Dr. Brandy Ellison nominated as Bailey Scholars Program Faculty Fellow

June 5, 2022 - Liz Schondelmayer

Dr. Brandy Ellison, an assistant professor in the Department of Integrative Studies in Social Science, has been nominated as a 2022-2023 faculty fellow with the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Bailey Scholars Program.

The Bailey Scholars Program provides a flexible, customizable educational experience for students, allowing them to create courses and opportunities to study topics important to them and their academic and professional goals. Student participants in the program earn a minor in Leadership in Integrated Learning. 

The program's faculty fellows are instrumental to the success of the students, and serve as facilitators that help the Bailey scholars design the courses, research and assignments they complete during their time in the program.

As the previous Director of Student Success within the MSU College of Social Science, Ellison's research interests and past experiences make her a natural fit for the Bailey Scholars Program. A pedagogy expert who uses a sociological approach to understanding how students learn in the classroom, Ellison has previously studied the effectiveness of co-constructed courses and assignments in her own classes. 

"Last year, in the fall, I led a class in which I worked with students to determine the topics they would learn about, as well as the assignments they would complete," Dr. Ellison explained. "This spring, I gave a presentation on this experience, as this has been the focus of my research for several years."

Ellison is excited for the opportunity to create a co-constructed course experience with a smaller group of students within the Bailey Scholars Program. "I really wanted to have an opportunity to practice this pedagogical method with relatively small class sizes, because most of the classes I currently teach have about 200 students, which makes this approach a bit less feasible. Through this process, in addition to facilitating a section of the class, I'll also be able to conduct more research on how students respond to this kind of teaching."

Overall, Ellison is looking forward to the opportunity to work with students in the Bailey Scholars Program and become part of this close-knit campus community. "I'm really looking forward to being a part of the program, as everything that I learn about it is extremely impressive. I'm looking forward to being a member of the Bailey scholars community, and hopefully, just upping my own game as a result of this process."

Want to learn more about the Bailey Scholars Program? Interested students can find more information here, while faculty and staff can get involved here.