Members – Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Writing Group

Dr. Paton Roden Beck is a clinical assistant professor in the Educational Leadership, Policy, and Technology Department at The University of Alabama. Her research interests include exploring the experiences of faculty mothers, examining equity-based leadership in higher education, analyzing the scholarship of teaching and learning, and advancing inclusion and social justice initiatives in colleges and universities. Dr. Beck has a strong background in student development and engagement, having held various roles in student affairs, including the areas of residence life, leadership coordination, career services and diversity and inclusion efforts. Dr. Beck earned her PhD in Higher Education Administration from The University of Alabama, where she also completed a graduate certificate in College and University Teaching. She holds a Master of Education in Higher Education with a concentration in Student Affairs from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville and a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and Spanish from Berry College in Rome, Georgia. Throughout her career, Dr. Beck has been actively involved in professional organizations, including NASPA, AERA and ASHE and is committed to advancing equity in higher education. She currently lives in Birmingham with her husband David and their dog Hershey.

Dr. Bill Bergeron is a clinical assistant professor of Educational Leadership at The University of Alabama. He is retired from the military and until January 2020 was a K-12 administrator. Dr. Bergeron has a PhD in Educational Leadership from Auburn University and more than 20 years of leadership experience and training in education, business and the military. He was the principal of a large and diverse high school and the director of alternative education. He holds undergraduate degrees in Criminal Justice and Social Science Secondary Education; master’s degrees in Public Administration, Social Science Education and Educational Leadership; and an Education Specialist degree in Educational Leadership. He is currently the program coordinator for the EdS in Educational Leadership – Teacher Leader, the MA in Educational Leadership and the Reduced Hour Option for the initial certification of educational administrators. He serves as chairperson of The University of Alabama Public Safety Committee and as a member of the College of Education’s Assessment Committee.

Dr. Kim Colburn is a senior instructor in New College LifeTrack and New College. She lives in Coker, Alabama, with her wife. They have three adult children and four dogs. Her teaching interests include conspiracy theories, Holocaust and genocide studies, cooperation and conflict, collective memory and social issues. Dr. Colburn holds a bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, a master’s degree in Library and Information Studies and a PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies from The University of Alabama. She enjoys camping, fishing and Alabama football.

Dr. Cori Crane is an associate professor and German Language program director in the Department of Modern Languages & Classics. Her research interests closely align to her language curriculum development and teacher mentoring work, with recent and current projects located in the areas of language teacher education, second language literacy development, language program administration and practitioner research. Her publications have appeared in the Foreign Language Annals, L2 Journal, Die Unterrichtspraxis/Teaching German, Profession and Second Language Research & Practice. Dr. Crane is co-editor (with Alan Brown, Beatrice Dupuy and Estela Ene) of the Routledge Handbook on Language Program Development and Administration (forthcoming) and co-editor (with Assia Slimani-Rolls, Judith Hanks and Inés Miller) of a special issue devoted to inclusive practitioner research in the journal Language Teaching Research (forthcoming).

Dr. Tony Derriso is a clinical assistant professor in the College of Education’s Department of Educational Studies. He earned his PhD in Educational Psychology from The University of Alabama after teaching high school and middle school for many years. He is the advisor for students in the online MA in Educational Psychology program, oversees these student’s Capstone Projects and teaches educational psychology to pre-service teachers.

Dr. Rana Eloubeidi is an assistant professor in the department of Educational Studies in Psychology, Research Methodology and Counseling. She earned her EdD in Educational Leadership from Samford University and a certificate in Quantitative Research from The University of Alabama. Dr. Eloubeidi has 20 years of teaching experience at the secondary and post-secondary levels, and her research interests include educational reform and educational equity.

Justin Goins, PhD, LAT, ATC, CSCS is currently an assistant professor in the College of Human Environmental Sciences. He teaches a variety of undergraduate and graduate-level courses in the Department of HES and Health Science (Athletic Training). In addition to teaching, Justin serves as the co-chair of the Crenshaw Leadership Academy within the college.

Dr. Jennifer Humber is a proud alumnus of The University of Alabama, where she earned an EdD in Higher Education Administration with an emphasis on college teaching. Her research focuses on students’ perceptions of engagement in online coursework. You may view her work, “In Their Own Words: Student Engagement as Defined by Online Learners,” published in the Journal of Higher Education of Theory and Practice. She now serves as the director of the Conflict Resolution graduate certificate program, offered to main campus and online graduate students at The University of Alabama. She is passionate about sharing content and facilitating conversations that empower others to be thoughtful, considerate and confident in managing conflict successfully in their personal and professional. Dr. Humber teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in conflict resolution, emotional intelligence and negotiation.

Dr. Sara K. Kaylor, EdD, RN, CNE is an associate professor and assistant dean for accreditation and evaluation in the Capstone College of Nursing. She has over 15 years of both graduate and undergraduate faculty experience. Her research interests center on innovations in teaching, learning and curriculum design/evaluation, with specific focus on the education of social and structural determinants of health, community-engaged learning with rural health populations and exploring the intersectionality of health and wellness behaviors in fostering healthy living, learning and work environments.

Dr. Deborah Keene is the assistant director of the Blount Scholars Program. She also directs the first-year curriculum for the program. Her pedagogical interests are curriculum design, alternative grading and writing instruction.

Dr. Murray Silverstone is an associate professor in the department of Physics and Astronomy and an observational astronomer investigating the process of planet formation around nearby stars. Dr. Silverstone’s research focuses on circumstellar disk detection and imaging. Specifically, he uses high-contrast imaging of the light scattered by the dust grains orbiting in circumstellar disks, using the coronagraphs in the Hubble Space Telescope’s Near-Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer and Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph to identify the signposts of planets that have formed or are forming, and studying the conditions under which the disk/planets grow.