Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence Honors Outstanding Teachers
UA Little Rock’s Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence (ATLE) recognized dozens of outstanding faculty members who are dedicated to improving their teaching through professional development during the annual Faculty Excellence Awards ceremony on April 20.
Started in 2007, the Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence’s (ATLE) mission is to foster excellence in teaching and learning through sharing ideas, collaboration, and building a strong community of engaged teachers and learners.
The academy is led by a trio of co-directors who serve three-year terms with one co-director rotating out every year to ensure an infusion of fresh ideas. The current co-directors are Dr. Tom Tudor, professor of management, Dr. René Shroat-Lewis, associate professor of geology, and Dr. Naeem Bajwa, associate professor of management.
Participating faculty can earn points towards ATLE awards, which recognize engagement and achievement in teaching and learning, and are commonly highlighted in faculty annual activity reports.
ATLE’s highest honor of the night went to Dr. David Briscoe, university professor of sociology. He received the ATLE Teaching Stamina Award, which is granted to someone who has earned 1,000 points from ATLE.
Dr. Neveen Shafeek Amin, associate professor of sociology, and Rebeccca Streett, senior instructor and developmental mathematics coordinator, received the ATLE Lifetime Participation Award for earning 700 points.
“We are very proud of our ATLE awardees as all of them care deeply about student learning success,” Tudor said. “Faculty involved in ATLE are to be congratulated for their dedication and hard work at promoting teaching excellence at UA Little Rock.”
Additional ATLE Awards and their recipients include:
- ATLE Master Teacher (500 points) – Edma Delgado Solórzano, Jason Kushner, Louise Lowe, Kimberly Porter, Kilby Raptopoulos, and Margaret (Peggy) Scranton.
- ATLE Distinguished Teaching Fellow (400 points) – Sarah Clements, Carolyn Hunter-Layne, Adriana López Ramirez, Louise Lowe, Sherrie Norwood, Joseph Otundo, Kimberly Porter, and Kilby Raptopoulos.
- ATLE Teaching Fellow (300 points) – Mark Baillie, Naeem Bajwa, Jamie Byrne-McCollum, Sarah Clements, Carolyn Hunter-Layne, William Jergins, Stefanie Leacock, Michael Moore, Josuanne Nduku, Sherrie Norwood, Ashokkumar Sharma, Rhet Smith, Eric Wiebelhaus-Brahm, and Chelsea Young.
- ATLE Professional Development Certificate (200 points) – Jenny Bridges, Jamie Byrne-McCollum, Ronia Kattoum, Tara Martin, Michael Moore, Sarah Porter, Casey Rockwell, Crystal Rose, Heba Sadaka, Wenjun Wang, Eric Wiebelhaus-Brahm, and Scott Woolbright.
