Knowledge Ecologies
Using Industry Councils to Create Workplace-ready Students
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Diane Monahan, Judy Holcomb
To date, not much attention has been given to the use of industry councils in higher education by researchers. There has been research exploring community involvement as a scholarly activity. Pienaar-Steyn (2012) writes about South Africa’s effort to better understand community engagement and the benefits to higher education. And, although, Pienaar-Steyn does not directly write of the use of industry to aid in universities reaching their goals of providing but one can see the connection between the two. There are decades of research examining the values of active learning practices in the classroom and the experiential learning of internships. As mentioned there is scarce research examining the role industry plays, outside of serving an internship site, in higher education. One of the goals of higher education is to produce highly functioning graduates that are prepared to talk their next step. The authors argue that for business schools the goal is to produce workplace-ready students. Industry professionals can serve an important part of linking higher education with business. Students can benefit from being immersed alongside their faculty with industry professionals. Faculty help model appropriate professional behaviors for students such as dress, networking, communication, etc. Also, students are eased into an uncertain territory as well as the role of young professional. Industry councils should be developed with intention and purpose. It is posited that a workplace-ready student has the sophisticated ability to navigate the complex environment via classroom experiences, internships and industry councils.
Beyond the Classroom: Integrating Service-Learning in Designing for the Greater Good
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Sooyun Im
This paper will present a case study of a service-learning project. Service-learning is a pedagogy that engages students in learning through active participation and organized community involvement. It enhances traditional learning by linking academic content and theory to real-world issues. Students are engaged directly in solving real-world problems. In the spring of 2018, a Cal Poly Pomona graphic design class worked with the non-profit organization, Sowing Seeds for Life. Sowing Seeds for Life is a food pantry non-profit organization whose mission is to eliminate hunger by providing food for those in need. The class projects included a rebranding for the organization, a business system, and the development of collateral graphic design products. Working with such a nonprofit organization, students gained an awareness of social issues and problems in the world around them. They learned to design for the greater good, and gained experience in client interaction. The course required students to reflect on a variety of real-world issues and ultimately to apply learned graphic design skills to serve one community-based organization. Through service learning, students experienced an awakening of civic competence and engagement while applying their critical thinking and design skills.
Social Learning through Critique: Arts Pedagogies as Social Justice Practice
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Brian Harlan
Learning feels to us like a process managed by the will. Based on observation it seems like an individual act, and appears largely the result of our individual cognitive ability. Yet, how much of what we know was actually achieved alone? I would argue that although it is mediated by our intellect, almost none of our knowledge is obtained through consciously-directed effort. We are awash in our social environment and therefore it is impossible to separate learning based on individual effort and social influence. A signature pedagogy within visual and performing arts, group critique, draws its effectiveness from this social nature of learning, and furthermore, is a process that can be exported to other disciplines once understood. In fact the social factor in learning is important as we contemplate all pedagogical approaches, curriculum developments, and instructional designs. And social learning is equally important as we reflect on what it says about human nature. If learning is predominately social, in other words, this must have an impact not only on how we interact in the classroom, but how we relate to one another in society as well.
Encouraging Active Learning
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Jennifer Mather
This project focused on transforming both the physical and online learning spaces into learning environments that encourage students to engage in active learning. Changes to the physical classroom layout and implementation of a wiki were introduced to encourage collaborative, independent learning. This paper will reference the issues, problem-solving and innovation processes employed. Stakeholders and the goal of the project were identified (Rastogi, 2017): at the completion of this project, students in Group October 18 in the Diploma of Nursing will embrace active learning and become more independent learners. Constructivist, collaborative and active learning currently used in the teaching, appears to be in contrast with the student’s learning preferences. A brainstorming activity was completed with the students, asking them to note their expectations of both a student and an educator. The survey resulted in incongruent expectations between students and an educator. Students were consulted on proposed changes to previous teaching strategies: room layout, use of wikis and the proposed learning activities. Data collection included attendance records, observation, wiki participation, class discussion, and anonymous feedback. At the end of this project a significant increase in the engagement of these students was noted, although it was difficult to measure (Fuller et al., 2018). Does an increase in engagement translate to these students ‘embracing’ active learning? Future projects will work on the setting of project goals to ensure that all criteria of the S.M.A.R.T framework are met to help focus and improve the chances of achieving project goals (Kashyap, 2018).
