Erin Mikulec head shot

Erin Mikulec

Erin Mikulec, associate professor in the School of Teaching and Learning, is the recipient of the 2018 John Chizmar and Anthony Ostrosky Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award. Mikulec has been recognized for her excellence in research in the area of teaching and learning (SoTL) as well as her mentorship of colleagues. She will receive the award during Illinois State University’s Founders Day celebration on February 15.

Mikulec has studied the impact of new and unique clinical experiences on her students’ learning, refining her teaching in response to her findings. As Mikulec’s work has consistently focused on historically under-studied topics in the field of SoTL (e.g., out-of-class learning, study abroad), her efforts have helped to build an emerging evidence base for other academics to apply to their own teaching and learning practice or research. Mikulec’s research appears in peer-reviewed journal articles, a book chapter in a book she edited, and in blogs. She has also presented at numerous local, regional, and international conferences.

In 2016, she served as a scholar-mentor in the Office of the Cross Endowed Chair in SoTL. In this capacity, Mikulec was a co-editor for Gauisus, Illinois State’s internal SoTL publication; regularly contributed to the SoTL Advocate blog; and assisted in the development of the University’s first Go Global with SoTL mini-grant program. She has also co-created and co-facilitated a variety of SoTL faculty development workshops and has served as a regular Gauisus reviewer. She recently co-developed a project to study the campus-wide impact of study abroad and will mentor two faculty colleagues as part of this SoTL grant-funded endeavor.