Holly Fortener

Experienced PhD candidate with a strong background in teaching and learning within higher education. Demonstrated expertise in instructing introductory-level undergraduate geoscience and physics courses for almost 2.5 years, utilizing learner-centered course design principles and research-based instructional methods. Awarded for exceptional teaching abilities by the Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences department at Rice University. Currently pursuing graduation and completion of a certificate of college teaching from the University of Colorado at Boulder in May 2025.

• Collect data from websites and phone call with experts that are related structure and implementation for 29 teaching-focused professional development (PD) programs offered at 3 types of US institutions of higher education (i.e., community college, emerging-research institution, research-intensive institution). (University of Colorado at Boulder, 08/2022 - Present)
• Conduct a textual analysis on qualitative data collected for all 29 PD programs to categorize programs (e.g., program type, funding, duration, facilitator). (University of Colorado at Boulder, 08/2022 - Present)
• Conduct 22 semi-structured interviews with undergraduate STEM instructors to ask 20 questions related to their experience with an 8-week PD program where participants learned about research-based instructional strategies and how to implement them in their undergraduate science courses. (University of Colorado at Boulder, 08/2022 - Present)
• Conduct a thematic analysis on study participant responses to code 20 interview questions for 22 semi-structured interviews to determine how an 8-week PD program influenced their teaching practices and use of research-based instructional methods before and after the program. (University of Colorado at Boulder, 08/2022 - Present)
• Increase reliability and validity in codes derived from thematic analysis of interview data by conducting an inter-rater comparison and calculating Cohen's Kappa to quantify the level of agreement between my research advisor's and my codes. (University of Colorado at Boulder, 08/2022 - Present)
• Develop 4 discrete element models (DEMs) of Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii, to analyze shear strain, shear stress, and displacement, determining the influence of flank geometry on slip behavior along the south flank basal fault. (Rice University, 08/2020)
• Manage and analyze four databases (50 x 2000 entries) of data generated by DEMs, ensuring accuracy in data interpretation and integration. (Rice University, 08/2020)
• Create four MATLAB data visualizations from DEM displacement outputs, comparing slip behavior by plotting displacement against model duration, effectively generating spectrograms to visualize seismic behavior along the basal fault. (Rice University, 08/2020)

• Fortener, H., Arthurs, L. A., Shabram, P., Lu, P., Cheng, C.-L., Plaza-Torres, S., & Flaagan, C. (2024). A multiple case study of teaching-focused professional development programs offered at three different types of US institutions of Higher Education. Higher Education Studies, 14(3), 170–188. https://doi.org/10.5539/hes.v14n3p170

• GSA Connects: Influence of an Innovative Teaching-Focused Professional Development Program on Undergraduate STEM Instructors at a Research-Intensive University, Washington, DC - (Fall 2024)
• GSA Connects: A Model of Effective Teaching-Focused Professional Development Programs at US Institutions of Higher Education, Pittsburgh, PA - (Fall 2023)
• Earth Educators Rendezvous: A Multiple Case Study of Teaching-Focused Professional Development Programs Offered at Three Different US Institutions of Higher Education - (Summer 2023)

• Geological Society of America (GSA): Geoscience Education Research Division
• American Geophysical Union (AGU): Education Research Division

• Certificate of College Teaching (Estimated May 2025)