Faculty and staff from Niagara University’s College of Education presented their research at the annual conference of the Association of Independent Liberal Arts Colleges for Teacher Education, Feb. 15-16, 2024, in Denver, Colo. The conference theme was “Leading the Change and Fostering Collective Resilience: Independent Liberal Arts Institutions Shaping a Sustainable Future for Teacher Education.”
Assistant professor Dr. Caitlin Riegel presented “Modernizing Educator Preparation One Course at a Time,” which explored the integration of technology into a graduate secondary methods course, examining both instructor and student experiences and highlighting the process of modernizing educator preparation through the gradual adoption of technological tools and their impact on pedagogical practices.
Dr. Riegel and assistant professor Dr. Elizabeth Falzone discussed a collaborative partnership between Niagara University and the local community in their presentation “Story Lane on Ice: Providing an Enriching Learning Experience that Blends Education and Recreation.”
Drs. Riegel and Falzone joined Dr. Michelle Ciminelli, associate professor; Dr. Norline Wild, assistant professor; Laura Sarchet, faculty fellow in early childhood special education; and Tracia McKissic, director of teacher education field experience, in presenting “The Virtual Learning Contract: Making Online Learning Expectations Explicit,” which described the development, distribution, examples, success, and future applications of a contract that was used in a fully online Master of Education initial teacher education program.
In addition, Dr. Carol Doyle-Jones, associate professor of education at Niagara University in Ontario, received the AILACTE’s Global Excellence Award at the conference for her presentation, “Together Shaping Sustainable Paths in Indigenous Education Research,” which shared how settler educators integrate Indigenous perspectives, history, and culture into their pedagogy and curriculum to build resiliency and community where they work and teach. The Global Excellence Award is presented in recognition of excellence in global education programming or practices that advance global/international, intercultural and cross-culture education.
Dr. Chandra Foote, dean of the College of Education, and Dr. Riegel serve on the AILACTE board of directors. The organization, an affiliate of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, was formed in 1980 to provide an effective voice for member institutions at the national, state, and campus level in matters related to teacher education.
