Learning Resources

Abstract: Dr. Cuomo, a pre-tenure feminist geographer, describes her background and research agenda pertaining to sexual assault victim advocacy, education, and prevention. She describes the research project at the heart of Lafayette College's initiative and shares her perspective on the potential for similar institutional research partnerships in higher education.

Abstract: Ella Goodwin, a Lafayette College senior and co-president of a student organization called Pards Against Sexual Assault, shares a student’s desire for clear institutional planning in areas of critical student concern. She emphasizes that financial renumeration for the work that student activists already do to create and support vital campus programming is critical to successful partnerships. She highlights the importance of the opportunity to develop research skills for undergraduate students particularly beyond STEM.

Abstract: As the chief academic officer of the University of Massachusetts system and as a labor market sociologist, Katherine Newman will provide valuable insight on how global changes are affecting the academic, research, and public service mission of higher education. The current public health crisis—as well as other factors such as automation and social change—is accelerating efforts to attract, educate, and retain a range of high achieving, diverse, and unskilled populations of learners. Come learn how your institution can provide experiential learning and hybrid course delivery options that meet the needs of students and employers who are experiencing multiple tectonic shifts in their industries.

Abstract: As a campus built on standards of social justice and experiential learning, Roger Williams University used COVID-19 as an opportunity to think creatively about ways to serve its community.

True to its inclusive mission, the school showed its character throughout the crisis and its planning, coming up with personal ways to connect with prospective families, support off-campus communities, and open pathways to learning.

Abstract: This article discusses the processes and outcomes of recent efforts at George Mason University (GMU) to acknowledge and celebrate the lives of those individuals enslaved by the institution’s namesake. In an era of intense debate surrounding the legacies of historical figures in the United States, GMU seeks to set the example for one approach to dealing with the conversations: community-fostering dialogue. We discuss the use of sculptural elements to create a new monument that sits in discourse with an existing statue of George Mason IV, highlighting how undergraduate student research efforts can be leveraged to address topics of value to today’s campus communities.

Abstract: Higher education is a kind of game, a challenging journey with a reward at the end. As such, college and university planners should think of their campuses as large, interactive gameboards so as to create future learning environments that students will demand and need in order to be workforce and life ready.

Abstract: Many institutions struggle to promote liberal arts education in today's changing world. Hampshire College provides a model for how resource-limited campuses can leverage their sustainability assets to support curricular and community transformation. Hampshire is reinventing itself for a sustainable future, using its environmental assets (a campus farm and living building) to support a new transdisciplinary curriculum and student experience. This session will help you leverage environmental assets in applied transdisciplinary learning to prepare students for a sustainable future.

Abstract: After participating in this session, you will be able to identify and distinguish formal from informal learning spaces, recognize active learning behaviors and describe elements of space and design that enable such behaviors, and identify and choose appropriate assessment methods to generate evidence of specific informal environments for self-directed active learning.

Abstract: Discover how the University of Pittsburgh delivers diverse expertise and support to communities in need through an off-campus community engagement center initiative. Colleges and universities have a responsibility to use their expansive expertise and knowledge to assist and inspire community members and to broaden the student's perspective. Through a candid discussion about our collective experiences and lessons learned in this new community outreach effort, we will provide you with a roadmap of the various obstacles you must consider at your own institution.

Abstract: Over the course of two years, The New School, a New York City university established in 1919 by philosopher John Dewey and other prominent Progressive Era scholars, partnered with the Stevens Institute of Technology, a private research university in Hoboken, New Jersey, founded in 1870. The partnering universities entered—and were selected as one of 20 finalists of—a biannual, international competition among higher education institutions to design and build an energy-efficient house. Typically, the competition draws significant public attention because of its focus on showcasing innovative technologies to advance energy savings. (All 20 finalist houses—this time, including the New School–Stevens “Empowerhouse”—are displayed on the National Mall in Washington, DC.) As well, the competition spurs innovation among students and provides an extraordinary “real-world” educational experience. Five of us who worked on this project discuss the challenges and benefits of an inter-institutional approach that also centered on collaboration with multiple community partners including Habitat for Humanity of Washington, DC, several DC government agencies, and community-based organizations in the DC neighborhood of Deanwood, where the competition house would ultimately be relocated and reconstructed as a two-family Habitat for Humanity residence. The project involved more than 200 students over a multiyear period working on and employing their academic preparation in areas including community engagement, advocacy, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, environmental policy, sustainability management, fashion design, lighting design, organizational change management, urban policy, environmental studies, architecture, and product design.