Trine HAC faculty present on teaching to non-majors

FORT WAYNE — Three faculty members from the Trine University Department of Humanities and Communication presented a session on “Teaching to Non-Majors” at the Humanities Educators in STEM Environments annual conference, held Tuesday, May 21, at Indiana Tech.

Melissa Mayus, Ph.D., Christine Olding, A.B.D., and Jennifer Royston, Ph.D., all assistant professors in Trine’s Department of Humanities and Communication, each spoke about classes they lead that serve Trine’s large population of STEM students.

Mayus teaches a Viking Literature course that tasks students with retelling part of a saga in a different medium for their final project. She discussed high points and pitfalls of this assignment in relationship to STEM students.

Olding teaches Advanced Composition to pre-physical therapy students. Her presentation encompassed how she engages rhetoric to connect with the health sciences.

Royston teaches Technical Communication to primarily engineering students. Her presentation discussed ways in which she is revising the curriculum to suit the changing needs of these students, and how collaboration with departments and professors from various fields supports this course.

The conference, now in its third year, was themed, “Surviving and Thriving in STEM Cultures.” Those who presented and those who attended were faculty in humanities areas who teach at STEM-focused colleges and universities. The event featured panels, individual presentations, poster presentations and roundtable discussions.

Photo: From left, Melissa Mayus, Ph.D., Christine Olding, Ph.D., and Jennifer Royston, Ph.D., all assistant professors in Trine’s Department of Humanities and Communication, presented a session on “Teaching to Non-Majors” at the Humanities Educators in STEM Environments annual conference, held Tuesday, May 21, at Indiana Tech.