Dr. Laura Bier is an associate professor in the School of History and Sociology, where she most recently served as the Director of Undergraduate Studies. A former Class of 1969 Teaching Fellow, she has worked to inform her own teaching and that of her colleagues by leading a discussion group on online pedagogy during the pandemic to support faculty and ultimately students in their learning this fall.
Dr. Bier believes this historic movement for racial justice in an opportunity for transformation at Tech, especially in the classroom, arguing
one of the most important ways to facilitate change is to provide a clear roadmap that doesn't require re-inventing the wheel. The other challenge (and it is omnipresent but greatly exacerbated currently), is just that people are overburdened in their personal and professional lives and may feel that improving teaching is not feasible. I hope to help identify different levels of engagement and ways to engage faculty in this work.
