The Senior Scholar position, a one-year pilot initiative, supported a CEL research seminar leader’s or participant’s continued inquiry on 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. The CEL Senior Scholar receives a summer fellowship equivalent to an FR&D summer fellowship, a one-course release for the academic year, and a two-year $2000/year draw account to support travel to present at national and international conferences.

Former CEL Senior Scholars:

  • 2019-2020 CEL Senior Scholar: Michael Carignan, associate professor of history
  • 2018-2019 CEL Senior Scholar: Eric Hall, professor of exercise science and faculty athletics representative

Please direct questions about this position to Jessie L. Moore, Director of CEL.

Michael Carignan

Michael Carignan, associate professor of history, has been named the Center for Engaged Learning Senior Scholar for 2019-2020.

Carignan participated in the CEL research seminar on Integrating Global Learning with the University Experience (2015-17) and joined a team interested in intercultural growth among students in short-term study abroad programs. The team  used a variety of data-gathering methods, including quantitative surveys and qualitative coding/analysis of student written reflections, to determine how, when, and whether students develop intercultural competence in short-term study abroad situations. His research team has an accepted book chapter (“Assessing Intercultural Competence in Student Writing”) and articles under review.

Carignan also is interested in how reflective writing as a high-impact practice impacts his teaching and recent scholarship.

Part of his research into the pedagogical aspects of writing started when he co-developed an assessment for a winter term study abroad program for the Honors Program in 2013. Through the assessment of student reflections, he concluded that students were able to express intercultural competence and potentially grow through the experience of writing about it. This project earned his program continued support from the University and this research is now accepted for publication as a book chapter, “Early Impact: Global Mindedness and Intercultural Competence in a First-Year Honors Abroad Course,” in a forthcoming volume of the National Collegiate Honors Council on honors and study abroad.

As the senior scholar, Carignan will continue these inquiry projects on intercultural competence and the role of reflective writing in teaching and learning, particularly in study away contexts.


Eric Hall

Eric Hall, professor of exercise science and faculty athletics representative, has been named the inaugural Center for Engaged Learning Senior Scholar for 2018-2019.

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.