02-04-2024 EDU - Flipbook - Page 7
The Baltimore Sun | Sunday, February 4, 2024 7
Experiential learning, from page 1
Student support, from page 3
Ask Margit, from page 1
Washington says that travel experiences add
dimension to what students are learning in the
classroom, which makes an impact across all
academic disciplines.
“STEM students are learning that there's a
human side to data,” she says. “The data from
Hurricane Katrina tells us the percentage of
people who are trapped in the city, but to meet
people and hear their stories humanizes the
entire experience.”
CCBC students painted a mural in New Orleans.
Stevenson students work with nonprofits to address
marketing needs.
A Bridge to Real-World Professionalism
Imagine a college course that actually mimicked the real-world experience of that profession, by providing a real-world service to
actual clients. The Mill Agency, a student-led creative marketing and design agency at Stevenson
University does just that.
The agency operates as a creative marketing and design firm, often collaborating with
nonprofits in the Baltimore area. The projects
are made possible through funding from the
PNC Foundation, with a focus on nonprofits
aligned with PNC's interests. Notable clients have
included Friends of Patterson Park, the Clifton
Mansion, Baltimore Heritage and the Jewish
Museum of Maryland.
Amanda Hostalka, vice provost for outreach
and dean of the school of design, arts, and communication at Stevenson University explains that
the Mill Agency experience mirrors the challenges and dynamics of the professional world.
"Our most compelling clients are those with
specific needs, maybe they want a promotional
video or help with branding,” says Hostalka, but
she explains that often the discussion reveals
other challenges students can help solve for
clients. “We come in with fresh eyes, utilizing a
design thinking process to identify additional
opportunities that clients may not have realized
they had."
The agency enlists support from other academic areas when needed for certain projects.
"For instance, if the project involves historical
research, we collaborate with history students
and faculty," Hostalka explains. This approach
allows students to benefit from collaboration,
and ensures that every project is well-rounded,
considering not only design aspects but also historical, ethical, and contextual dimensions.
Students are expected to become subject matter experts in the projects they undertake. This
deep dive helps students prepare for the complexities of a real-world creative profession, including
how to present and defend their work.
"Our students fully invest themselves in
understanding the goals and challenges of the
clients. This investment gives them the authority
to present well-informed recommendations," says
Hostalka.
"We aim to give students valuable interdisciplinary and strategic thinking skills that will
propel them into successful careers.”
The use of drones can be applied to variety of fields.
Although many of their students have support from outside to help them financially,
many do not. Through a grant for an opportunity called “Suit Yourself ” the Feller Center
can now offer $200 awards to students who
apply for them. These funds are to be used
to buy professional clothing for these events.
Students are also given guidance as to what
kind of clothing is most appropriate, as well as
local places where they can find such clothing
on a budget.
In the social sciences, the career path is not
as defined as perhaps a career in engineering
might be. “We are trying to help students connect with areas where their interest lies and
gain experience in interviewing, conferences
and networking,” says Katherine Ford Russell,
Ph.D., associate dean for undergraduate education in the college of behavioral and social
sciences at UMD. Through the grants for clothing, they can reach students in ways they might
not be able to otherwise.
Another way the Feller Center helps students is by providing funds a couple times a
year for student experiences off campus. This
can provide Metro fare and lunches downtown so students can explore opportunities in
Washington, D.C.
The Feller Center aims to meet students
where they are by integrating career planning
with classroom activities such as having guest
speakers who talk about their careers. The
center also arranges for professional mentoring from outside the school. Each of these
programs is a way to engage with students
and help them formulate and accomplish their
goals.
To make it accessible to everyone, the
Feller Center offers events and fairs where students can meet employers and alumni and put
these new skills into practice. With appropriate
clothing from “Suit Yourself ” students can participate with confidence.
Community service, from page 1
city of Dhaka. In addition to traditional education, the students are taught life skills and
provided with daily meals. The hope is to train
the students to increase their chances for greater
economic success in the future. Born to Smile
recently partnered with a Germany-based organization that is helping to raise funds for school
uniforms. Khan hopes that by the end of the
fall semester, Born to Smile would have enough
money to buy those uniforms for the 129 students the organization currently supports.
