Instructional Innovation Fellowship (IIF) : Instructional Design, Engagement, and Support (IDEAS) : UMass Amherst

About IIF

As part of the Instructional Design, Engagement and Support (IDEAS) group’s mission to support innovation in teaching, as well as the effective use of teaching technologies, the Instructional Innovation Fellowship (IIF) supports UMass instructors across disciplines who are currently engaging in creative teaching practices to share their ideas with and learn from other UMass instructors.

Modeled on the internationally renowned Teach Meet approach, IIF Fellows convene monthly in a community of practice and rotate presenting their innovative teaching methods and approaches related to topics such as creating dynamic lectures, assessing students, and developing engaging activities.

Applications for the 2024-2025 fellowship have now closed. Thanks for your interest!

Read the latest IIF articles

Instructional Innovation Fellowship (IIF) Quick Links

Program and Application Information Program and Application Information 2024-25 Articles 2024-25 Articles 2023-2024 Fellowship Archive 2023-2024 Fellowship Archive 2022-2023 Fellowship Archive 2022-2023 Fellowship Archive Article Archive Article Archive

2024-25 Fellows

Alejandro Beas Murillo

Educator and Doctoral Candidate, English Department

Alejandro Beas Murillo (he/him) is an educator and doctoral candidate in the English program at UMass Amherst. He earned a BA in English and an MA in American Studies from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid in his home country of Spain, where he also worked as a high school and language academy teacher. Before joining UMass, he was a Spanish Teaching Assistant at Williams College in Williamstown, MA. Alejandro is also a Writing professor at Thrive Scholars, an organization that supports students of color from immigrant and/or working class backgrounds prior to and during their college experience.

Anna Fox Reilly

Lecturer, Department of Education

Dr. Anna Fox Reilly is an educator and scholar in the field of higher education. She earned both her M.Ed. and Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where her dissertation explored the embodied experience of being a woman PhD student. Other research interests have included academic identity development in relation to gender and sexuality, disability within the college environment, adult learning theory, and perceived support for student activism on campus. Her research, scholarship, and personal journey have profoundly shaped her pedagogical philosophy.

Currently, Anna teaches online for the higher education program at UMass Amherst. Her approach to teaching is deeply informed by her belief that wellness is paramount. She strives to create a learning environment that is flexible, rigorous, and playful, ensuring that adult learners can engage in meaningful and enjoyable educational experiences.

Adam Grimmitt

PhD Candidate, Department of Kinesiology

Adam is a graduate student in the department of Kinesiology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He is a teaching assistant across a variety of classes, ranging from team based discussions to large scale lectures. He was an instructor for the Neuromechanics of Human Locomotion (SU23;SP24) and is a First Year Seminar instructor for students within the Exploratory tract and the School of Public Health and Health Sciences. His research interest revolves around gait-specific biomechanics in older adults. As an instructor - Adam tries to bring play to his students. He does this by framing learning as an act of curiosity and growth. Inclusive frameworks allow him to play with concepts and relationships to improve student learning.

Aline Gubrium

Professor of Community Health Education Program Head, School of Public Health and Health Sciences

Aline Gubrium has extensive experience in innovative research methodologies that focus on participatory, and arts- and culture-centered approaches. She is a medical anthropologist with expertise in sexual and reproductive health inequities, specifically experienced by historically marginalized communities and families. Gubrium’s research lies at the intersection of ethnography, critical narrative intervention, and action. Currently, she is Co-PI on the Massachusetts Department of Public Health-funded STRIVE study to complete a comprehensive investigation using participatory research methods with two diverse communities in Massachusetts to examine how structural racism, in combination with other systems of oppression, contributes to inequitable sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) and broader life outcomes for young people and marginalized parents/families.

Bo Kim

Instructor and Graduate Student, Studio Arts, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Bo Kim is an instructor and graduate student in Studio Arts at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, within the Department of Art. She teaches Studio Drawing and Drawing Composition for undergraduate studio art and architecture students and leads a Drawing & Portfolio Preparation course for Pre-College students during the summer.
Bo's research interests include trauma-informed pedagogy, art-based therapeutic methods, and Social Emotional Learning/Healing Studies. She is dedicated to creating a classroom environment that serves as a safe space for both students and instructors.
As a fellow of the Instructional Innovation Fellowship, Bo will present her innovative strategies that foster strength-based learning and active participation inside and outside the classroom. Her approaches include: Utilizing interactive tools for individual and group engagement, encouraging open dialogue, and promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion to honor multiplicity.

