Escape Rooms, Oral Histories and MCAT Prep: MSU College of Arts and Sciences grants transform student learning opportunities

Contact: Sarah Nicholas

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Five Mississippi State educators are the recipients of 2026 Inclusive Excellence Teaching Grants supporting innovative College of Arts and Sciences projects to enhance student learning through engagement, application, access and experiential opportunities.

Recipients include:

—Carrie McCormick, instructor, Department of Communication, Media and Theatre, “Escape to Engage.” A synchronous online escape room will be introduced into a winter-session course to strengthen group communication, leadership and problem-solving skills. It replaces traditional group projects with an immersive, team-based experience in an online environment.

—Danielle Nadorff, associate professor, Department of Psychology, “Open Access to the Symposium.” Funding will support course-based undergraduate research by covering poster printing and statistical reference materials, ensuring all students can complete and present independent research projects. The project removes financial barriers to participation, expands access to research experiences and scholarly work.

—Sydney Pullen, assistant professor, Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures, “Oral History Training for Community Engaged Research.” A visiting specialist in Black oral history interviewing will train students in ethnographic methods. Conducting and archiving oral histories connected to Starkville’s Brush Arbor Cemetery and contributing to a public-facing are segments in this hands-on experience.

—Sean Stokes, associate clinical professor, Department of Chemistry, “Open-Access MCAT/DAT Preparation Course.” An open-access Canvas course will be developed featuring targeted review modules and exam-style problem sets for students preparing for the Medical College Admission Test and Dental Admission Test. By offering this free, scalable alternative to commercial preparation resources, it further prepares students for post-graduate pathways.

—Kemeshia Swanson, assistant professor, Department of English, “Living Mississippi.” Place-based learning and public scholarship will be integrated into an African American literature course through a museum visit and a student-led symposium. Students will engage course material within its historical context and then share their work publicly.

“This was a highly competitive year for the Inclusive Excellence Teaching Grants,” said Kimberly Kelly, professor of sociology, director of MSU’s Gender Studies program and chair of the MSU College of Arts and Science’s Strategic Initiatives Committee. “What stood out most was how grounded the projects were in the realities of teaching and student learning. They were thoughtful, practical projects developed by faculty who had clearly identified a need, barrier or opportunity in their own classrooms and responded with creative, achievable solutions.

“Across very different disciplines and teaching styles, there was a shared emphasis on making learning more meaningful, connected and accessible for students,” she continued. “The strength of the applicant pool speaks to the level of care and innovation in teaching across the College of Arts and Sciences.”

For more details about MSU’s College of Arts and Sciences, visit www.cas.msstate.edu.

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