Educational Resources

The Center for Engaged Learning provides educational resources to support faculty and staff in implementing high impact practices, including tools and strategies to enhance teaching, integrate technology, and support professional growth.

On Poverty

The SPENT Virtual Poverty Simulation is a tool for engaging students in issues related to poverty and equity in the United States. Centered around the interactive online simulation SPENT (developed by McKinney ad agency for Urban Ministries of Durham), the CEL offers ready-made lesson plans and scripted presentations for both curricular and co-curricular delivery. Faculty and staff are encouraged to utilize some or all of the available resources and adapt them to meet their specific needs.

SPENT Lesson Plan

The SPENT Lesson Plan includes two parts designed to sandwich students’ SPENT experience. Part 1 provides an introduction to poverty concepts and context for the costs associated with household budgets. Part 2 provides an opportunity for students to engage in structured critical reflection about their SPENT experiences and begin to explore the underlying policy issues that shape and perpetuate American poverty. Each lesson plan includes recommended time allotments that can be adjusted to fit various class times.

Click here to download the SPENT lesson plan.

Scripted SPENT PowerPoint Presentation

The SPENT Activity will last for approximately 60-90 minutes depending on how much time the presenter wants to spend on discussion. The presentation can be delivered in person or virtually, but we recommend that it be delivered at a synchronous meeting if delivered virtually.

This collection of resources to learn about poverty includes articles, data sets, videos, and podcasts designed to be accessible in tone, design, and content to a variety of different audiences. Each item listed includes an estimated reading/watching/listening time, a hyperlink to the source, and a brief annotation. Source organizations range from popular news media to advocacy organizations.

The resources are grouped into the following three categories:

Poverty definitions and measurements
Public policy and poverty
Challenging stigma and stereotypes about poverty

Click here to download the list of resources.

On Tutoring

The CEL offers a variety of modules to support the professional development of student tutors working with kids. The modules are designed to be effective for both self-guided training and delivery by a facilitator in a group setting. Although designed for students working with elementary-aged children in reading, the topics and skills are transferrable to a variety of settings that require engaging with children. Modules are available on the website as PDFs, but they are also available as Canvas modules that can be imported into a Canvas course for independent learning. To access the Canvas modules, contact Hannah Nabi.

Confidence and Self-Esteem: Praising Effort Over Outcome to Build Positive Self-Image

An elementary-aged boy wearing a blue shirt stands in a clearing in the woods. There is a tent and two camp chairs behind him. He smiles with an open mouth and his arms are bent at the elbows with fists clenched in a celebratory gesture. The image is a thumbnail for the module entitled Confidence and Self-Esteem: Praising Effort Over Outcome to Build Positive Self-Image.

This 45-minute module introduces students to the evidence-based strategy of praising effort over outcome when working with children. Students gain skills to help them encourage confidence and build positive self-esteem.
Click here to download.

Engaging Students in Tutoring: Tips and Strategies for Online Environments

An elementary-aged boy rests his chin on top of a white worksheet while sitting at a table. He holds a pencil in his hand like he is writing, and his cheeks are expanded and mouth pursed as if he is holding his breath. This image is a thumbnail link to a training enttitled Engaging Students in Tutoring: Tips and Strategies for Online Environments

This 60-minute module provides students with concrete examples of effective methods of engaging children in virtual learning. The strategies are effective for in-person tutoring as well.
Click here to download.

Implicit Bias: An Introductory Training

This 90-minute module defines implicit bias, introduces students to the role implicit bias plays in American education, and encourages self-reflection as students consider their role in challenging and reinforcing biases in their roles as tutors.
Click here to download.

Mindfulness: An Effective Tool to Help Kids Learn Self-Regulation

I graphic illustration of a woman sitting on a rug in a classroom with four young children. All people are sitting with legs crossed, eyes closed, hands folded in lap, and a peaceful look on their faces. The image is a thumbnail linking to a training entitled Mindfulness: An Effective Tool to Help Kids Learn Self-Regulation

This 60-minute module introduces students to the role of mindfulness in supporting learning. Students learn how to implement mindfulness practices that benefit both their students and themselves.
Click here to download.

