August 16, 2017
Sarah Riforgiate selected as coordinator for Peer Review of Teaching Program
The Teaching and Learning Center welcomes Sarah Riforgiate, associate professor of communication studies, as the new coordinator for the Peer Review of Teaching Program.
Riforgiate has served in both the mentor and participant roles previously in this program. Her dedication to helping other professors grow in their abilities as teachers is demonstrated through her well-crafted, meaningful submissions to the professional portfolios for each professor she has mentored.
Riforgiate received her master's degree and doctorate from Arizona State University in communication studies and an undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois, Urbana in speech communication. Her research endeavors concentrate on improving the understanding of the intersections of paid work and private life for individuals, while exploring practical solutions to reduce conflict. She has presented widely in her field and has publications in the following journals: Communication Monographs, Electronic Journal of Communication, Management Communication Quarterly, and Western Journal of Communication. She received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching in 2015.
The Peer Review of Teaching Program has been in existence at Kansas State University since 1999. The program originally was part of a larger project that originated at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and was funded jointly by the PEW Foundation and the provost's office. PEW Foundation funding for the project ended in 2004. By then, the program was widely recognized at K-State for its benefits to improved teaching and learning. The decision was made at that time to continue the Peer Review of Teaching through funding from the provost's office.