Bryan Robert Smith, Director

480DA Langsam Library
513-556-6382
smbr@uc.edu

MFA, Creative Writing, University of Florida
PhD, English & Comparative Literature, University of Cincinnati

Within Undergraduate Academic Affairs, Bryan directs strategic vision and planning for CET&L, and is ultimately responsible for CET&L programming. In particular, he co-chairs the Diversity & Inclusion Committee's workgroup for Faculty Development; he runs workshops on teaching and learning; he serves on the Undergraduate Academic Affairs Council, the General Education committee, IT@UC Governance committee, the Experiential Learning Council, the Course Evaluation committee, and as advisor to the Provost's Academic Committee in support of academic program outcomes assessment. In addition, he is available to consult with academic departments on issues of teaching, learning, program assessment, and curricula.

Kimber Andrews, Assistant Director

480 Langsam Library
513-556-6301
kimber.andrews@uc.edu

MFA, Dance, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign
PhD, Education, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign

At CET&L, Kimber directs efforts related to Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and supports faculty to create inclusive learning environments accessible to diverse learners.  She facilitates the Mindfulness and Teaching Faculty Leanring Community and co-facilites the Teaching for Equity and Inclusion Institute.  She is available for individual and group consultations.

Kimber’s research interests include arts based inquiry, reflective practice, and the embodied aspects of teaching and learning.  In particular, she explores the relationship between curricular design and how it is orchestrated and embodied in the classroom space.

Kimber has designed and taught classes in composition (video, dance and writing), dance technique and dance history.  Before pursuing graduate study in Education, she was a touring dance artist and brought meaningful experiences with the arts into schools and communities throughout the Midwest.

Kimber has presented her research at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, the International Congress on Qualitative Inquiry, and Building Interdisciplinary Bridges Across Cultures. She continues to study the relationship between embodiment and education in her teaching practice and research.

Anna Donnell, Assistant Director

480 Langsam Library
513-556-1270
anna.donnell@uc.edu

BA, Chemistry (ACS-certified), St. Anselm College
PhD, Chemistry, University of Cincinnati

At CET&L, Anna directs efforts related to course design and innovative pedagogy. Currently, Anna facilitates the Junior Faculty Learning Community (JR-FLC) and the Active Learning Fellows Program (ALF Program). Anna also teaches workshops on evidence-based practices to enhance teaching and learning across UC. In addition, she serves as advisor to UC’s Graduate Association for Teaching Enhancement (GATE) which provides teaching and learning professional development opportunities for graduate students. Anna is available for individual and group consultations as well as classroom observations for any instructor at UC to develop personalized strategies that improve academic student success.

In the Department of Chemistry at UC, she teaches General Chemistry and works closely with faculty in the department to improve the General Chemistry and Analytical Chemistry curricula.

Anna’s background in analytical chemistry includes trace metal analysis, speciation, and metalloproteomics with a focus on environmental and health applications. In the classroom, her research and teaching interests include student misconceptions, reasoning, scientific argumentation, metacognition, STEM courses, large enrollment courses, and the ability to connect the classroom experience with the greater world.  

Anna's scholarly work has been published in peer reviewed journals such as The Journal of Chemical Education and Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry. She has also presented her research at professional conferences including Lilly International Conference on College Teaching, The POD Network Conference, The Ohio-PKAL Annual Conference, SciX: The Great Scientific Exchange, The Winter Plasma Conference, Pittcon, The ACS National Meeting, and The ACS Central Regional Meeting.

S. Elisabeth (Beth) Faller, Assistant Director

480 Langsam Library
513-556-6367
beth.faller@uc.edu

BA, History, Boston University
EdM, Language & Literacy, Harvard Graduate School of Education
EdD, Human Development & Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education

At CET&L, Beth directs efforts related to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), including facilitating a SoTL-focused Faculty Learning Community and developing support for scholars engaged in the writing stage of SoTL. She also creates workshop programming and is available for individual and group consultations.

Beth’s research and teaching interests include reading and writing instruction, developing self-regulated learners, adult learning, and understanding the individual and organizational factors that influence efforts to change instruction. Her experience in the field of education includes teaching, curriculum design, teacher professional development, and program evaluation.

Beth has developed and taught courses in both university and Adult Basic Education settings. She recently taught graduate-level courses for teachers on sociolinguistics and bilingual education and writing development and instruction, as well as a course to help K-12 school leaders understand contrasting models of literacy reform.

