Engaged Learning
Mission Statement
The COAS Engaged Learning Committee seeks to increase the number of students participating in engaged learning in classes throughout the college by:
- promoting awareness of and understanding about engaged learning throughout the university community,
- highlighting current uses of engaged learning at Lamar University that exemplify best practices, and
- fostering a campus culture among faculty and administrators that encourages the adoption of engaged learning.
Spring 2024 - Make it Stick: The Science of Successful Learning
Date: March 26, 2024
Location: Galloway 101
Description: The COAS Engaged Learning Committee discusses the book Make it Stick: The Science of Successful Learning.
Committee Members
Co-Chairs
Jim Armacost, Associate Professor, BiologyLori Wright, Instructor, Social Work
Department of Biology
Ashwini Kucknoor, Associate Professor
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Zhifo Guo, Assistant Professor
Department of Computer Science
Rakibul Islam, Assistant Professor
Department of English and Modern Languages
Katie Hoerth, Assistant Professor
Jesse Doiron, Instructor
Department of Mathematics
Wen Liu, Associate Professor
JoAnne Gay Dishman School of Nursing
Stacey Knight, Assistant Professor
Department of Physics
Christian Bahrim, Professor
Department of Political Science
Bianca Easterly, Assistant Professor
Department of Psychology
Jeremy Shelton, Associate Professor
Criminal Justice Program
Karen Roebuck, Instructor
Lucy Tsado, Assistant Professor
Anthropology
Stefan Krause, Assistant Professor
Engaged Learning Initiatives
College Initiatives
Spring 2024
The COAS Engaged Learning Committee hosts a discussion on the book Make it Stick: The Science of Successful Learning.
This panel discussion will be held on March 25, 2024 from 12:45 PM to 1:45 PM in the Galloway Business Building, room 101.
Panelists include Ms. Lori Wright (Instructor, Social Work), Dr. Jeremy Alm (Associate Dean and Professor, Mathematics), Ms. Karen Roebuck (Instructor, Criminal Justice), and Dr. Jeremy Shelton (Associate Professor, Psychology).
Fall 2023
The committee read Make it Stick: The Science of Successful Learning by Peter C. Brown, et.al. to discover and potentially disseminate knowledge on effective teaching through engaged learning.
The committee also prepared an inventory of engaged learning practices that are already in place in classes across the College of Arts and Sciences.
Department Initiatives
Strategic engagement initiative each department will pursue in the 2023 - 2024 academic year.
Biology |
|
| Initiative: | Create a departmental calendar of events to be made electronically available to students. |
| When: | Continuously updated |
| Who: | Biology faculty and administration |
| Measurement: | Creation and distribution |
Chemistry & Biochemistry |
|
| Initiative: | Initiating internship opportunities |
| When: | Summer |
| Who: | Exxon and/or other possible companies |
| Measurement: | Number of students |
Computer Science |
|
| Initiative: | Organize interactive discussions that invite top students to share their learning styles, methods, and experiences with their peers, aiming to enhance the learning efficiency and engagement of other students. Faculty members can also integrate insights from students into their teaching strategies based on the shared factors and perspectives |
| When: | Y23-24 |
| Who: | Department Chair and CS faculty |
| Measurement: | Exit Survey and Interview for graduating students. |
Earth and Space Sciences |
|
| Initiative: | More field trips for classes and the LUGS student society. |
| When |
Fall 23, Spring 24 |
| Who: | Chair, instructors, new T-T faculty. |
| Measurement: |
Number of field trips per year. 1 – Low |
English and Modern Languages |
|
| Initiative: | Unveiling events to promote upcoming advanced courses in English and Modern Languages; Dia de los Muertos Event (poster presentations by students in English and Spanish); Internship course (ENGL 4365), offering an advanced student experience with technical writing and professional communication; more extensive exit interviews with graduate students who are asked to reflect on the cohesiveness of their collection of course work as well as their future plans. The Introduction to the Profession course (ENGL 4335 and 5335) asks that all students investigate potential conferences suitable for presenting their work. End of semester social mixer event for undergraduate and graduate majors to collaborate on a craft or project. |
| When: | Fall 2023/Spring 2024 |
| Who: |
Adam Nemmers, Amy Smith, Elia Hatfield, Lara Bernal Rios, Damian Robles, Gabriela Properzi, Sara Hillin, Sharon Joffe, Katherine Hoerth |
| Measurement: | Student attendance, Post workshop/event discussions, assessment of poster presentations in Spanish), taking feedback from graduate students in their final semester seriously and applying it to future courses for the benefit of a new graduate cohort. |
History |
|
| Initiative: |
|
| When: | Academic Year 2023-2024 |
| Who: | History Majors |
| Measurement: | Increasing numbers of students engaged in these activities. |
JoAnne Gay Dishman School of Nursing |
|
| Initiative: | All pre-licensure face-to-face didactic nursing courses will create and present at least 5 unfolding case studies each semester |
| When: | All pre-licensure face-to-face didactic nursing courses will create and present at least 5 unfolding case studies each semester |
| Who: | Nursing faculty teaching in pre-licensure didactic courses |
| Measurement: |
Evidence of 5 unfolding case studies in each didactic prelicensure course:
|
Mathematics |
|
| Initiative: | Adding project in 1st year courses |
| When: | Fall 2023/Spring 2024 |
| Who: | Math 1324 instructors |
| Measurement: | Transition to using projects as core curriculum assessment |
Physics |
|
| Initiative: |
Undergraduate Research Activities (supported by external/internal grants) SURF/CMMS/CfR/OUR and NSF/DOE/etc. |
| When: | Now |
| Who: | All Faculty |
| Measurement: | Students employed as Lab TAs and as undergraduate researchers |
Political Science |
|
| Initiative: | Develop a legislative internship to go with our policy and legal internship. |
| When: | Fall 2023 |
| Who: | Sara Gubala and Tom Sowers |
| Measurement: | Did the course get created and submitted for approval. |
Psychology |
|
| Initiative: | Create department repository of Active/Engaged Learning assignments |
| When: |
(ongoing) Fall 2023 & Spring 2024 |
| Who: | All PSYC full-time faculty (and others who wish to contribute) |
| Measurement: | Number of contributions to repository. |
Sociology, Social Work and Criminal Justice |
|
| Initiative: | Department will host one immersive activity (Poverty Simulation) for faculty to learn and incorporate into teaching |
| When: | October 6, 2023 |
| Who: | Hosted by department – lead by Social Work faculty |
| Measurement: | Successful completion of Poverty Simulation |