Dr. Chelsea Lancelle, assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, is one of four University of Wisconsin-Platteville faculty members selected for the 2021-22 Wisconsin Teaching Fellows and Scholars Program. The UW System program offers faculty a unique opportunity to collaborate with other teachers from across the system and complete a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning project.
Lancelle’s project will explore the Micro-Spiral Method and whether it can change students’ perception of their learning and metacognition in a general education science course. The Micro-Spiral Method involves structured repetition built into a course. It has previously been used in a middle-school setting to address student learning and absenteeism.
Lancelle said this teaching method could have several benefits for students at UW-Platteville. She hopes it will improve students’ study skills and recognition of what helps them learn. It can also benefit students who miss classes, allowing them to better keep up with the course material, as the repetition of the Micro-Spiral Method allows for each course topic to be addressed to some extent more than once. This could also increase equity in a course, not only helping students who have to miss classes, but also others – such as English as second language students – who may benefit from the repetition.
“This project is really important to me, as I want to better serve my students and help them all succeed in my course and throughout their time at UW-Platteville,” said Lancelle. “Over the course of the summer I’ll continue refining my Scholarship of Teaching and Learning research project, but the Micro-Spiral Method is what I’m looking to focus on since it has many possible benefits to students.”
Lancelle earned her Ph.D. and Master of Science in geoscience from UW-Madison and a Bachelor of Science in geology and mathematics from St. Norbert College. She joined UW-Platteville in 2016 as a lecturer and transitioned to assistant professor in 2019. She teaches geology courses, covering topics that include physical geology, geology for engineers and hydrogeology.
Lancelle will be recognized at the UW-Platteville faculty and staff convocation on Thursday, Aug. 26.