Beth’s scholarly work has appeared in peer reviewed journals such as The Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, Reading Research Quarterly, The Reading Teacher, Science Scope, and Preventing School Failure. She has also presented at professional conferences such as the annual meetings of the American Educational Research Association and Council for Exceptional Children, the Lilly Conferences on College and University Teaching and Learning and the International Society for Exploring Teaching and Learning. Additionally, she has written teaching cases for the Public Education Leadership Project, a joint initiative of the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Harvard Business School. Visit her Scholar@UC site to explore a selection of her scholarly works.

Christian Drennen, Assistant Director

480 Langsam Library
513-556-9433
Christian.Drennen@uc.edu

Christian is the Assistant Director of Pedagogy and Technology (Online) in the Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (CETL) at the University of Cincinnati. Christian has experience in both academic and corporate learning design, training, and teaching with technology. Christian was known formerly for his work as the senior instructional designer in UC’s College of Allied Health Sciences. In that role, Christian worked with the Center of Educational Technology and Instructional Support (CETIS) team to incorporate a systematic process of creating instructional materials in both classroom and  online environments.

Prior to his work at UC, Christian was a learning specialist with over nine years of experience at Staples Incorporated, in their Retail, Operations, and Dotcom business units. At Staples, Christian worked to design and implement corporate training curriculum consistent with adult learning principles for a variety of classroom applications, including virtual and e-learning, as well as off-shore instruction.

Now, in his current role, Christian is responsible for developing CET&L’s online programming and resources related to the effective and innovative use of the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS) and educational technologies in hybrid and online courses. Christian works in close coordination with Undergraduate Studies, Enterprise Academic Technologies, and UC Online to deliver high-quality, learner-centered development and support for hybrid and online courses at the University of Cincinnati. Christian is also proficient in Adobe software, WebEx and virtual classroom platforms, Kaltura, course construction models, interaction and mental models, MLO, CBT, and flipped classroom modalities.

Daniel Dale, Assistant Director

480 Langsam Library
513-556-9372
daniel.dale@uc.edu

BA, English, University of Dayton
MA, English, Wright State University,
PhD, English and Comparative Literature, University of Cincinnati

Daniel directs efforts related to technology and the classroom. Daniel’s work focuses on helping faculty integrate technology throughout their curriculum. This includes using technology in the classroom and helping faculty design content that enhances students’ digital literacy. He is available for individual and group consultations.

Daniel’s research focuses on how students utilize digital literacies in a variety of contexts. In particular, he is interested in how students learn digital literacies and then apply those literacies in non-technological spaces.

Daniel has also designed and taught numerous courses at the University of Cincinnati. He currently teaches composition and previously taught courses focused on technology and literature, American literature after the Civil War, and comic books.

Daniel’s scholarly work has been published in journals such as the European Journal of American Culture and the Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics. He also has a book chapter on affective labor and working with student forthcoming in an edited collection published by the University of Kansas Press.

Melissa Kessel, Executive Staff Assistant

480B Langsam Library
513-556-9319
melissa.kessel@uc.edu

BS, Early Childhood Education, Xavier University

At CET&L, Melissa is the primary contact for the Center. She’s the first person you’ll talk to when you have questions about CET&L and the services they provide. Additionally, she provides administrative and financial support for the Center staff in support of their academic mission.

Prior to working with CET&L, Melissa spent 6 years working with elementary, middle, and high school students in Cincinnati Public Schools. She has also spent time overseas in Japan working as an English teacher. Melissa is passionate about education and when not in her office, you can either find her in Japanese class, or in the country itself.

日本語は流暢ではないのでメール等は全て日本語で送らない様、お願い致します。

Michaela Sandige, Graduate Assistant

480 Langsam Library
513-556-3053
sandigma@mail.uc.edu

BA, Psychology, University of Cincinnati
BS, Psychology, University of Cincinnati

At CET&L, Michaela is a laison for all CET&L sponsored programs and workshops. She also accounts for all data collected through attendance, assessments, and feedback provided through workshops and sponsored programs. 

Michaela is a graduate student in the Master's of Arts in Mental Health Counseling program at UC. Upon projected graduation from this program in 2021, she has the aim to become a Licensed Professional Counselor. Her population of focus is youths with behavioral issues and trauma."