For more on faculty development, check out our blog.
Jay Rasmussen
Faculty Development Coordinator
Department of Education
rasjay@bethel.edu | x6237
Jay has been involved with faculty development since 2009 and provides leadership for the Faculty Development Team. Jay’s areas of expertise include active engagement of learners, curriculum design, classroom-based assessment, content area reading, flipping instruction, and online learning. Jay is available to meet with individuals or departments to discuss issues related to improving instruction, and he will coordinate the Primetime and Talk About Teaching sessions in partnership with Friends of the Library. Jay holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the U of M.
Carol Hargate
Faculty Development Specialist
Department of Nursing
c-hargate@bethel.edu | x6538
Carol is a professor of nursing and currently serves as Community Engagement Coordinator for the Nursing Department. Carol’s expertise includes facilitating community partnerships, community based intercultural learning, and inter-professional education and practice. Carol’s role within faculty development also includes support for culturally responsive instruction. Carol also serves as the CAS faculty diversity liaison.
Kathy Nevins
Faculty Development Specialist
Department of Psychology
k-nevins@bethel.edu | x6292
Kathy is Professor of Psychology and has been part of faculty development at Bethel for 30 years. She oversees the Faith Learning Integration and Developmental Instruction workshops. Kathy also provides individual consultations on IDEA evaluations, and any other issues or questions related to her areas of expertise: facilitating intellectual, moral, and identity development in the classroom, working with difficult students, creating practical and novel assessments of course objectives, and creating classroom community environments that challenge and support student learning.
Amy Poppinga
Faculty Development Specialist
Department of History
a-poppinga@bethel.edu | x6583
Amy has been a faculty of the history department since 2012. With 17 years of teaching at both the secondary and college levels, she has experience with curriculum development and instruction in many settings. Her areas of expertise include integrating faith in teaching, engaging difficult or controversial topics in the classroom with care, navigating personal identity in teaching (when to use personal examples and when we should not), and creating professional boundaries that still allow for connecting with students. She joins the team this fall to partner with Jay in mentoring second-year faculty.
Paula Soneral
Faculty Development Specialist
Department of Biological Sciences
p-soneral@bethel.edu | x6928
Paula is an associate professor of biological sciences and started at Bethel in 2008. She joins the faculty development team this fall to facilitate New Faculty Orientation, and ongoing mentoring of first year faculty. Paula is interested in laboratory course design, promoting metacognition in students, active and cooperative learning. Her role also includes support for using flexible learning spaces and individualized instruction consultation.
Dan Swensen
Faculty Development Specialist
Department of Education
d-swensen@bethel.edu | x6929
Dan is an associate professor in Education and has been at Bethel since 2008. Dan joins the faculty development team this fall and will work with the Learner Perspective on Instruction program. His areas of interest include improving instruction through critical reflection, creating a culture of thinking in the classroom, flipping instruction in order to increase student engagement and collaboration, and creating classroom spaces that enhance pedagogical practices. Dan also serves on the University Classroom Oversight Committee.
Sara Wyse
Faculty Development Specialist (on sabbatical Fall 2016)
Department of Biology
s-wyse@bethel.edu | x6842
Sara is an associate professor of Biological Sciences. She has been involved with faculty development at Bethel since 2011 and has experience working with and researching professional development in the sciences. Sara’s roles within faculty development include mentoring of first and second year faculty, providing ongoing support for flexible learning classroom use, and individualized professional development, including curriculum and instruction consultation.
April Vinding
Faculty Development Specialist
Department of English
a-vinding@bethel.edu | x6548
April is an associate professor in English and director of writing. Her work on the faculty development team includes collaborating with faculty to innovate and energize students and writing for scholarship. Contact her to explore practical steps faculty and departments can take to build students' writing skills, lighten the burden of feedback and grading, and to maximize your resources for written scholarship.
Pamela Erwin
Administrative Representative
Dean of Professional Programs and Faculty Development
Pamela is the administrative representative on the team. She also oversees professional development funds and faculty development events such as Primetime in the BU Library, Study Day Brunch, and Faculty Retreat.
Kent Gerber
Digital Library Manager
Bethel University Library
k-gerber@bethel.edu | x6937