Dr. Bill Bratberg just entered his 40th year of teaching. He is highly regarded by his peers and loved by his students. Dr. Simin Cwick, department chairperson for Middle and Secondary Education describes Dr. Bratberg as a "true educator and scholar who understands the issues that this generation of students faces." Dr. Cwick explains that Dr. Bratberg is always available to assist students or colleagues, and his students trust and respect him deeply. In fact, his students admire him so much they decided to have a day where they all came to class dressed like Dr. Bratberg (i.e. in Hawaiian shirts!).

Inspired by "The Last Lecture," given by Carnegie Mellon computer science professor Randy Pausch one year prior to his death, Dr. Bratberg created his own last lecture to highlight the wisdom he has cultivated during his teaching career. For this inaugural issue of Academic Hall Connection, Dr. Bratberg shares this wisdom with us. Read Bratberg's Last Lecture.

Learning communities are groups of students with a shared academic interest or experience who live together within a residence hall, and who take classes together. Faculty and staff support these communities by designing co-curricular activities that help students to engage more deeply with academic concepts, to develop an identity as a student within a particular field, and to strengthen their social connections on campus. Extensive research suggests that learning communities are highly effective strategies for promoting deeper learning and engagement among students who participate in these groups. The AAC&U categorizes learning communities as one of its 10 High Impact Educational Practices. Commonly, learning communities are considered to be effective strategies for supporting and enhancing student retention.

 

Currently, Southeast has several learning communities that are thriving under the leadership of faculty and staff who support these groups. Allie Wisker, area coordinator for the Office of Residence Life, shares more insight into the learning communities at Southeast and how a particular group of faculty and staff are working to advance this program. Faculty who are interested in developing or supporting a learning community are encouraged to contact Allie to learn more. 

Lisa Biggs-Clark works as an instructor of Communication Studies at all three regional campuses: Kennett, Malden, and Sikeston. She teaches SC105 Oral Communication, SC155 Interpersonal Communication, and UI345 Nonverbal Communication.

 

Marsha Blanchard, director of the Kennett Regional Campus, describes Lisa as an "outstanding instructor." Marsha explains that, "Ms. Biggs-Clark is very student oriented, but she challenges her students in a very supportive way. Her students really enjoy her classes, but they have to work hard!"

Read more about Lisa Biggs-Clark and her approach to teaching and learning.