Journal offers publishing platform for SUNY teaching research

For students, a classroom is a classroom no matter the subject, yet faculty are often expected to design courses as if each discipline requires entirely separate pedagogy. A new SUNY-focused teaching journal aims to overcome this roadblock to innovation by elevating faculty success in the classroom, beyond the constraints of individual fields.

Created by faculty from the Department of Community Health and Health Behavior, School of Public Health and Health Professions, and the Department of Philosophy, College of Arts and Sciences, Innovations in Learning offers a peer-reviewed publishing platform for interdisciplinary teaching research taking place within the SUNY system, connecting educators working within the same state and institutional demands.

“In an era marked by rapid changes and advancements in educational methodologies, increased integration of technologies in the classroom, and evolving student needs, this journal aims to bridge the knowledge gap among SUNY educators and foster a community dedicated to pedagogical excellence,” reads the journal’s mission statement. “Most often, instructors publish in discipline-specific journals, reducing the chance for collaboration and knowledge-sharing within the SUNY system. We strive to provide an alternative.”

Now seeking papers for its second issue, the journal features original research, research-driven essays and perspective essays, as well as short editorials by journal board members or invited scholars. Innovations in Learning also accepts previously presented conference research that has been adapted into longer papers, allowing researchers to continue building upon shared progress.

“Existing journals are often discipline-specific,” explains Jessica Kruger, clinical associate professor and director of teaching innovation and excellence in the Department of Community Health and Health Behavior, who founded the journal with Sarah Vincent, director of undergraduate studies and associate teaching professor in the Department of Philosophy.

The pair noticed overlap in teaching strategies within their disciplines, but found that research on similar pedagogy was segregated, making it difficult to expand upon existing knowledge. “Innovations in Learning was created as a neutral place for instructors to publish work and best practices to share within SUNY and beyond,” regardless of discipline, Kruger says.

As teaching and clinical faculty, both Kruger and Vincent know firsthand how difficult it can be to seek promotion without adequate sources for publishing pedagogical innovations. The pair founded the journal with the help of the UB Libraries and an editorial board of faculty and learning designers from across the SUNY system.

The project, funded by back-to-back Innovative Instruction Technology Grants in 2024 and 2025, is the first new journal on UB ScholarWorks, an outlet that aims to “advance collaborative, community-driven scholarship by challenging the profit-driven systems that dominate academic publishing,” according to the UB Libraries. The outlet operates on a “diamond open-access model,” which removes financial barriers for both authors and readers.

“We wanted to support and uplift our clinical faculty,” says Vincent. “It’s important for our students that we can collaborate on what is working in our classrooms, regardless of discipline, but it’s also important for us to create a space that celebrates the excellence of SUNY’s teaching-focused faculty, outside of traditional barriers.”

After its successful first issue in December, Kruger says Innovations in Learning has filled a gap left by larger journals, which often overlook the challenges of teaching within public higher education constraints at the scale and diverse student needs represented at UB and throughout the SUNY system. By aggregating research by educators operating under the same statewide policies, the journal fosters systemwide learning and collaboration among educators and lets faculty take the lead in sharing the tools and theories that have helped them the most.

“Being faculty-led ensures that the journal is guided by educators who are actively engaged in teaching and student support,” Kruger says. “Collaboration across disciplines allows faculty to learn from others and access practices that they may never have read if in a discipline-specific journal.”

Kruger and Vincent note that while most of these benefits are invisible to students, supporting faculty innovation directly impacts the student experience by improving teaching quality and student learning experiences. For graduate students of pedagogy, access to scholarly sources from their own professors will provide a deeper layer of understanding to theory coursework. The pair also encourages graduate students to contribute to the journal.

Statewide, Innovations in Learning aims to advance applied, equity-centered educational scholarship that informs teaching practice and institutional decision-making by connecting and uplifting educators. “There are so amazing educators that have such great class practices to share with others,” Kruger says.

The journal is accepting submissions for its Spring 2026 issue through Feb. 15.