Laura Elizabeth Sponsler

Clinical Associate Professor

Faculty
Morgridge College of Education

Katherine A. Ruffatto Hall, 1999 East Evans Avenue Denver, CO 80208-1700

What I do

Dr. Laura E. Sponsler is a clinical associate professor in the higher education department at the University of Denver's Morgridge College of Education. In this role, I connect my teaching, scholarship, and service to the mission and purpose of the university to be a great private university dedicated to the public good.

Specialization(s)

civic learning and democratic engagement; community engagement; inclusive teaching, learning, and assessment; scholarship of teaching and learning; non-tenure track faculty

Professional Biography

Laura E. Sponsler, Ph.D, is a Clinical Associate Professor of Higher Education at the University of Denver and serves as the Resident-Scholar for Teaching and Professional Faculty in the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs. As an educator and scholar, Dr. Sponsler is passionate about advancing equity and creating a more equitable, inclusive, and accessible system of higher education for faculty and students. Her early research agenda focused on civic learning and democratic engagement. Since then, her interests have broadened to include inclusive teaching, learning, and assessment; the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL); organizational change; and faculty development, in particular, the experiences of non-tenure track faculty in higher education.

Previously, Dr. Sponsler served as the founding director for NASPA’s Lead Initiative, a civic learning and democratic engagement network, and as a practitioner in service-learning. Laura received her Ph.D. in Higher Education and M.S.Ed. in Higher Education Management from the University of Pennsylvania and holds a B.S. in biology from Saint Joseph’s University.

Degree(s)

Ph.D., Higher Education , University of Pennsylvania, 2012
M.Ed., Higher Education Management, University of Pennsylvania, 2008
BA, Biology, Saint Joseph's University, 2003

Professional Affiliations

Association for the Study of Higher Education
NASPA - Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education

Media Sources

The Chronicle of Higher Education

Research

As an educator and scholar, I am passionate about advancing equity and creating a more equitable, inclusive, and accessible system of higher education for faculty and students. My early research agenda focused on civic learning and democratic engagement. Since then, my interests have broadened to include inclusive teaching, learning, and assessment; the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL); organizational change; and faculty development, in particular, the experiences of non-tenure track faculty in higher education.

Featured Publications

Iturbe-LaGrave, V. M., Sponsler, L. E., Paguyo, C. H., & Cramblet-Alvarez, L. D. (2021). The Pedagogical Imperative of Changing the Culture of Teaching. Journal of the Professoriate, 12(1), 150-180. Retrieved from https://caarpweb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Pedagogical_Imperative_Iturbe-LaGrave-12-1.pdf

Sponsler, L. E. (2021). Institutionalizing a culture of respect for teaching and professional faculty. Retrieved from https://duvpfa.du.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/White-Paper-Teaching-and-Professional-Faculty.pdf

Sponsler, L. E. (2021). Supporting full time non-tenure track faculty: Creating respectful and inclusive cultures for institutional transformation. Retrieved from https://duvpfa.du.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/TPF-Literature-Review.pdf

Sponsler, L. E., & Hartley, J. M. (2013). 5 Things CSAOs Can Do to Institutionalize Civic Engagement in Student Affairs (p. 12). Washington, DC, USA: NASPA. Retrieved from https://www.naspa.org/rpi/reports/5-things-student-affairs-professionals-can-do-to-institutionalize-civic-eng

Sponsler, B. A. (2011). Unlocking Potential: Results of a National Survey of Postsecondary Education in State Prisons. Washington, DC, USA: Institute for Higher Education Policy.

Presentations

Sponsler, L. E. (2021). The confluence of inclusive assessment and accreditation. Higher Learning Commission Annual Conference. online: Higher Learning Commission.

Sponsler, L. E., Mahan, G., Carter, B., & Pitts, V. M. (2021). OTL Faculty Podcast: Creating Community and Connectedness in an Online Course. Office of Teaching and Learning: Faculty Spring Showcase 2021. Denver, CO: Office of Teaching and Learning, University of Denver.

Sponsler, L. E., & Cole, B. (2020). Engaging Students in Institutional Change and Civic Engagement. AACU Annual Meeting. Washington, DC: AACU - Association of American College and Universities.

Taczak, K., Schiavone, A. V. J., Sponsler, L. E., & Tobin, H. L. D. (2020). Creating Spaces on Your Campus for an Intentional ePortfolio Curriculum. 11th ANNUAL FORUM ON DIGITAL LEARNING AND ePORTFOLIOS. Washington, DC: AAC&U - Association of American Colleges and Universities.

Sponsler, L. E. (2019). Engaging Graduate Students in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning through Faculty-Student Partnerships. Lilly Conference for Evidence Based Teaching and Learning. Bethesda, MD.

Meyer, M., Mitchell, T., Sponsler, L. E., & Post, M. (2018). Teaching Democracy During Turbulent Times: Strategies for Civic Engagement. 2018 Association of American Colleges and Universities Annual Meeting. Washington, D.C.: AACU.

Hafenstein, N. L., & Sponsler, L. E. (2019). Teacher Evaluation for Teaching Effectiveness: The Morgridge College of Education Model. Lilly Conference for Evidence Based Teaching and Learning. Bethesda, MD.

Awards

Delphi Award Winner, Pullias Center for Higher Education and AAC&U
Excellence in Teaching Honoree, University of Denver
Excellence in Service , Office of the Provost, University of Denver
Faculty Career Champion, Career Services, University of Denver