When he came to Stevenson, Khan was
intrigued by the service scholars program.
He says it has piqued his interest in additional community service. With the skills he’s
learned through the service scholars program
at Stevenson, Khan is exploring the possibilities of expanding Born to Smile’s reach in other
countries.
“The education these students are receiving
will transform their lives,” he says.
Stevenson freshman Alyssa Reddy, another
service scholars student, worked with the Red
Cross throughout high school. When she came
to college, Reddy wanted to launch a chapter
for Stevenson. An exuberant advocate for the
Red Cross, Reddy quickly found more people
to support the new chapter. Not only does the
group support blood drives on campus, but it
has also participated in Honor Flights, a program that brings U.S. veterans to Washington
so they can visit the memorials of the wars they
fought.
“I feel the Red Cross has offered me so much
that I want to talk about it all the time,” Reddy
says.
“They’re busy. They’re learning time management skills and have to balance their school
work and the service work,” Lentz-Schiller says
of the students in her program.
In the participatory design and community
engagement class at University of Maryland,
Baltimore County, students work on technology
design projects that center the voices of community members using accessible and inclusive
methods. Foad Hamidi, an assistant professor
in the information systems department, says the
class is a mix of theoretical and practical projects that support community engagement. The
first-time class is aimed at graduate students.
Since its launch at the beginning of the semester, Hamidi says the students have been highly
engaged with the possibilities of how they can
create a positive impact for campus life and the
greater Baltimore County area.
Several of the student-led projects are
already making an impact. A team of students
created a prototype for a 3D-printed tactile map
of an area of campus known as The Commons
that is designed for people with visual impairments. Hamidi says the students worked with
visually impaired students to gain a better
understanding of their needs in traversing the
campus.
Another project the students supported
involved the providing of training for visually
impaired high school students. They created
a program to empower these students with an
understanding of how to better navigate the
world around them and how to prepare for a
future in college and beyond.
“As an instructor, one of the best things for
me is to see the kinds of projects people are
coming up with,” Hamidi says. “We need more
projects that connect students with community
partners, projects that have potential positive
social impact.”
At Harford Community College (HCC),
community service is strongly encouraged.
During the fall 2023 semester, a new HCC
student organization was formed to provide
students the opportunity to participate in volunteerism and civic engagement. The Helping
Hands club was started by a group of students
who wanted to share their passion for service
with their fellow students, Chandler Sagal, student leadership and programming specialist at
HCC says.
That wasn’t the only service project undertaken at HCC during the fall semester. Students
volunteered in support of several community programs as well. Nearly two dozen students supported the “I You We Matter” Youth
Symposium at the Abingdon YMCA in support
of young female empowerment and success,
Sagal says. Students also volunteered their time
with Habitat for Humanity to help build a house
for a Harford County family.
“These experiences have allowed for student
bonding, creation of empathetic and community-oriented students and the opportunity to
learn outside of the classroom,” Sagal says.
The volunteer efforts are expected to continue in the spring semester. Plans for spring
volunteer opportunities include a youth symposium targeted at young boys in Harford
County, as well as volunteering with local
Harford County farms. Some students will also
cross into Pennsylvania to work with educational and community wellness organizations
in Philadelphia.
An “uptick” in student volunteering for
community service projects prompted HCC’s
Emerging Leaders Program to pivot from a
speaker-focused events to a service-learning
based program. Sagal says this will provide
students with opportunities to “learn how
to be leaders in their community through
giving back.”
to do research into the various artistic
fields. Her sole digital support was her
phone.
She also lacked a portfolio, something that artists put together in lieu of a
résumé. Art school grads use their time
in college to improve their skills and to
then develop one. It shows the artist’s
capabilities. No one ever told her that
it was something she needed. To make
matters worse, she only had one year of
in-person education before COVID-19
changed the world. From her sophomore
year to graduation, she learned virtually.
