Moore is One of Three Maricopa Faculty Chosen for the Program
By Mira Radovich, Senior Contributing Writer
Rio Salado College Psychology Faculty Chair Jennifer Moore is one of three Maricopa faculty to be selected for a 2024-25 United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals Open Pedagogy Fellowship.
The other faculty are Dr. Alisa Beyer from Chandler-Gilbert Community College, and Dr. Jennifer Brown from Paradise Valley Community College. All three represent the psychology discipline.
“Through this faculty fellowship opportunity, I hope to increase the amount of open pedagogy assignments that Rio’s Psychology Department offers,” Moore said. “Basically, we want to encourage students to be more engaged in the assessment process.”
Moore will work with faculty from around the world to create open pedagogy assignments that increase equity to and engagement with higher education
How the UN Fellowship Works
The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs created 17 sustainable development goals addressing a wide range of social issues such as poverty, inequality, climate change, education and justice.
Moore’s work will fall under two goals:
- Goal No. 4 - Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
- Goal No. 10 - Reduce inequalities within and among countries.
Faculty fellows will be divided into teams to design three renewable assignments to help students become agents of change in their communities.
“I will have the opportunity to be partnered with a faculty member who teaches in Canada so it will be good to get an international perspective,” Moore said. “We plan to record our experiences and present our findings alongside our international faculty partners.”
Moore is hopeful that her participation in the fellowship program will directly benefit Rio students.
“The UN Faculty Fellowship program impacts future student curriculum because the core goal of the program is open pedagogy assessment creation,” Moore said. “The more engaging the curriculum, the more likely students will feel connected to their coursework.”
What’s Next
While some faculty and students may be looking forward to a long summer break, Moore will be hard at work getting acclimated to her new academic endeavors.
“There is intense training in open pedagogy, a deep dive into the UN’s 17 sustainable development goals, creation of assessments, and opportunities to present findings,” Moore said. “We will be working both offline and online throughout the summer and regularly through the fall and spring semesters.”
“I anticipate working alongside my international faculty members through the 2024-2025 academic year with hopes of improving the overall quality of Psychology courses we offer at Rio Salado,” Moore said.
Through its Open Maricopa initiative, the Maricopa Community Colleges have been involved with the UN Open Pedagogy faculty fellowship since 2020.
Open Maricopa facilitates widespread use of open, low-cost, quality materials to promote student success, textbook affordability, and increased access to a quality educational experience.