American Studies Professor Receives Prestigious Teaching Fellowship for Innovative Course Design

Dr. Jason Farman has been awarded a UMD Kirwan Center Elkins SoTL Fellowship

Dr. Farman was awarded the competitive Kirwan Center Elkins SoTL Fellowship for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning last spring. As one of only ten recipients across the University System of Maryland, he will use this support to enhance his I-Series course "American Culture in the Information Age," which he will teach again in fall 2025. The course utilizes hands-on design learning approaches. 

Farman's project, called "Making is a Mode of Thinking," investigates how hands-on design projects influence student learning, engagement, and skill development for undergraduate students. His research explores how creative making serves as a mode of thinking that fosters concept retention, ethical reasoning, and inclusive participation. The study responds to gaps in active learning research, which rarely examines design-based practices in humanities classrooms or their role in advancing accessibility and equity. This fellowship builds upon a previously received Teaching Accessibility Fellowship from the National Federation of the Blind and a Provost Grant for Teaching Innovation.

Learn more about Dr. Farman here