Poster Session
Reimagining General Education at UCLA: Integration of the Humanities
Poster Session Leigh Harris
General Education (GE) at UCLA is poised for a deep reimagining of its current program (now more than 20 years old) to strengthen its goal of preparing graduates to address societal challenges in the 21st century. After an extensive program review by the Academic Senate, it was determined that students need a more cohesive integrative curriculum that attends more to the values of a humanistic liberal arts education than the current “distribution model.” Planning for a new integrative model for GE will maximize students’ experiences as learners and citizens, extend beyond a student’s first year and enrich their knowledge and sense of self as they determine their majors and career trajectories. This revised model will be guided by humanistic principles, poised to intentionally integrate Humanities texts, writing, and faculty, especially important at a time when enrollments in the Humanities are plummeting. How will this change be accomplished? In order to finalize a design and implement a new model for UCLA’s approximately 31,000 graduates, a GE taskforce comprised of distinguished faculty from all areas of campus is developing a strategic plan to design a powerful integrative GE learning experience for all incoming students. Apart from conceptual issues, the new GE will also need to incorporate substantial changes to governance, funding, program structure, and mission. This study reports out on humanities-infused General Education reform at UCLA.
Transforming Minds, Shaping Narratives: Integrating Transformational Learning, Critical Self-Reflection, and Mindfulness in Teaching Strategic Communications Online View Digital Media
Poster Session Federica Fornaciari
This poster explores the effects of introducing a new pedagogical framework that integrates transformational learning (Mezirow, 1991), critical self-reflection (Brookfield, 1995; Schön, 1987), and mindfulness (Kabat-Zinn, 1990), into the fabric of online strategic communications master’s courses tailored to adult learners. A one-year study is underway to collect data from courses adopting a more traditional approach, with courses introducing transformational learning techniques, critical self-reflection, and mindfulness. Preliminary qualitative findings highlight positive effects on students’ engagement and skill development, manifested through active and enthusiastic participation in experiential activities. Preliminary data also point at improvement in students’ communication skills, including their ability to navigate through complex communication scenarios with empathy and adaptability, suggesting students' enhanced sense of purpose, self-efficacy, and a deepened connection to the discipline. The author anticipates a positive effect on students’ engagement, retention, and overall satisfaction with their learning experience. This transformative pedagogy has the potential to assist students in developing a more profound understanding of the field of strategic communication, engaging not just with the technical skills necessary to succeed in the discipline but, even more importantly, with heightened self-awareness, presence, and emotional intelligence, which are crucial skills in the ever-evolving, post-pandemic, professional sphere. Early findings shed light on the importance of embracing a holistic education approach to foster satisfactory and enriching learning experiences in the attempt to equip learners with resilience, self-awareness, presence, emotional intelligence, and change management skills that have become key to successfully navigating through the challenges of the modern communication landscapes.
Exploring Designer and Choreographer Collaboration: Design for Dance
Poster Session Angela Bacarisse
Choreographers and Designers work collaboratively to create representations of humanness through movement and design. Design for dance is essential in enhancing the choreographer's vision. The many elements of production, choreography, costume, scenery, lighting and sound, come together to give dimension and depth to the performance. In order to reach this point choreographers and designers need to develop skills in collaboration. This includes specific vocabulary in the elements and principles of design, as well as the "soft skills" of listening and interpreting. In my position as professor of design I model these skills working with faculty and professional choreographers. I teach this vocabulary and skill set both in the classroom and in practical events. Including students in the process of collaboration teaches them the importance of the partnership between choreographers and designers. Examples of collaboration that will be included: RED TENT, choreography by Haley Hoss-Jameson/design by Angela Bacarisse, and AURORA, choreography by Heather Samuelson/design by Angela Bacarisse, and a piece by Haley Hoss-Jameson collaborating with a student designer.
