RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

• Analyzed interviews with community college faculty and administrators leading an equity-oriented STEM transfer initiative.

• Contributed to dissemination efforts including drafting findings and discussion.

• Analyzed survey research on skills-based hiring practices among STEM employers.

• Supervised undergraduate research assistant.

• Applied a deductive coding scheme to qualitative state policy data for the Pennsylvania Policy Database Project.

PUBLICATIONS

Peer-reviewed Articles and book chapters

Okur, A., Contreras-Garcia, N., Widmer, M., & Wang, X. (Forthcoming 2024). Together and toward equity: Experiences and insights of faculty in a transfer partnership. In R. L. Wagoner & S. T. Kater (Eds.), Community college faculty: The institution’s heart and soul. New Directions for Community Colleges. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Skibba, K. & Widmer, M. (2021). Blended faculty community of inquiry transforms online teaching perceptions and practices. In A. B. Picciano, A.G. Dziuban, C. Graham. & P. Moskal (Eds.), Blended learning: Research perspectives (Vol. 3, pp. 116–130). Routledge.

Manuscripts in preparation

Widmer, M. Examining the public rhetorical strategies of undergraduate labor activists: An epistemic network approach [in progress].

Widmer, M. Intersubjective recognition and relational care: Advancing a theory of student activism as a site for moral education [in progress].

TECHNICAL SKILLS & TRAINING

Mixed Methods:

• Advanced Research Methods in Educational Administration
• Mix-Methods Research
• Quantitative Ethnography

Software for Data Analysis in Education Research:

• Quantitative: R, Stata, RapidMiner
• Qualitative: NVivo, nCoder
• Visualization: Tableau

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

Widmer, M. (2024, April). A reaching out to others: The experience and learning of undergraduate labor activists. Presented at the American Educational Research Association Conference, Philadelphia, PA.

Widmer, M. (2023, November). Claims to justice: A Rawlsian analysis of undergraduate labor discourse. Presented at the Association for the Study of Higher Education Conference, Minneapolis, MN.

Okur, A., Wang, X., Contreras-Garcia, N., & Widmer, M. (2022, November). Partnership for equity: An instrumental case study of a cross-institutional collaborative equity initiative. Presented at the Association for the Study of Higher Education Conference, Las Vegas, NV.

Westaby, K., & Widmer, M. (2022, April). Supporting equitable educational attainment for student parents: A descriptive analysis of federal CCAMPIS policy. Presented at the American Educational Research Association Conference, San Diego, CA.

Skibba, K., & Widmer, M. (2021, October). Celebrating community: A case study in transforming online teaching perceptions and practices. Presented at the Association for Distance Education and Independent Learning Conference, Virtual.

Widmer, M., & Rutledge, J. (2021, August). Walking our talk: Designing and using program-level learning analytics in a learning analytics master’s program. Presented at the Distance Teaching & Learning Conference, Virtual.

Zurawski, S., Pickett, K., & Widmer, M. (2021, April). Expanding occupational therapy’s role in the mental health treatment of Parkinson Disease through high-quality online education. Presented at the American Occupational Therapy Association Annual Conference, Virtual.

Skibba, K., & Widmer, M. (2020, November). Faculty community of inquiry transforms online teaching perceptions and practices. Presented at the POD Network Annual Conference, Virtual.

Widmer, M., & Barrett, C. (2020, August). Strategies for connection and belonging in online first-year seminars. Presented at the Distance Teaching & Learning Conference, Virtual.

Barrett, C., Martin, C., & Widmer, M. (2020, May). Facilitating student connectedness and belonging through online social learning. UW-Madison Teaching & Learning Symposium, Madison, WI (Conference canceled).

Skibba, K., Widmer, M., & Klein, J. (2019, August). Creating a faculty community of inquiry for online teaching. Presented at the Distance Teaching & Learning Conference, Madison, WI.

Bhasin, A., Krill, A., Morris, J., & Widmer, M. (2019, May). You can podcast too: Teaching and learning through sound. Presented at the UW-Madison Teaching & Learning Symposium, Madison, WI. 

Klein, J., Skibba, K., & Widmer, M. (2018, November). Building campus expertise through a faculty community of inquiry for online teaching. Presented at the Online Learning Consortium Accelerate Conference, Orlando, FL.

Klein, J., Konop, G., & Widmer, M. (2018, November). Jumpstart: A model for rapid online course design consultation. Presented at the Online Learning Consortium Accelerate Conference, Orlando, FL. 

Klein, J., Konop, G., & Widmer, M. (2018, August). Jumpstart: A model for rapid online course design consultation. Presented at the Distance Teaching & Learning Conference, Madison, WI.

Widmer, M., Bhasin, A., & Schiappacasse, A. (2018, March). Teaching and learning podcasting: Amplifying the voices of underrepresented students. Presented at the UW–Madison Showcase, Madison, WI.