The Learning Academy is thrilled to introduce the faculty members who have been selected to serve as RISE Scholars for the 2021-2022 academic year. RISE Scholars will serve as resident experts on the RISE framework. Scholars will bring the RISE Project to their respective colleges by leading roundtable sessions and offering peer consultations. They are available to discuss ideas, suggest resources, share or review materials, observe teaching or Canvas shells, collect informal feedback from students, and help to translate teaching practices across disciplines, courses, and student populations. RISE Scholars were chosen for their demonstrated dedication to teaching, continuous improvement, and the RISE values as well as their ability to work well with their colleagues to enhance teaching and learning at Lindenwood.
College of Arts and Humanities
Dr. Ana Schnellmann
Dr. Ana Schnellmann has been teaching at Lindenwood University since 1995. She holds a BA in English from the College of St. Benedict (1986) , a MA in English from Ohio University (1989) a graduate certificate in Women’s Studies from Ohio University (1989) , a PhD in English from St. Louis University (1997), and a MA in Art History from Lindenwood University (2020).
As a lifelong learner, Ana is dedicated to continuing her formal and informal education whenever possible. Blessed to work in a strong community of excellent faculty, Ana’s goal is to continue to modify, modernize, and strengthen her pedagogical skills. In addition, Ana is deeply committed to Lindenwood University and its mission and has served on most standing committees. Currently, she is a member of the Faculty Council, the First Year Writing Committee, and the Promotions in Rank Committee. Ana was one of the recipients of the ROAR award in 2020 for her agility in adapting to the challenges of the pandemic.
Ana has taught in a plethora of settings ranging from prisons to honors classrooms, from community colleges to Lindenwood. In each setting, Ana strives to use her experience, passion for teaching, and expertise to guide students to find their voices and unique styles. Writing as an ongoing recursive process is emphasized in her composition courses. In literature and theory courses, Ana strives to help students see the magic of the written word and make both contemporary and classic works something to which students can relate and with which they can engage. In all courses, Ana’s goal for students is that they develop and operationalize real-world power skills such as critical thinking, time management, and teamwork.
I am honored and humbled to be selected as this year’s RISE Scholar for the College of Arts and Humanities. I’m looking forward to working with a community of colleagues to explore and refine theories, methods and techniques that will aid us in integrating the balance of rigor, inclusivity, support, and engagement in all of our courses university-wide.
Ana is our RISE Scholar Expert on Support. Check out what she has to say about supporting student success in the classroom.
Send Ana an email to schedule a consultation.
Plaster College of Business and Entrepreneurship
Dr. Javeria Farooqi
Dr. Farooqi received her Ph.D. in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from The University of Texas Pan-American. She has been the recipient of numerous honors and awards including UTPA Excellence, International Women’s Board, VIP Star Scholarships, and Texas Business Hall of Fame Scholarship.
She has presented her research at both national and international conferences, including 33rd Annual Congress of the European Accounting Association, Southern Finance Association, and Academy of Economic and Finance. In addition, Dr. Farooqi has published her research in Journal of Investing, Journal of Multinational Financial Management, Quarterly Review of Economics, Journal of Economics and Finance, Review of Accounting and Finance, and International Journal of Accounting.
Currently, she is the department chair of finance and teaches finance, both graduate and undergraduate level, at Lindenwood University in St. Charles. Dr. Farooqi also co-teaches Investment Application (Student managed portfolio of $100,000) which she established through the generous donation made by Lindenwood Universities Board of Trustees.
I cannot express how thrilled and honored I am to be selected as the RISE scholar for Plaster College of Business and Entrepreneurship. I believe the best way to learn something is by teaching it. This is my opportunity to learn how to excel at teaching by teaching others how to excel. I’m excited to be a part of this amazing project and all the opportunities and possibilities that it brings with it.
Javeria is our RISE Scholar Expert on Rigor. Check out what she has to say about the importance of rigor in the classroom.
Send Javeria an email to schedule a consultation.
College of Education and Human Services
Dr. Emilie Johnson
Dr. Emilie Johnson is a Professor of Education at Lindenwood University. She has been a full-time faculty member since 1999 and teaches graduate courses in the College of Education and Human Services. She earned a Ph.D. In Educational Administration from St. Louis University in 1997 and brings to Lindenwood 13 years of experience in public school teaching, administration and teacher training.
In addition to teaching, Dr. Johnson is the author of student study guides, teacher resource manuals, instructor test banks, and text supporting websites for Educational Psychology, Introduction to Teaching, and Educational Research texts for Pearson. Her publishing efforts include student and instructor supplements for the Educational Psychology text used at Lindenwood University. Dr. Johnson was awarded the St. Charles County 40 Under 40 Award, St. Charles County Ring of Excellence in Teaching Award and The Missouri Governor’s
Award for Excellence in Teaching. She is recognized as a Lindenwood Distinguished Mentor and was promoted to the rank of full professor in August 2006. Dr. Johnson is a site evaluator for Character.org and the Missouri Schools and Districts of Character. She recently completed certification as a National Evaluator for Character.org and had the privilege of evaluating a middle school in Harlem and a high school in New Jersey.
I am really excited and honored to be a part of the RISE scholar program. The faculty here at Lindenwood is comprised of so many talented and creative professors and I cannot wait to learn from and alongside them!
Send Emilie an email to schedule a consultation.
College of Science, Health, and Technology
Dr. Megan Woltz
Dr. Megan Woltz received her B.S. in Environmental Science with an Ecology concentration from North Carolina State University in 2007 and her Ph.D. in Entomology & Ecology from Michigan State University in 2013. She became interested in pedagogy while completing a Certificate in Teaching College Science during her graduate work. Ever since, she has continually explored new ways to use active learning to enhance student comprehension and engagement in her courses. Dr. Woltz joined Lindenwood University in 2015 where she regularly teaches biodiversity, ecology, writing for biology, biology in society, and the biology capstone.
During her first year of teaching full-time, she realized that helping students learn how to learn and successfully navigate college is just as important as covering subject matter. She begins her courses with an overview of successful study strategies and then embeds course content into activities in which students work collaboratively to practice scientific skills like quantitative reasoning, hypothesis testing, and graph interpretation. Over the last few years, Dr. Woltz has become aware of research demonstrating that student identity and stereotype threat affect student performance in courses across all disciplines. As a result, she is now exploring methods to increase inclusivity in her courses to better serve students of all backgrounds and identities.
Being a teacher is about so much more than telling students important information about your subject. Teaching involves helping students become independent and self-confident learners and creating a classroom that decreases achievement gaps caused by systemic inequalities. I am incredibly excited and energized to have this opportunity to dive more deeply into pedagogical research on rigor, inclusion, support, and engagement. More importantly, I am honored to be given the opportunity to help other faculty find ways to increase RISE in their own courses, in ways that they are comfortable with and that are compatible with their content.
Megan is our RISE Scholar Expert on Inclusiveness. Check out what she has to say about inclusivity in the classroom.
Send Megan an email to schedule a consultation.