In retrospect, Tiyana would have
appreciated more one-on-one coaching
with the instructors and more interaction with other students. When she
finally graduated, it was just a relief to
be done.
Darren is wrapping up his education
at a state school, one with thousands of
students. Was there an orientation? Sort
of. “It consisted of a walk around campus, upper-level students showing the
incoming freshman where to find things
and to ease our nerves when attending
classes. There wasn’t a counselor who
could direct me. I felt like I was just a
number. I think that’s often the case with
higher education,” he says.
At first, he chose a major in photography. That didn’t last long. Then he was
undecided, focusing on general education requirements. During that period,
he tried different classes to see what
appealed to him. When someone from
a local newspaper spoke at one of his
classes, a lightbulb went off. He’s now
finishing up his education as a journalism major and has had articles printed in
the school newspaper. He’s planning an
internship at a local media outlet.
Tiyana graduated from art school,
got a job (not in art), bought an iPad,
and started teaching herself about creating digital art by watching videos on
YouTube. She is still experimenting, trying to figure out what is next.
“If you’re going to go to an art school,”
Tiyana says, “have a better idea of what
you want to do. It’s hard to figure out on
your own what you want to study. I was
assigned a counselor, but I was always
confused. No guidance was provided
to help me decide what I wanted to do
when I graduated. I’d ask, ‘What classes
do I need to take?’ and never really got
a good answer. The same was true with
the instructors. They pushed what they
did for a living or told me to teach. None
of this had anything to do with my aspirations.”
In sum, too many students attend
college or university without a good
sense of why they are there and what
benefits they reap by graduating.
Prior to college, David had a strong
interest in public policy and politics. His
course work covered political science,
international relations and the option to
focus on one part of the world. He chose
western Europe. Since graduation, his
ability to understand the ramifications
of current events has been one of his
main selling points. He’s never been out
of work.
Today’s students seem to expect a
vocational benefit from their college
degree, i.e., skills that will help them
secure a good job. Maybe they need to
understand the benefits of the different
types of education more clearly. Will a
university education help them spread
their wings, beyond a specific skill set by
enabling them to think critically, to be
able to see big picture, to broaden their
view of the world? Maybe colleges and
universities need to actually counsel students about why they are there and what
they could achieve.
So, if you envision a university education in your future, visit schools and
have an in-depth talk with the guidance counselors or those who coach students about their programs. Then think
through why you are going and what you
hope to accomplish. You’ll get more out
of your time there if you do your due
diligence and have a realistic expectation of how your studies will affect your
job prospects.
Workforce needs, from page 6
begin their studies at Coppin State University
during the 2024-2025 academic year and are
expected to graduate in spring 2026. The second cohort of 10 students will enter Coppin
State during the fall 2025 semester and complete the program in spring 2027.
Salisbury nursing students combine classroom learning with hands-on work.
Offering Online Master’s in
Teaching at Towson University
Towson University’s Master of Arts in
Teaching (MAT) has recently begun offering a
fully online version. “In the wake of a teacher
shortage, this fully online option will eliminate barriers career-changers often face (such
as family care and travel), as well as provide
people with bachelor’s degrees unrelated to
teaching an opportunity to become a certified
teacher,” says Laila Richman, Ph.D, associate
dean and professor in the college of education.
Those who complete the program, which
is approved by the State of Maryland, will
receive a master’s degree and be eligible for
initial teacher certification in Maryland.
The first online cohort began in fall 2023.
According to Richman, all components will
be offered in a synchronous online class format; students will earn a master’s degree and
eligibility for initial certification in the State of
Maryland within two to three years; and students will complete the program in a cohort,
taking courses together throughout the year.
A part-time internship is required during the
fall term; a full-time internship is completed
in the final spring term. Students of this online
cohort must complete their internship within
the state of Maryland. Current school system employees may be eligible for a reduced
tuition rate.
“We have seen the need for more teachers, especially in multilingual educators and
special educators, and our goal is to build a
pipeline of students who can meet that need,”
says Richman.
