Dr. Joellen Coryell: Fulbright in Review

by Emma Carberry
Outreach Coordinator, College of Education

January 9, 2019

In July 2018, we shared with you that Dr. Joellen Coryell, associate professor in the Counseling, Leadership, Adult Education and School Psychology Department, would be embarking on a Fulbright appointment at the Libera Università Maria SS Assunta (LUMSA) in Rome. As her experience in Italy nears its end this February, it’s time for an update on Coryell’s Fulbright activities.

“I am enjoying working with my new colleagues at Università di Roma – LUMSA!,” Coryell shares. With her Italian colleagues, she is currently conducting a multi-institution study on the perspectives of Italian higher education professors on professional development needs and models for teaching internationally diverse student populations. This topic is especially relevant as higher education becomes increasingly internationalized. While in Rome, Coryell also collaborated with her Italian colleagues on an Italian-language research manuscript that the group submitted to a European journal for review.

In addition to her research, Coryell is teaching a Ph.D. seminar course on the comparative study of international, cross-cultural perspectives on learning, knowing and engagement. Her class has had the privilege of hearing from guest speakers such as the Director of the Rome Pontifical University on Arabic and Islamic Studies, the Secretary General of the Hindu Union of Italy and a Buddhist Shastri. Coryell has also guest lectured several classes at LUMSA herself, on topics such as team development, adult learning theory, and micro-teaching.

Coryell’s experiences in Rome have led to several other recognitions. Her Fulbright Research presentation, for example, was selected as the Keynote at the International Conference on Social Science, Arts, Business and Education this past December in Paris, France. Additionally, she was recently asked to join a project of ERASMUS+ called Elene4Life, which focuses on developing transversal skills and curricula for students in higher education, relevant to the labor market and societal needs. Coryell will join the multinational project as a member of the external advisory board.

Coryell not only taught university students, but also led faculty development courses on instructional innovations and active learning with both LUMSA and the Università di Catania in Sicily. Before she returns to the States, she will conduct another round of faculty development with those faculty as well as those at the Università di Pisa.

Although she is currently abroad, Coryell’s Texas State students are still on her mind. “I, of course, continue to engage with my program and dissertation students…as they work on their dissertation research and research proposals,” she writes. She is excited for her students who will be defending their dissertations and those who will be proposing early this spring semester, before her return.

Overall, Coryell has fully enjoyed her experience in Rome. “It is wonderful here,” she shares, “complex, beautiful, constantly educational for me! It is an honor to represent the discipline of adult education, TXST, and the U.S. as a Fulbright Scholar!” Her fulfilling time as a Fulbright Scholar will serve her well on her next venture as a member of the 2019-2020 interviewing team for Italian Fulbright applicants who hope to have just as diverse an experience.