Eric Hall, professor of exercise science and faculty athletics representative, has been named the inaugural Center for Engaged Learning Senior Scholar.
Eric Hall, professor of exercise science and faculty athletics representative, has been named the inaugural Center for Engaged Learning Senior Scholar.
The Senior Scholar position, a pilot initiative, supports a CEL research seminar leader’s or participant’s continued exploration of the seminar topic to complete publishing projects and to extend research related to the seminar, with the goal of the scholar actively assuming leadership in national and international conversations about the engaged learning topic.
Hall has a particular interest in examining the importance of undergraduate research mentorship to the teacher-scholar model and was a part of CEL’s Research Seminar on Excellence in Mentoring Undergraduate Research from 2014-16. Hall’s research seminar group investigated the practices that award-winning mentors use when working with undergraduates on research projects and creative endeavors. His group has published a paper on the ten salient practices of undergraduate research mentoring based on a review of the literature and a paper on the democratization of undergraduate research mentoring.
Additionally, his group wrote a book chapter based on the 10 salient practices that details what mentors feel they do well and areas in which they struggle. Hall also recently submitted a paper on how undergraduate research mentorship relates to career development and academic identity.
As part of his research in the CEL seminar, Hall’s group sampled a small cohort of mentees. Hall helped code the data and will write an article manuscript related to the dataset. Additionally, he plans to start working on materials to help develop future successful undergraduate research mentors. This may include the creation of an assessment tool that could be used to identify what the mentors do well and areas in which they struggle, as well as the development of presentations, workshops, and seminars.
As the faculty athletics representative, Hall’s research interest includes examining the benefits and challenges that student-athletes experience when participating in undergraduate research. He hopes these findings will inform the creation of programs that focus on involving student-athletes in undergraduate research and preparing faculty to mentor this student group.
As the CEL Senior Scholar, Hall will continue researching and exploring these interests and initiatives, and will be a resource for undergraduate research mentorship.
He has also been recognized for his mentorship of undergraduate research students through Elon’s Ward Family Excellence in Mentoring Award in 2011, and the Japeth E. Rawls Professor for Undergraduate Research in Science in 2013.
For questions regarding the CEL Senior Scholar position, or about the Center for Engaged Learning, please contact CEL Director, Jessie L. Moore, jmoore28@elon.edu.