Holly Capocchiano

Holly Capocchiano is a PhD student at the University of Wollongong, Australia, with a Bachelor of Primary Education. Holly has worked as a research assistant on a wide variety of projects that sparked her passion in research. Holly’s research interests include the wellbeing of higher education students and quality education. Holly is currently serving as one of the Student Vice Presidents (2023-2025) for the International Society of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSOTL).

Gareth Barrett

I am a passionate educator and researcher dedicated to enhancing teaching and learning experiences in higher education. With a focus on teaching physical education, coaching, and mentoring, my doctoral research explores the intersection of contextualised mentoring pedagogy in pre-service teaching practice. As an active member of the SoTL and ISSOTL community, I strive to contribute meaningful insights and innovations to the field. Through collaborative scholarship and professional engagement, I aim to empower individuals to reach their full potential and positively impact the academic sphere.

Sarah Langridge

I am Faculty at St. Lawrence College in Ontario, Canada, and a doctoral student at the University of Saskatchewan where I am completing a PhD in Education with a focus on SoTL. I have a background in ESL teaching, educational technology, and educational leadership. Since joining SoTL, my life has changed drastically. One of the ways in which I am giving back to the SoTL community is by co-facilitating a Community of Practice for College faculty and staff, as well as community training organizations in Eastern Canada.

Felipe Balotin Pinto

I am a teaching fellow at the Faculty of Law & Justice and a doctoral researcher in the School of Education at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). My scholarship addresses higher education (HE) teaching and learning, academic oracy, teacher education, sense of belonging and learning community in HE, legal education and modern languages. My doctoral thesis examines how academic oracy is taught and experienced by educators and students in undergraduate courses in the Faculties of Law and Medicine. Felipe holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) and a dual master’s degree in Linguistics and Teaching French as a Foreign Language.

Leslie Shayer

I earned my first master’s degree in applied mathematics from the University of Waterloo in 1998. I started teaching post-secondary mathematics thereafter, beginning at a French university college in Winnipeg, Manitoba, then at a College in British Columbia, Canada. I quickly learned that I enjoyed the courses that others did not – the first-year, mandatory math courses which demoralized many. I saw students struggle with math. I returned to graduate school, obtained a master’s in arts in education (2020). I am currently diligently writing my dissertation, finding ways to improve the mandatory mathematics experience for both students and instructors.

Nevie Henderson

I am a writer with a passion for creating stories that challenge traditional narratives and inspire readers to question their own sense of self and purpose. I hold a B.S. in Business (Marketing) with minors in Digital Writing and Literature, and I am currently pursuing an M.A. in Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures. My time as an Arabic linguist in the US Navy fostered my advocacy for Arab immigrants and refugees. I aim to translate Arabic literature, promote cultural understanding, and advocate for ASL integration in core curriculum, LGBTQIA+ rights, and neurodivergent acceptance, striving to be the ‘good trouble’ I wish to see in the world.

Lilly Korkontzelos

I am currently enrolled in the Master of Music in Music Theory program at Michigan State University which commences in August of 2024. I grew up in the Greater Toronto Area and obtained my Bachelor of Music in Jazz Vocal Performance from the University of Windsor in 2020.While in school, I taught piano and voice lessons and worked as an audio engineering assistant in local recording studios. My research interests include recording arts and the intersection between pedagogy and industry, the impact of language on the understanding of musical materials, and the development of music theory in historical context.

Svenne Groeneweg

I started my career as a junior lecturer in Public Administration at a research-intensive university. Experiencing an unbalanced standing of teaching and research made me look for ways to approach our teaching more seriously. I specialized in quality assurance policies in higher education, before I discovered SoTL as a field of inquiry. Currently, I am a PhD candidate at the University of Amsterdam studying the impact of SoTL, whilst working at the university’s Teaching and Learning Centre. This combined position allows me to establish fruitful links between theory and practice, and make a valuable contribution to the field of SoTL.

Kellin Tasber

Kellin Tasber (they/them) is a second-year graduate student in their MM in Music Theory at Michigan State University. Kellin’s studies revolve around identity in music theory pedagogy, rap studies, ludomusicology, and vocal music. Their most recent work involves a presentation and publication with Dr. Michael R. Callahan at Pedagogy in Practice 2024 on the barriers that exist for transgender students in the aural skills classroom. Outside of their studies, Kellin advocates for diversity in university settings, and they have a vested interest in service in academia and creating a supportive and comfortable environment for their students.

Brendan McEvoy

Brendan McEvoy is a master’s student of music theory from Michigan State University. His research interests include music theory pedagogy, SOTL, critical pedagogy, musical meaning and narrative, public music theory, and music cognition. Recent projects include incorporating STEM concepts and interdisciplinary pedagogy into fundamentals courses, reading interpretations of anti-narrative in Julius Eastman’s music, defining philosophical underpinnings of Richard Strauss’ opera Capriccio, and identifying an insect topic in film and art music. His work has been shared with the music theory community at several recent conferences, most recently at Music Theory Midwest and Pedagogy into Practice 2024.

Charissa Lee

For Charissa, it’s a privilege to be a part of and contribute to her students’ overall journeys as lifelong learners, future leaders, and human beings. Charissa is a steadfast believer in people’s boundless potential and feels passionate about helping them access this potential. She is a dedicated advocate of core human skills essential for the 21st-century workforce.

Charissa is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) at the University of Saskatchewan and expects to complete her thesis work in 2027.

Charissa is the proud winner of the D2L Excellence Award in recognition for her work in creating a virtual onboarding program which has made an extraordinary impact on learning outcomes. She is also a winner of the 2024 Cisco Catalyst Chair Awards and is working on the integration of an electronic portfolio into the business curriculum.

Eunice Tachie-Menson

Eunice Tachie-Menson is a teaching assistant at Ashesi University, supporting the instruction of mathematics courses for Engineering students. She graduated from Ashesi University in 2022 with an electrical and electronics engineering degree. She is also an alumna of the African Science Academy, an all-girls pre-tertiary institution focused on advanced-level mathematics and science.

She found an interest in SoTL during her first year teaching mathematics to engineering students when her students kept asking about the relevance of studying some math concepts and how they would use them in real life. At that point, she began to research ways and think of innovative approaches to help students see the relevance of mathematics and connect it to the world around them.

She is passionate about mathematics education in higher education. Her current research interests and activities revolve around innovative teaching approaches and authentic assessments that shape students’ learning in the classroom.

Theo Greer

Hello! My name is Theo Greer, and I am from St. Louis, Missouri. I went to Truman State University for computer science and music composition degrees. During my master’s degree in music composition, half of my assistantship assignment was to independently teach an undergraduate music theory course. This experience solidified my feelings that I wanted to become a professor of music theory and composition. Starting in fall 2024, I will be attending Michigan State University for a degree in music theory, and I look forward to honing my pedagogy and research skills there.