Kent State Recognized by Ohio Arts Council's Individual Excellence Awards
Ten Kent State University School of Art faculty and alumni have been awarded the Ohio Arts Council’s Individual Excellence Awards for 2021. Full-time faculty members Peter Christian Johnson, Taryn McMahon, Andrea Myers, and Shawn Powell were selected for the award. Four School of Art alumni including Tom Bartel (B.F.A. ‘93), Sarah McMahon (M.F.A. ‘18), Marc Ross (M.F.A.’80), and Priscilla Roggenkamp (M.F.A. ‘99) were also included on the list, as well as part-time faculty in Foundations, Sharon Koelblinger and Professor Emeritus Paul O’Keeffe. This award includes a monetary prize of $4000 for each individual artist or is split between collaborators. Learn more.
CPM Professor Jill Kawalec, Ph.D., Receives Gold Teaching Recognition Award from Kent State University
The College of Podiatric Medicine (CPM) would like to congratulate Jill Kawalec, Ph.D. on her recent receipt of a Gold Teaching Recognition Award from Kent State University!
The purpose of the teaching development award program is to recognize and reward faculty effort in enhancing teaching and learning in their courses. Faculty can earn tiered awards based on efforts to learn about, implement, evaluate and investigate evidence-based instructional practices. At the Gold level, Dr. Kawalec is recognized for her scholarly assessment and revision of innovative course components and sharing results with colleagues.
Dr. Kawalec’s award centered around teaching innovation in her Principles of Medical Research class. Over time, she noted that students consistently struggled to learn commonly-used statistical tests and when to use them. In order to enhance student understanding and retention, she implemented a method of collaborative learning known as the jigsaw technique. Specific to the Medical Research class, each student was instructed to become an “expert” in one of six commonly-used statistical tests prior to class.
During class, the students broke into “expert” groups, all of which were assigned the same test, in order to reinforce their understanding of the material. The students then broke into “jigsaw” groups, consisting of at least one “expert” for each statistical test. After teaching their test to the others in the group, the students studied various research design scenarios and then determined the appropriate statistical tests to use in the described studies. Research conducted by Dr. Kawalec along with Viveka Jenks (CPM Education Innovation and Learning Design Manager) and Donna Perzeski (CPM Library Director) demonstrated that the jigsaw technique significantly enhanced student understanding of all of the statistical tests, and that students perceived the method to be an effective and preferred way to learn.
Congratulations, Dr. Kawalec! The College thanks you for your continued passion for teaching, research and service to the CPM students and medical community.
First-Year Middle School Teachers Offer Insight on the COVID Classroom
The Struggle is Real
By Estelle R. Brown
Four new middle school teachers started the school year with high hopes and big dreams, ready to establish their classrooms, teach dynamically and build community with their young students through daily, face-to-face interaction. Instead, they have encountered empty classrooms and computer icons rather than students’ faces. All recent graduates from Kent State University at Geauga’s Middle Childhood Education (MCED) program, Jessica Gaia, Emma Urban, Matthew Utz and Stephenie Keller share their stories of first-year teaching from the COVID classroom. Learn more.
KSU Safety Week is March 22 - 26
Participate (virtually) in KSU Safety Awareness Week, which will feature presentations and speakers who will discuss fire and campus safety, first aid, environmental protection, and other general safety topics to protect the KSU members and the community. Learn more.
From Our Place to Yours Offers Take-and-Make Food and Fun Experiences from Local Businesses
Main Street Kent is working with local businesses to create take-home experiences for those more comfortable being at home than out in public these days.
From a chocolate tasting kit at Popped!, and a take-and-bake burrito kit at Taco Tonto’s, to a bubble painting kit at McKay Bricker Framing, you can order these special “kits” for pick-up every Wednesday through April 7. On St. Paddy’s Day, March 17, a special Rueben kit will be available at Franklin Square Deli!
A new offering will be launched with an instructional video each week.
“People are missing their local favorites and our businesses are struggling, so we want to bring authentic experiences into people’s homes, allowing them the opportunity to participate in the process,” said Main Street Kent executive director Heather Malarcik. “We’re hoping for a nice boost in business as spring approaches and things start to open up more. People need a break from the day-to-day, especially with spring just around the corner.”
Additional take-and-make experiences will be available from Belleria Pizza & Italian Restaurant, Empire, Erie Street Kitchen, GRAZERS (re-opening soon!), Red Letter Days, and Tree City Coffee & Pastry. Each weekly offering will be available for purchase directly through each business by phone or online ordering. Full details are available at the Main Street Kent website.
Virtual Exercise Options for Faculty and Staff
Spring semester faculty and staff group exercise classes will continue through May 14. Employee Wellness, in collaboration with Recreational Services, is pleased to offer the following sessions each week at no cost to employees. With the health and safety of our Kent State community in mind, group exercise classes are being delivered virtually this semester. All fitness levels are welcome!
Total Body Toning: Monday/Wednesday, 12:15 - 1 p.m.
Yoga: Tuesday, 12:15 - 1 p.m.
Cardio Kickboxing: Friday, 12:15 - 1 p.m.
These classes are open to all full and part time employees. Those participating in the wellness rewards program earn 10 Tier 2 points for each session they attend. Pre-registration is required. Visit the Employee Wellness calendar to register. You must register for each session you would like to attend.
For on-demand classes, visit the Virtual Recreation Options web page provided by Recreational Services. You will find a variety of recorded sessions led by all your favorite Recreation and Wellness Center instructors under "Virtual Fitness". You can access even more free options for fitting physical activity into a busy schedule on our Virtual Resources to Support Health and Well-Being page.
For questions related to health and wellness offerings for Kent State University faculty and staff, please contact the Employee Wellness office at wellness@kent.edu or 330-672-0392.
Labor Condition Application Notice
In accordance with 20 CFR § 655.734, Kent State University is required to provide notice that a Labor Condition Application (LCA)for H-1B Nonimmigrant Alien Worker has been led by Kent State University with the United States Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, United States Employment Service Certifying Officer. All LCA postings are provided for at the university's Legal Notices website.