Positive Self-Talk: Countering Negative Thoughts and Language

A young boy stands in front of a chalkboard. He is wearing oversized round glasses, a white collared shirt, and a red tie. His arms are crossed confidently in front of his chest, and there is an image of muscled arms flexing draw on the chalkboard behind him. The image is a thumbnail for the training entitled Positive Self-Talk: Countering Negative Thoughts and Language

In this 45-minute module, students learn practical, effective strategies for supporting children who express negative thoughts about their own abilities. This is the most-requested topic among Mercer’s work-study tutors.
Click here to download.

Virtual Tutoring Environments: What Does Virtual Tutoring Look Like?

An image of a girl from the perspective of looking over her shoulder at a laptop screen. The girl is sitting at a table with books piled next to her, and she holds a pen while taking notes. On the laptop screen is an image of a woman holding a book as if it's an instructional video. The image is a thumbnail linking to the training entitled Virtual Tutoring Environments: What Does Virtual Tutoring Look Like?

This 60-minute module is designed for first-time virtual tutors and presents students with examples of different types of virtual tutoring environments and interactions as well as preparation tips to make a virtual tutoring session effective and comfortable.
Click here to download.

In collaboration with Professor Frani Rollins in the Department of Communication Studies and Theatre, we created a series of tutorial videos to support high quality engagement between Mercer students participating in literacy initiatives and the children they support. These videos are appropriate resources for students engaging in virtual tutoring or the recorded read aloud project.

On Creating Inclusive Classrooms

In part one of this five-part series on inclusive teaching practices, Dr. Laura Simon, assistant professor of sociology in Mercer University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Dr. Vicki Luther, associate professor in Mercer’s Tift College of Education, discuss the importance of inclusive teaching practices in creating welcoming environments that foster student engagement with the course material.

Click here to read the transcript.

In this second installment of the five-part series on inclusive teaching practices, Dr. Simon and Dr. Luther from Mercer University explain the importance of acknowledging major cultural events that may impact students’ sense of well-being, such as the nationwide protests against police brutality in response to the police-perpetrated murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Dr. Simon and Dr. Luther emphasize the difference between acknowledging difficulties and leading discussion about injustice with students and recommend ways faculty can assess their own readiness to address these topics with students without causing harm.

Click here to read the transcript.

In this third installment of the five-part series on inclusive teaching practices, Dr. Simon and Dr. Luther from Mercer University outline the seven forms of bias and provide recommendations for inclusive teaching practices that faculty can adopt in their classrooms. These strategies are accessible to faculty who have limited flexibility in content or preparation time and can still yield high impact on student engagement with the course.

Click here to read the transcript.

In part four of the five-part series on inclusive teaching practices, Dr. Simon and Dr. Luther from Mercer University issue a challenge to faculty to engage in critical reflection and self-assessment about unconscious bias in their courses and offer examples of strategies faculty can use in a variety of disciplines, including STEM classes, to expand inclusion in their courses.

Click here to read the transcript.

In this final installment in the five-part series on inclusive teaching practices, Dr. Simon and Dr. Luther from Mercer University encourage faculty to acknowledge the key insights that students have into their teaching practices and, despite the difficulty of accepting critical feedback, remain open to considering alternative perspectives as they develop their courses.

Click here to read the transcript.

On Demystifying the IRB

In part one of this three-part series, Dr. Amy Nichols-Belo from Mercer University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences provides an overview of the Institutional Review Board (IRB). She defines human subjects research and outlines the types of projects that should be submitted to an IRB for approval, explains the three different types of review under IRB, and addresses the misconception that “doing” the IRB is discipline-related rather than project-specific.

Click here to view the PowerPoint presentation.

In part two of this three-part series, Dr. Amy Nichols-Belo from Mercer University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences explains how faculty can teach their students about research ethics and introduce them to the IRB process. She addresses confusion about what types of student class projects may need IRB approval, explains how faculty engaging in Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL) should proceed with IRB, and expands the conversation to include considerations for community-based research.

Click here to view the PowerPoint presentation.

In part three of this three-part series, Dr. Amy Nichols-Belo from Mercer University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences provides a tutorial on the IRB process at Mercer University. She shows viewers how to navigate the IRB website, identify the appropriate forms, and utilize available templates. She also explains each section of the IRB application and how to fill out the application form.

Click here to view the PowerPoint presentation.