Teaching and Engaged Learning

High-impact learning practices are a key element of undergraduate student success in college. These practices include engaging undergraduate students in research, global and cultural engagement through study-abroad and off-campus field trips or service learning, experiential learning like internships and co-op programs, or extracurricular engagement through student organizations. Penn State has a wealth of resources to assist faculty and students in these efforts, and new faculty are encouraged to learn more about the opportunities and become active in one or more of them. New faculty can contact Associate Dean Dennis Shea in the Office for Undergraduate and Outreach Programs for questions or guidance on any of these high-impact practices (dgs4@psu.edu or 814-863-2901).

Research Mentors

Faculty interested in engaging students in their research labs or research projects can register as a research mentor with the Undergraduate Research and Fellowships Mentoring (URFM) office Links to an external site.. Once registered as a mentor, faculty can post opportunities for students to get involved in their research, using a general notice or one specific to particular projects. Many faculty also let students know of opportunities through course announcements, posting flyers on department and college bulletin boards, or through the HHD Student Digest Links to an external site.. URFM provides workshops, publicizes internal and external research activities, and helps mentor students in the development of competitive applications for national and international fellowships and similar opportunities.

Global Opportunities

Faculty interested in developing study abroad experiences or other global engagement opportunities (e.g., building a virtual global experience within a course or hosting visiting international scholars) can speak with Associate Dean Shea, who can help connect them with the best contact within Penn State Global Programs. Study-abroad programs can include experiences that extend over a full academic year to course-embedded programs that might run just a few days or weeks. Penn State Global Programs consults and supports faculty through the full development of the program, offers resources for faculty to use to travel to potential study-abroad sites to establish relationships and plans, and works with faculty on budgets, logistics, and more. A good place to start is to review their web page for faculty (https://global.psu.edu/faculty Links to an external site.).

Off-Campus Learning

Faculty interested in developing student engagement through off-campus field trips or service learning can discuss their plans with the HHD Outreach office by contacting Lisa Clapper Links to an external site.. HHD's Outreach office works with Penn State Conferences and Institutes to create these "study-away" experiences, making sure that we have obtained approval through risk management, contracted or planned for services such as transportation, and other logistics. The aim of the offices is to try to address all the other issues related to the activity, allowing faculty to focus on the learning experience they want to provide for students.

Student Organizations

Penn State has approximately 1,000 active student organizations and many faculty will be asked at least once during their time at Penn State to serve as a Student Organization Adviser Links to an external site.. Advising student organizations and student organization leaders is a great way to engage with students outside of class. By suggesting programs, events and speakers, faculty can help student organizations enrich student life and build a strong learning community. New faculty may want to talk with faculty in their departments about visiting a student organization meeting for an introduction and opportunity to talk with students. And, if faculty have ideas for a student organization that is needed at Penn State, they can work with students to develop a constitution and seek approval to become a registered student organization (RSO) at Penn State.