Over the two and a half years that Margaret Burke has worked in student services in the University of Vermont (UVM) Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, her position has transformed each year to accommodate the School’s changing needs in teaching and learning. As Coordinator of Educational Innovation, Margaret works side by side with School administration, program directors, course instructors, students, and community partners to bring exciting innovations and partnerships into the classroom and into the community. 

A large part of her job, since she joined the School in November 2014, involves coordinating community-based learning and community partnerships. 

“Community-based learning is a big umbrella that includes student service-learning projects and other ways to partner with community members,” said Margaret, who organizes guest lectures, brown bag sessions, and coffee talks as part of a growing partnership with the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources (ANR). 

Last fall semester, Margaret was instrumental in arranging a four-part seminar series by biologists in ANR’s Department of Fish and Wildlife. The event drew standing room only audiences of students, faculty, and community members to the Aiken Center. 

Margaret spends two days a month at ANR offices in Montpelier, Vermont to support this critical partnership. She also helps to coordinate several valuable student internships through ANR with Anna Smiles-Becker, the Rubenstein School’s internship coordinator.

Margaret works closely with Susan Munkres of the UVM Office of Community-University Partnerships and Service-Learning (CUPS) to develop a long list of service-learning courses in the Rubenstein School each semester. Margaret manages relationships with community partners who offer student projects, helps course instructors to tie projects and partners into course curricula, and supports students in critical reflections of their experiences. 

She plays a prominent role in NR 206 Environmental Problem Solving and Impact Assessment, the School’s large senior capstone course and the biggest service-learning course in the School. Each semester, Margaret and Lecturer Zachary Ispa-Landa invite and coordinate dozens of community partners who share their project needs with more than 100 students in the class at the semester kick-off Meet and Greet event. 

A more recent addition to her responsibilities includes helping faculty and students to use online teaching and learning tools. She has teamed up with Career Counselor and Internship Coordinator Anna Smiles-Becker and Associate Professor Clare Ginger on the School’s first e-Portfolio course. This semester, nine RSENR students are developing professional portfolios and translating their project experiences to a web tool. Students will reflect on their past experiential learning endeavors, work on their resumes, and craft a personal mission statement for an intended audience of perspective employers. 

To address faculty needs for technology in the classroom, Margaret worked with Rubenstein School IT technician Seth O’Brien to purchase a whiteboard tablet to use in classrooms lacking chalk or whiteboards. Hooked to a projector, the tablet works like a whiteboard projected onto a screen and is available for sign out. She also coordinated with the UVM Center for Teaching and Learning to bring their “Doctor Is In” program to the Aiken Center for faculty drop-in times.

As another facet of her job, Margaret helps to lead assessments of learning in the Rubenstein School, in conjunction with the UVM Assessment Initiative out of the Provost’s Office. Margaret’s work for the Rubenstein School is part of UVM’s 2019 New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) accreditation and assessment. 

“In the Rubenstein School, we are committed to gaining a deeper understanding about how our academic programs serve learning,” said Margaret, who attended conferences of the Association of American Colleges & Universities where she learned about a rubric-based assessment process. “We have a commitment to continual improvement by examining our teaching and learning practices to see where we can be better.” 

She and the Rubenstein School faculty core curriculum committee are using the rubric to assess and restructure the undergraduate core curriculum. Working with the School’s Student Advisory Board, Margaret has collected undergraduate input to inform the redesign. 

“I have enjoyed the creative design work to better understand and improve teaching and learning in the School,” she said. “The core curriculum has been a good model for deep exploration.”

Her passion for creativity and design can be seen in the beautiful prints she produces from block printing and silk screening in her free time. 

In May, Margaret’s job will change yet again. She is moving to Seattle, Washington to be closer to family, but she will continue to work remotely for the School on a part-time basis.