and experiences using Microsoft tools on campus. The learning community will also be apprised of the latest Microsoft tool resources and updates.
Spring 2023
Joseph Drury, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of English
Project: "Comprehensive Review and Assessment of English Department's Core Courses"
Synopsis: The project encapsulates two goals: (1) conduct a formal review of the Core Writing courses to assess their fit for purpose; and (2) conduct research on equivalent courses at peer institutions to inform recommendations.
