Tracy Smith

Dr. Tracy Smith is the Director for Faculty Mentoring and Career Support, and a Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Appalachian State University. Smith develops and facilitates programming for faculty at all career levels, including new, early career, mid-career, and legacy career faculty.

Smith is also the past Faculty Fellow for Mentoring Initiatives for the College of Education. For her fellowship, Smith created a developmental community model of mentorship and support for the COE. In addition, in 2021, she established the RCOE Mentoring Guild, a shared craft model of faculty support. In 2017, Smith was awarded the UNC Board of Governors Excellence in Teaching Award, and in 2005 and 2015, she received the College of Education Outstanding Teaching Award. She has also received the Appalachian Student Government Association Outstanding Teacher Award and the College of Education Outstanding Mentor and Community of Practice Awards, and in 2001, she received the Outstanding Dissertation Award from the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE). Her research interests include mentoring and educational development in higher education, middle-level education and teacher preparation, the relationship between teaching expertise and student learning, and evaluating the depth of student understanding. She has had articles published in journals such as To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development, the Journal of Teacher Education, the Middle School Journal, Clearing House, and Teacher Education and Practice.

Smith has taught 24 different courses at Appalachian State and enjoys designing new courses and learning experiences for her middle-grades education and curriculum specialist students. Before coming to Appalachian in 2000, Smith was a middle and high school teacher and a school district curriculum director. Smith earned her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Teaching from UNC-Greensboro.

When she is not mentoring and teaching, Tracy enjoys spending time with her family, reading (mostly nonfiction), singing, and thrift shopping.