Research Archives - Reynolds College Blog

Heather Walters wins outstanding achievement honors in writing and teaching

October 21, 2026 by Lynn Lansdown

Missouri State University’s Heather Walters recently received two outstanding achievement awards from the National Communication Association.

A senior instructor in the Department of Communication, Media, Journalism and Film, Walters won the association’s Outstanding Teaching Award. She has taught at Missouri State for 27 years.

Moreover, her book, “Understanding the Ethical Concerns of Generative AI: A Practical Guide,” won the Communication Ethics Division’s Book of the Year Award.

“It is always so rewarding to know that the long hours you put into typing ideas, editing and revising had some notable impact on others,” Walters said.

Teaching style uses current events and case studies

Walters developed and currently teaches the department’s AI and Human Communication (COM 310) course. She also teaches Ethical Issues in Communication (COM 313), Media Law & Ethics (MED 581) and Public Relations Theory and Research Methods (COM 219). In addition, she teaches ethical communication and coaches the speech and debate team at Greenwood Laboratory School.

Her teaching style, she said, is “current event and case study intensive.”

“Integrating current event discussion in the classroom helps students translate theory into practice,” she said. “[It helps them] understand why what they are learning in the classroom matters for their everyday life.”

To facilitate learning, Walters created a set of online activities that complement her textbook.

“There are not many of those resources available in this specific discipline,” she said. “I think [the Association] found my teaching style innovative and reflective of sincere effort to bring a discipline like ethics—which is often stereotyped as ‘ancient’—to life for students.”

Ecuador Education Abroad evolves into successful field school experience

September 16, 2026 by Lynn Lansdown

“From the Andes to the Amazon in Ecuador,” one of the many Education Abroad programs offered at Missouri State University, successfully completed its third run June 24-July 16, 2026.

This year, six students joined Jason Shepard, senior instructor in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Gerontology. They were Kenyon Broten, Amanda Gott, Ryan Johnston, DeMarcus Powell-Long, Myles Ramey and Autumn Seely.

This is the third time Shepard has led the Ecuador program. Additionally, this was the second time Gott, Johnston and Broten traveled to Ecuador as part of the Education Abroad experience. They used the opportunity to expand their research, which they plan to present at the Society for Applied Anthropology conference in March 2027.

Beyond a “travel course”

When Shepard began the Ecuador program in 2023, he envisioned it as more than just a “travel course.”

“[It] was designed from the beginning as an anthropology field school,” he explained. “I think students are attracted to the program because they get to do anthropology rather than only study it in a classroom.”

Cultivating the field school approach

Shepard evaluates the program annually to see what is working and what isn’t. He doesn’t, however, change the program simply to offer students something different. Instead, he believes returning to the same communities and working with the same people gives the field school approach “considerable value.”

“Short-term education abroad can make sustained relationships difficult,” Shepard said. In contrast, repeated visits allow students to develop strong connections with the communities they are studying.

“After three years, these are no longer simply places on an itinerary,” he said. “I have relationships with families, educators, activists, community leaders, farmers, guides and others who help make the field school possible.”

Nancy Allen writing award winners announced

September 11, 2026 by Lynn Lansdown

Missouri State University’s Department of English has announced the winners and finalists of the second annual Nancy Allen Research Writing Awards competition.

A committee, comprised of Missouri State faculty and graduate students who teach Writing II, selects the award winners and finalists. The committee received nearly 30 entries this year, according to Lori Rogers, senior instructor and Writing II coordinator.

Entries are submitted anonymously by Writing II faculty, Rogers explained. In turn, each faculty member can submit one paper per class section per semester. This year’s Writing II entries included works from seated, online and dual credit sections of ENG 210, ENG 221 and ENG 310.

“Having high-quality entries from such a variety of classes and student experiences is always a bonus, but it does make the selection process more challenging,” Rogers said. “Even those students who don’t ‘win’ walk away knowing their instructors found their writing worthy of being submitted.”

Rodrigues presents research at American Sociological Association annual conference

August 31, 2026 by Lynn Lansdown

Missouri State University’s Dr. Herbert Rodrigues presented his latest research at the 121st American Sociological Association (ASA) annual conference Aug. 7-11, 2026, in New York City, New York.

Rodrigues is an associate professor in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Gerontology.

In “Between Consent and Coercion: An Analysis of Obedience Among Brazilian Adolescents,” Rodrigues explores how and why adolescents obey authority figures, especially parents, teachers and police officers. To help answer this question, he used data collected on 800 11-year-old students from public and private schools across São Paulo, Brazil. This information came from a previous study he coordinated at the University of São Paulo.

“The findings are both striking and nuanced,” Rodrigues said. “The vast majority of adolescents agreed they should obey authority figures: 98.3% in relation to parents, 96.1% for teachers, and 91.7% for police. But the reasons behind that agreement vary considerably.”

Paws to the Polls wins MSEED grant

July 20, 2026 by Lynn Lansdown

Missouri State University’s Paws to the Polls (PAWS) student organization has been awarded an Experiential Education for Student Development (MSEED) grant from the university’s strategic planning funding.

PAWS will use the MSEED grant during the Fall 2026 semester to conduct research on civic engagement and community involvement at Missouri State. Although the project will occur mostly on the university’s Springfield campus, other off-campus sites include the Greene County Election Center and area high schools. The group also plans to work with Leadership Springfield and the Neighborhood Advisory Council (NAC). NAC oversees all neighborhood associations in Springfield.

With the grant, PAWS will coordinate focus groups, surveys, workshops, a voting fair, voter education materials distribution and voter registration events. Later this fall, the students will compile and analyze the data they collect from these efforts.

Between 15-25 PAWS members and other students will participate in the program, according to Dr. Suzanne Walker-Pacheco, faculty advisor to the group. Additionally, another 120-150 student volunteers will eventually participate in the broader program. In all, Walker-Pacheco estimates, the project will reach anywhere from 3,000-6,000 students.