MISSION
The Trefny Innovative Instruction Center’s mission is to inspire an institutional culture that values, studies, and implements transformative teaching and learning at Mines. The Center provides leadership, consultation, resources, and programs to achieve the four areas of our mission:
TEACHING & LEARNING
Promote teaching that is intentionally designed, supportive of students, focused on learning, and reflective.
UNIVERSITY LEADERSHIP
Advance teaching and learning through university strategic planning, initiatives, and policy.
EDUCATION RESEARCH
Further data-driven instruction and education research.
Community
Foster a collaborative, learning-centered teaching community.
Find Us at Green Center 211!
TREFNY TEAM
Leadership
Megan Sanders, Ph.D
Director
Megan leads the Trefny Center team in their work with faculty and staff to continuously expand high-quality, research-based, and innovative learning experiences for Mines students. In her role, she also collaborates with campus colleagues on institution-level initiatives to improve teaching and learning. Megan earned a PhD in Educational Psychology from the Ohio State University and previously served as the Senior Assessment Associate in the Trefny Center. Before coming to Mines, she worked in the teaching centers at both Ohio State and Carnegie Mellon University. When not wearing her Director hat, Megan aspires to improve her skiing, find off-the-grid spots to take the camper, and hike with her husband and goldendoodle.
Betsy Angelino
Fiscal and Operations Manager
A Colorado native, Betsy earned a Master’s of International and Intercultural Management and has previous experience in International Education, K-12 leadership development, community corrections, teaching ESL, and even owned a dessert catering company. In her current role, she enjoys supporting the entire Trefny team with efficient processes and communications. When not working, Betsy volunteers as a therapy dog team with Rosie, her English Cream Golden Retriever, and likes spending time with her family.
Faculty Development
Kira Marshall-Mckelvey, Ph.D
Faculty Developer
Kira earned a Ph.D. in Communication Studies from Colorado State University, where she also worked as Graduate Coordinator of Professional Development at The Institute for Learning and Teaching. Prior to joining the Trefny team, Kira served as Course Director of Public Advocacy and Public Speaking at Syracuse University. As Faculty Developer, Kira facilitates faculty learning communities, hosts workshops on topics ranging from teaching with technology to alternative assessment and supports the College Teaching Certificate program. Kira’s pedagogical interests include inclusive pedagogy, active learning, and interdisciplinary teaching. Outside of work, Kira enjoys yoga, dance, and getting outside as much as she can.
Areas of Interest: Team Teaching, Active Learning, Interdisciplinary Teaching, Engaged Pedagogy, Academic Labor
Carter Moulton, Ph.D
Faculty Developer
Prior to joining the Trefny team, Carter earned a PhD from Northwestern University and worked as a Teaching Consultant, Mentor, and Fellow at Northwestern’s Searle Center for Advancing Learning & Teaching. He provides support to Mines faculty and graduate students on topics including active learning, teaching with technology, formative and summative assessment, Universal Design for Learning, alternative grading, and more. Originally from Michigan, Carter is also a returned Peace Corps Volunteer (Thailand) and enjoys writing music, bouldering, backpacking, and baking.
Areas of Interest: classroom community, critical pedagogy, ungrading & Alternative Assessment, collaborative Learning, authentic assessment, Educational Technology
Assessment and Research
Heather R. Houlton
Assessment Associate
Heather leverages data-driven practices to foster institutional change and ensure students, faculty, and staff have the support needed to achieve their career goals. She holds a Master’s of Science in Geology from Purdue University, where her research explored the student-to-professional transition. For over ten years after her degree, Heather employed qualitative and quantitative research methods to investigate workforce trends in the geosciences and identified strategies for minimizing barriers to participation. For the past five years, she served as a data scientist at Mines, providing insights to support institutional success. At the Trefny Center, Heather helps bridge the gap between academic programs and workforce needs, supports program-level assessments, and collaborates on university-wide projects to ensure alignment with industry demands. Outside of work, Heather enjoys snowboarding, rock climbing, hiking, camping, cooking, learning guitar, and playing Nintendo.
Carla M. Strickland-Hughes, Ph.D
Assessment Associate
Prior to joining the Trefny team, Carla was the Faculty Fellow of Assessment and an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of the Pacific in California. She earned her PhD in Psychology at the University of Florida and is an expert in learning and memory in adulthood. She is trained in experimental and intervention research methodologies and uses quantitative and qualitative data to inform changes that improve student learning and to evaluate the effectiveness of those changes. As Assessment Associate in the Trefny Center, Carla helps instructors conduct classroom-based research, supports departments on program-level assessment, and collaborates on university-level assessment projects. When not at work or spending quality couch time with their senior cat Claudia, Carla and husband can be spotted in the mountains, hiking up, camping in, and skiing down.
Education Grant Support
Laura Carroll, Ph.D
Education Researcher
Laura earned a Ph.D. in Engineering Education Research from the University of Michigan. Her research interests include the college experiences and academic success of neurodiverse students, instructional change, barriers instructors experience in adopting active learning, and instrument development. She has experience using qualitative methods and advanced quantitative methods including structural equation modeling. As a member of the Trefny team, Laura supports faculty with the educational component of grant proposals. She develops educational research and assessment/evaluation plans and serves as an educational researcher or external evaluator. Prior to pursuing her Engineering Education Research graduate work, Laura earned a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Michigan and conducted high temperature structural materials research at Idaho National Laboratory and General Electric Aviation.
OUR HISTORY
The Trefny Center has gone by several names in its history. It was first known as the Center for Engineering Education when it was founded in 2000 with the support of then-Vice President of Academic Affairs John Trefny. The CEE provided a forum for seminars, peer mentoring, and professional development as well as dispersing mini-grants to fund innovative ideas for classroom and laboratory improvements. After Dr. Trefny was named the 15th President of Mines in 2001, he and his wife, Sharon, gave a generous gift to start an endowment for the center. Later, when John Trefny retired as President in 2006, the center was renamed the Trefny Institute in honor of John and Sharon’s many contributions to Mines.
In 2015, the center renewed its focus, becoming the Trefny Innovative Instruction Center. As a strategic extension of the Provost’s office, the center was to provide leadership, guidance, support and resources to advance learning and teaching across the university. With funding from the Board of Trustees, the first major initiative was to immerse cohorts of faculty in the Engineering Learning framework and to shift their focus from “covering content” to creating engaging, inclusive, and effective learning experiences. In its first three years under Founding Director Sam Spiegel, the Trefny Center reached more than 70 Mines faculty in intensive learning experiences that significantly and systemically impacted learning on campus.
Today, the center is often simply referred to as the Trefny Center and continues to use the Engineering Learning framework, provide seminars, support peer-mentoring, and fund fellowships and mini-grants, and more, as it honors the long history of innovative teaching and learning at Mines.
Dr. John and Mrs. Sharon Trefny — Founders
John and Sharon Trefny have a history of championing innovative teaching and learning at Mines. As a Physics faculty member, John taught students who went on to become Mines faculty themselves. When he became Physics department head, John supported faculty in implementing the studio model, a transformative approach to physics education. Later, as Vice President for Academic Affairs, John helped launch the teaching faculty line at Mines and founded the Center for Engineering Education (CEE). When John became President, he and Sharon, a retired systems engineer and First Lady of Mines during John’s presidency, generously created an endowment for the CEE, which—upon their retirement—was renamed for them to honor their significant contributions to Mines. The Trefnys remain active members of the local education community and are valued ambassadors for the institution.