Kevin Klement

Professor, Department Chair, Department of Philosophy

Kevin Klement is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Philosophy at the University of Massachusetts. He is the author of dozens of articles in the history of analytic philosophy and the history of logic, especially concerning the work of Gottlob Frege, Bertrand Russell and Ludwig Wittgenstein, as well as the book _Frege and the Logic of Sense and Denotation_. He is also an advocate of Open Access publishing and Open Educational Resources. He was the former editor in chief of the Open Access _Journal for the History of Analytical Philosophy_ and has made a number of important texts from early analytic philosophy available in numerous open access formats.

Javid Mussawy

Lecturer, Director of Educational Assessment and Analytics, College of Education

Sayed Ahmad Javid Mussawy is a lecturer and the Director of Educational Assessment and Analytics at the College of Education, University of Massachusetts Amherst. Javid comes from Afghanistan where he served as a higher education leader and faculty member for 10 years. He served as the Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs at Baghaln University between 2010 - 2015. Javid has a PhD in International Education and teaches in the areas of international development, project management and implementation in international development, educational research, and assessment and evaluation in higher education. His research focus areas are assessment and evaluation, quality assurance and accreditation in higher education, and higher education leadership. Currently, Javid serves on the executive board of Amherst Community Land Trust (ACLT) and co-organizes social-emotional support for Afghan women refugees in Western Massachusetts.

Shirley Shmerling

Senior Lecturer II, Isenberg School of Management

Shirley Shmerling is a full-time faculty of the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts. She teaches a variety of graduate and undergraduate courses in the areas of Operations and Information Management in face-to-face, hybrid, and online formats. Her instructional teaching approach focuses on developing strategies for increasing students’ engagement and learning effectiveness by incorporating state-of-the-art technologies, exploratory activities, collaborative learning and fostering an inclusive and flexible learning environment. Recently, she has been able to co-develop and co-teach a course focused on AI in business contexts. As an Instructional Innovation Fellow, Shirley looks forward to the opportunity to learn from other fellows and share strategies that she uses in her teaching.

Sravan Surampudi

Senior Lecturer I, Department of Chemistry

I am a Senior Lecturer I in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Currently, I serve as co-chair of the Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) program and the department's electronic exams coordinator. I am interested in developing strategies to foster an active learning environment that enhances student engagement and learning in traditional large lecture courses. By incorporating audience response systems, multimedia, and live in-class demonstrations featuring current research and real-world applications of fundamental chemical principles, I strive to equip students with robust problem-solving, critical thinking, and content mastery skills. My ultimate goal is to empower students to apply their knowledge not only in subsequent courses but also in their daily lives.

Ann-Marie Sylvia

Doctoral Candidate, School of Public Health and Health Science, Kinesiology Department.

Ann-Marie Sylvia is a doctoral candidate in UMass Amherst’s School of Public Health and Health Science’s Kinesiology Department. Ann-Marie’s research interests focus on the use of physical activity as a medication to improve overall quality of life and health outcomes. Currently she is conducting research looking at the intersection of physical activity, neurodivergent children and adolescents, and the human-animal bond. During the Fall 2024 semester Ann-Marie is teaching two first year seminars: Physical Activity, Neurodivergence, and Star Wars, as well as, Guinness World Records, Big Goals, and You! (she is a current Guinness World Record holder). In her classroom, Ann-Marie is passionate about creating an inclusive learning environment and grounds her teaching in the Critical-Inclusive Pedagogy Framework to meet students where they are and adjust her own expectations of students to match the educational needs and wants of each individual student.

Shubha Tewari

Senior Lecturer II, Physics Department

Dr. Shubha Tewari is a Senior Lecturer II at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and Director of the STEM Education Institute. She currently serves as Associate Undergraduate Program Director in the Physics Department, and is Past-Chair, National Organizing Committee of the American Physical Society’s Conferences for Undergraduate Women and Gender Minorities in Physics (CU*iP). A theoretical condensed matter physicist, she uses computer simulation methods to study the collective behavior of soft matter systems such as granular materials and foams. Most of her research is done in collaboration with undergraduates. As an instructor, Shubha is deeply interested in improving the classroom experience for students using active learning methods. She is an NRMN-trained mentor and mentoring-workshop facilitator, and an enthusiastic organizer of outreach activities for the scientifically curious of all ages.

2024-2025 marks the second year of the Instructional Innovation Fellowship. To see more on previous fellows, check out the quick links above.

Questions?

If you have questions about the fellowship or application process, please contact Sharon Kearney (@email).