Elizabethtown College Teaching and Learning Design Studio Announces 2026-27 Learning Design Fellows

The Elizabethtown College Teaching and Learning Design Studio recently named Fanny Lawren, Assistant Professor of Marketing; and Leda Werner, Director of Student Transitions and Momentum, as Learning Design Fellows for the 2026-27 academic year.

Learning Design Fellows work with the Studio to create specialized programs in a specific area that matches their interest. Fellows are supported through helpful feedback and coaching, and periodically attend Studio sessions to provide updates on the status of their projects. After their fellowship ends, they are asked to distribute their project across campus and assist in its implementation.

“We see the Learning Design Fellowship as key to the College’s emphasis on providing transformative experiences for our students,” Katie Caprino, Elizabethtown College Director of the Teaching & Learning Design Studio said. “When instructors are given dedicated time to engage more deeply with a topic and are supported in this work, there is potential for all their colleagues to benefit as well. This, in turn, benefits our students.”

Lawren plans to work with the Studio to help Etown faculty efficiently implement AI technology into their curriculum. Her project, “Strategic AI Navigation,” aims to create a centralized support infrastructure for faculty, providing them with helpful resources to bridge the gap between technical tools and pedagogical methods.

“AI is a tool, not the destination,” Lawren said. “By centralizing our research efforts, we reduce the burden on our faculty and ensure they have the resources to focus on deep disciplinary learning. This approach positions Etown at the forefront of AI-driven academic excellence and true workforce readiness.”

Lawren plans to foster a laboratory environment within the Etown School of Business focused on testing and refining AI implementation methods. Over the course of the next year, Lawren plans to develop AI-augmented assignment templates, conduct faculty workshops, and launch an AI Peer Tutor Program.

Werner will work with the Studio to create a hands-on curriculum focused on nurturing incoming students’ time management, studying, and self-advocacy skills. Using first-hand interviews with students in the Momentum Program and her experience as a First Year Seminar instructor, she has identified these three areas as the most common challenges faced by incoming college students.

“By embedding interactive modules that help students understand and actively apply these skills to their lives, we can bring these skill sets to our new students,” Werner said. “This both increases the protective factors that support their retention and helps them build a foundational set of skills that will serve them throughout their lives.”

Werner plans to create a series of modules that can be easily implemented into courses, events, and programming, as well as a facilitation guide for instructors. Her project aims to provide students with a facilitated opportunity to develop personalized strategies for enhancing their skillset in the three key areas of difficulty, setting them up for both personal and academic achievement.

The Studio selects new Learning Design Fellows each academic year based on a project’s potential to improve teaching and learning practices and further Etown’s mission. Fellowships are open to full-time faculty and instructional staff.