LEAP Action Grant Projects & Recipients

2024 Projects & Recipients

  • Using Children’s Literature to Build Content-Area Literacy — Dr. Alyssa Barnes, Elementary and Special Education - This project focuses on building a mobile curriculum literacy library to support teacher candidate competency to embed science and social studies content into literacy instruction.
  • Communication Enhancement through Mixed-Reality for Educator Training (COMET) — Dr. Chelsea Marelle, Elementary and Special Education - This project aims to address challenges in effectively communicating with families face by UNG's College of Education (COE) graduates and better prepare pre-service teachers (PSTs) for difficult conversations with families by implementing simulated environments.
  • The 2024 Hispanic Heritage Month Art Exhibition: Art History meets skills training through experiential learning — Dr. Ana Pozzi-Harris, Visual Arts - This project merges art history education with skills training and pioneers a new teaching model. It integrates the acquisition of art historical knowledge with the application of practical skills to create an art exhibition honoring Hispanic Heritage Month. The initiative aims to enhance appreciation and understanding of students of Latin American descent, who make up 16.3% of the UNG student population. A key goal is to provide UNG students with a comprehensive educational experience that prepares them for employment upon graduation.

2023 Projects & Recipients

  • Literacy Learning at the Library Project — Danielle Hartsfield, Director of Honors, Department of Elementary and Special Education - The purpose of this new project is to create and implement library programs for children at two public libraries in our community. These library programs will be planned and led by UNG seniors in the College of Education.
  • Improved Motivation Through Enhanced Engagement in CHEM 1211 Class — Paula Nolibos and Patricia Todebush, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry - This project strives to improve motivation of chemistry students by engaging them in a hands-on chemical demonstration which highlights an interesting aspect of what they are learning in their class. This project impacts students by relating chemistry to their everyday lives.
  • Toolkits that Shift the Balance — Tiffany Watson, Alyssa Barnes, Nicole Maxwell, Department of Elementary & Special Education - This project redesign the current Literacy Labs in the Elementary and Special Education program to create “Reading Strategy Toolkits” to better provide teacher candidates the materials that will make them successful in using evidence-based interventions and multisensory approaches to teach language and reading skills in Literacy Labs to meet with 2022 Georgia Professional Standards Commission new rule related to educating students with characteristics of dyslexia, GaPSC Rule 6.10.
  • Professional Development Learning Community on Refugee and Migrant Students — Sarah Williams and Annmarie Jackson, Department of Elementary & Special Education - The purpose of this project is to implement a Professional Development Learning Community (PDLC) for developing awareness and preparing UNG students and faculty to support migrants and refugee students.
  • Expanding the Garden/Classroom Connection: A Hands-On Investigation of Composting and the Benefits of Composting in Growing Crops — Susan Brantley and Gary Adcox, Department of Biology, Campus Success, and Strategic Initiatives - Started in 2018 as an answer to providing fresh vegetables to students with food insecurity issues through the campus’ food pantry, Nigel’s Nest, the garden grew in size and scope over the last five years. Students in Biology 1260, Environmental Science, are able to use the garden as living research lab, collecting data about the number and diversity of pollinators present.

2022 Projects & Recipients

  • The Hispanic and Latino/a Connection: real-word experiential learning for UNG art students and high school students in North Georgia – Ana Pozzi-Harris
  • 2022 World Food Day Celebration – Yi Deng
  • Narrative North Georgia: A SoTL Study – Melissa Schindler
  • Science and journalism: A cross-disciplinary exploration of one of psychology’s most notable case studies – Ralph Hale and Valerie Surrett

2021 Projects & Recipients

  • From Community Garden to Environmental Science Lab– Gary Adcox and Susan Brantley (Oconee campus)
  • Gamifying Global Issues: Integrating Experiential Learning by Simulating International Relations– Dwight Wilson and Bibek Chand (Gainesville campus)
  • Incorporating Culturally Relevant Practices and Symposium to a Pre-Service Teacher Training Course– Kimberly Davidson and Sarah Williams (Gainesville campus)
  • Journal-to-Journalism: A Collaborative Application of Scientific Consumption in the Court of Public Opinion– Ralph Hale and Valerie Surrett (Gainesville campus)
  • Implementing Structured Academic Controversy in Children’s Literature and Language Arts– Danielle Hartsfield (Dahlonega campus)
  • Assessing Students’ Reading using Coding Apps– Annmarie Jackson (Gainesville campus)
  • eCoaching in Teacher Education: Immediate Feedback in Action– Jennifer Jones, Tiffany Watson, Nicole Maxwell and Danielle Hilaski (Cumming campus)
  • Making Audio/Visual Listening Guides in Music Appreciation– Esther Morgan-Ellis (Dahlonega campus)
  • Estimating Carbon Storage in Standing Trees: A LEAP-Based Approach– Alex Olvido (Oconee campus)
  • Tumbling Creek Hiking Concert– David Peoples (Gainesville campus)
  • Course Proposal for Nationally Competitive Scholarships Bootcamp– Kathryn Quinto Garcia (Gainesville campus)
  • Presentation Skill Evaluation and Self-Directed Improvement for Business Students in Professional Development Program – April Ross (Dahlonega campus)

2019 Projects & Recipients

  • Bodies of Water exhibition at The Bakery Atlanta – by Heather Foster
  • The Progressions Documents: The Beginning of Pedagogical Literacy in Mathematics – by Marnie Phipps, Patty Wagner, Sherry Hix, and Tom Cooper
  • LEAPing into Content Literacy: A Laboratory Approach – by Danielle Hilaski, Nicole Maxwell, and Jennie Jones
  • From Students to Advocates: Building HIV/AIDS Awareness through Engagement Beyond the Classroom – by Michallene McDaniel
  • The Politics of the American Civil War through Film: A LEAP-Based Interdisciplinary Learning Community – by Dan Cabaniss and Lance Bardsley
  • Explore and Learn Human Health on “UNG Public Health Awareness Day” – by Jo Qian
  • Active Citizenship Learning Community – Lindsay Bailey, Laura Ng, and Shane Toepfer

LEAP Action Grants in the Press