A new book is coming in late July from Eastern Kentucky University professor Travis Martin, an Iraq War veteran who founded the nation’s first Veterans Studies program at EKU. “War & Homecoming: Veteran Identity and the Post-9/11 Generation” explores ways a new generation of veterans is redefining what it means to come home. Continue reading
Kicking off summer 2022 with a week full of learning about learning! Join me and my colleagues at the 2022 Perusall Exchange and this year’s Pedagogicon. Continue reading
As a Faculty Innovator and Engage Mentor, I lead professional learning communities and workshops on topics such as transparent design, ungrading, intrinsic motivation, online education, and support for student veterans (to name a few). I am certainly not alone in this work… Continue reading
The Kentucky Center for Veterans Studies recently had the honor of hosting Lt. General (ret.) Ken Keen and his Wife Mary Ellen. We learned about leadership, resilience, and helping others. It was truly an inspirational few days. Continue reading
Honored to be a guest on Veterans Radio today. Special thanks to host Eric Fretz and fellow guests Jim Craig (U of Missouri – St. Louis), Dr. Ernest McClees Jr. (Saint Leo U), and Bruce Pencek (Virginia Tech). This is a great episode if you want to learn about how … Continue reading
The 2021 Alpha Lambda Delta National Conference took place in Arlington, VA. Six Eastern Kentucky University high-achievers learned about leadership, networked with other universities, and saw the major monuments in DC. Definitely one of the perks of being chapter advisor! Continue reading
Recently, a policy change refunded Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to veterans who relinquished them to participate in VA’s Veterans Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) program. Continue reading
Recently, I was honored to be a guest on Veterans Radio, a broadcast media platform that has been educating the public on veterans issues for nearly two decades. Dr. Eric Fretz, a Faculty Lecturer at the University of Michigan, discusses the Journal … Continue reading
In August, Dr. Matt Winslow and I co-directed an event for the EKU College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences. It was titled, “Why Are We Here?” and students who participated got a chance to think early in the semester about their intrinsic motivations for attending college. Continue reading
WEKU’s Corinne Boyer interviewed Veterans Studies students Samuel Lewis, Amber Woolery, and Kendra Watts to learn how our curricular and co-curricular offerings prepare students in fields such as social work and psychology to serve veterans and their families as future mental health practitioners. She … Continue reading
If my students do not know about the National Roll Call, veteran suicides, or how Vietnam Veterans were treated it is because the generation tasked with teaching them these things failed. Many young people are looking for ways to listen to veterans and help them in meaningful ways. They aren’t looking to distribute platitudes. They are looking to build authentic relationships, and it is our job to provide them with the knowledge and opportunity they need to succeed. Continue reading
I gave them the benefit of the doubt that they would want to learn when given the opportunity. I did not begin the semester under the assumption that they would do the bare minimum. I believed in their abilities and I tried to support them each step of the way. Continue reading
Don’t fall prey to a victim mindset. That can be especially easy to do when you are cooped up alone due to social distancing. Remember, now is the time to keep fighting for your future. Find your conviction. Continue reading
I’ve said before that seeing our students recognized and meeting their families at the “Outstanding First-Year Student Awards” is probably my favorite part of the job. Well, a pandemic happened and we didn’t get to host our yearly event. But we wanted to do something to recognize their hard work, so we put this virtual awards ceremony together so that they could share their achievements with their families, friends, and loved ones. Continue reading
In Fall 2020, we will pilot a scaffolded arc assignment taught in English and First-Year Seminar learning communities. It will focus on the campus newspaper, the Eastern Progress, teaching students critical reading skills in a way that encourages campus engagement. Students will learn about media and information literacy, identify campus issues of personal or public importance, and explore the EKU resources and policies designed help students succeed. At the end of the semester, our goal is for students to engage with an issue they care about by producing media suitable for the campus newspaper. Continue reading
Given current events, I don’t think I could have picked a better semester to take our 8-week class in “Online Course Development and Teaching.” Thank you to the instructional design staff and media team at Eastern Kentucky University Online. And thanks … Continue reading
Dr. Albright showed how self-awareness and self-care can shape all of life’s major transitions. The lecture helped my students see how the veteran’s transition from warrior to civilian can teach them about transitioning to life in college. It helped them see how these lessons could teach them about the transitions awaiting them after college. Learning to see past stereotypes and recognize veterans as models of human resilience is one reason why I advocate for the growing field of Veterans Studies. Continue reading
These four students represent the best of what EKU has to offer. They’re First-Year Leaders—embedded in our first-year seminars to mentor freshmen, organize campus events, and help new students feel like welcome members of the campus community. Aric, Curtis, Jade, and Meredith … Continue reading
As I have learned more about Alpha Lambda Delta, I can honestly say that this isn’t an org just selling certificates and honor cords. It is an organization that gives back everything it can to its members and then some. Continue reading
The students, mostly freshmen or peer-mentors in our First-Year Leader program, will complete a mural over four sessions that we hope to display in a public space on campus. Our theme this semester is “resilience” and our mission is to “teach first-year students the art of self-care.” Colonels Create is a collaboration between First-Year Courses, the Department of Psychology, the EKU Counseling Center, and the Noel Studio. Continue reading
r of Alpha Lambda Delta National Honor Society held the first “Saturday Social” of the semester for our freshmen today. It’s not a complicated event to put together – just show up and provide some support for students who need transportation. It helps the students find connectivity and friendships, the sorts of things that reduce alienation and isolation during the first year. Continue reading
Recently completed the “Ensuring Equity and Due Process in Title IX Hearings: Training for Hearing Panels and Panel Officers” course to serve on the EKU Title IX board. Continue reading
A conversation with Travis Martin, co-founder of EKU’s Veterans Studies Program. The first of its kind in the nation, the program aims to foster understanding among veterans and civilians. Continue reading
Camino Camp is a hands-on look at college life for Latino and Latina high school students. Continue reading
TILT was developed to help instructors make small changes in their course designs to improve students’ rates of success. Continue reading
We discussed student learning “bottlenecks,” or “threshold concepts” students have to grasp in order to move into higher levels of understanding. From an educator’s perspective, it’s all about helping students make “mental moves” that allow them to think like an expert in the field. It’s about remembering that you acquired your expertise in stages and being mindful of that fact as you teach students. Continue reading
Brett helped me transform from a gung-ho Army Sergeant and rabble-rouser into a serious scholar and community leader. His belief in my abilities helped shape my life’s trajectory. We all wish him luck in the next chapter of his life. Continue reading
Quality Matters helps improve student performance in online and hybrid courses. Continue reading
First-Year Leaders help others, but they also take part in an extensive co-curricular training program, providing them with highly sought after “soft skills” such as peer-mentorship and collaboration. Continue reading
Amarillo College’s “No Excuses” program could become a model replicated across the country. Continue reading
Outstanding First-Year Students awarded for their academic achievements. Continue reading
Students experience the Vagina Monologues at Eastern Kentucky University. Continue reading
My first chapter meeting as the advisor of the EKU chapter of Alpha Lambda Delta! Continue reading
As part of “National Salute to Veteran Patients” week we visited patients at the VA Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky. Continue reading
Travis L. Martin 