UVU Office of Engaged Learning names Lisa Lambert as Faculty Fellow

By: Priscilla Silva

The Faculty Fellow, an effort by the Office of Engaged Learning to support the development of faculty involvement in engaged learning projects, was awarded to Lisa Lambert who will serve in the capacity during the 2013-2014 school year.

Under her new title, Lambert will lead the university’s reapplication process for the Carnegie Foundation’s Community Engagement classification.

Lambert will also work to advance key initiatives in leadership, community outreach and professional engagement. A considerable background in academic administration, transitioning students to college, and critically re-elective teaching, Lisa will hone her skills to improve engaged learning at UVU.

“With the university’s emphasis on quality teaching and student success, Professor Lambert adds a critical dimension to experiential learning at UVU,” said Brian Birch, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs.

“The Office of Engaged Learning has placed a particular emphasis this year on University College programs, and her expertise in these areas will accelerate our efforts to provide more opportunities for students.”

With service as Assistant Dean of University College, Director of the Faculty Center for Teaching Excellence and Director of Student Success/UV Mentor Program, Lisa will command faculty engagement in teaching their students through engaged practices.

Currently serving as a professor in the University College Department, Lisa Lambert has an impressive list of experience preparing her for the Faculty Fellowship.

“All of my experience has taught me that you can’t just stand at a lectern and talk at someone; that’s not learning,” said Lambert. “I have always tried to create a classroom environment where I am able to tap students’ curiosity and get them to care about what they are learning. They have to learn by doing.”

Lambert has developed and refined her academic approach to engaged learning as an instructor for several student success courses at UVU.

Lambert’s efforts don’t stop there; the scholarship in her name is focused on engaged and transformational learning, higher education community engagement, personal leadership and student peer mentoring.

Dating back to UVU’s pre-university status, engaged learning has been a priority for the school by having students apply learned concepts to real-world situations.

The ideal candidate for receiving the award and gaining the Faculty Fellow position consults with the Office of Engaged Learning, conducts research on engagement strategies and practices through their positions, and cultivates partnerships with civic, humanitarian and other non-profit organizations.

Created in 2010, the Office of Engaged Learning was formed to promote and support academic engagement at UVU. The office develops institutional strategies for engagement, facilitates innovative teaching practices and oversees a variety of initiatives and programs in many different departments on campus.

“What got me involved with the Office of Engaged Learning is UVU’s commitment to engaged teaching practices,” says Alex Strasburg, a Utah Valley University student. “I’m majoring in Integrated Studies, which allows you to take on a double major, so having opportunities to apply what I’ve learned to the real world helps the learning concepts stick.”

All UVU students are encouraged to learn through real application. The OEL sponsors programs like the Center for the Advancement of Leadership and Volunteer & Service-Learning. In these sponsored programs, students are granted certification in some cases and also gain experience in areas they are interested in.

Many on-campus amenities, like the Engaged Learning Zone, are sponsored by the OEL and used to involve students in campus service projects and other activities.

Each program has a notable staff of faculty leading their initiatives, and leaders like Lisa Lambert will continue to keep Utah Valley University committed to engaging students.