Faculty Fellow Spotlight: The Arts, Engineering and Humanities

This month’s Faculty Fellows spotlight features mari jaye blanchard, Faculty Fellow for The Arts, Mario Gomes, Faculty Fellow for Engineering, and Jessamy Comer, Faculty Fellow for Humanities/Social Sciences. These Fellows are experienced RIT faculty who were competitively selected for their demonstrated excellence in teaching and their commitment to supporting colleagues through peer-to-peer mentorship and instructional guidance.

mari jaye blanchard, Faculty Fellow for The Arts, collaborates with faculty across the arts to strengthen creative teaching practices and student engagement. With expertise in cultivating student-centered classrooms, peer feedback and critique, creative pedagogy, active learning, and cross-disciplinary practices. She is especially skilled in fostering accessible and engaging learning environments, integrating digital pedagogy, and using learning management tools effectively to support student engagement.

Mario Gomes, Faculty Fellow for Engineering, supports faculty who are looking to enhance learning in engineering and other technical disciplines. His expertise lies in project-based learning, active learning in large courses, classroom demonstration design, dynamics and simulation systems, mentoring teaching assistants and learning assistants, and facilitating effective student teamwork. He’s a helpful resource for instructors looking to design hands-on assignments, demonstrations, or team-based projects that deepen conceptual understanding.

Jessamy Comer, Faculty Fellow for Humanities/Social Sciences, brings a wealth of experience teaching psychology courses in multiple formats — in-person, online asynchronous, and one-on-one senior-thesis instruction. Her key areas of expertise include active learning, teaching large courses (100+ students), designing effective online/asynchronous courses, scaffolding large assignments, providing meaningful feedback, and supporting students with disabilities or unique needs.

If your teaching interests or challenges overlap with their areas of expertise, consider reaching out to schedule a conversation. Each Fellow is eager to collaborate, share strategies, and support your teaching goals.

You can explore all the CTL Faculty Fellows from other disciplines and strategic priority areas—each highly knowledgeable and skilled in their areas of expertise.