Copy
University at Buffalo, The State University of New York
|  THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2018  |
UB alumni with girls in Tanzania, showing off their handmade reusable pads

To a New Year of High-Impact Experiential Learning

Celebrating our past and looking forward to the future.
It would be an understatement to say that 2018 has been an exciting year for the ELN.  It has been a year filled with discovery, wonderment and catalytic possibilities. 

With the launch of our redesigned Faculty Fellows program, we encouraged UB faculty to “dream up” new courses and offerings that would transport students beyond the traditional classroom. Faculty responded with exciting proposals, submitting innovative ideas for new study abroad courses, entrepreneurship skill development (see Bob’s spotlight below), up-close engagement, and deep community collaboration. Although diverse in scope and topic, the proposals all shared a spirit of traveling further and deeper and challenging traditional notions of classroom learning, delivery modalities and engagement frameworks. We were pleased to fund eleven proposals and look forward to sharing related stories and impacts during the upcoming semester. 

This year also brought an exciting resonance with UB students who demonstrated an eagerness to engage in high-impact experiential learning. When we opened applications for the second cohort of our redesigned Sophomore Living Learning Community, an impressive group of freshmen applied, sharing their passions and experience and committing to collaborative projects and coursework focused on design thinking and high-impact outcomes. With record numbers of students seeking non-traditional study abroad opportunities, holistic mentoring and technology-supported engagement opportunities, it has become overwhelmingly clear that UB is poised to go even further with high-impact experiential learning.

For me, the promise of our work is palpable. This past summer I brought three recent alumni (Danielle Nerber, Lyndsey Cifra and Matthew Falcone) back to the Mara Region of Tanzania to contribute beyond their initial study abroad experiences. The students were able to bring materials for a reusable sanitary pad project (pictured above) that Danielle had initiated through her final course assignment, subsequently raising funds to support training for our partners and implementing a model with the potential to generate revenue and support girls’ education and health. In the short time we were there, we saw this project come to life, a project that continues to grow and develop in exciting ways, bringing partners together and generating new possibilities as we connect interested faculty and students. This notion of transforming partnerships into catalysts for innovation was further demonstrated through our inaugural Global Partner Studio Institute that was held in early October, bringing partners from Ghana, Jamaica, Tanzania and Zimbabwe together for a week of sharing, engaging and exploring new partnership opportunities.

It is this commitment to supporting project- and problem-based collaboration with partners (both local and global) that we look forward to developing in the year ahead. Plans for 2019 include a new portal for project-based learning and a facilitated framework for student engagement, available via a digital badge and an independent study option. We will also explore the potential of technology and digital media to help engage students in the exciting and complex worlds of our partners, ensuring that all UB students have the opportunity to embark on high-impact experiential learning and contribute their gifts and talents to the world.

When you come back in January, look for some new opportunities to engage. Have a wonderful holiday season!  

- Mara

Faculty Spotlight

Prof. Bob Neubert smiling with students in lounge
Bob Neubert: Education Through Games

Bob Neubert has been working on an innovative new way to teach entrepreneurship and other necessary skills, and it's actually a lot of fun! He's building leadership, teamwork, creativity and innovation through escape-room style games. From here, he hopes to continue to research, adapt and optimize the games in his game-based entrepreneurship project so that others may reap the benefits.

Experiential Learning Network Opportunities

Prof. Jim Jensen helping student with water filtration project

Apply for Spring Course Infusion Funding

Applications for spring course infusion funding are now open! The goal of this fund is to incubate and generate new opportunities for experiential learning within undergraduate courses. Funding can support field trips, guest presenters or innovative programs that provide an engaging, impactful experience that enhances learning. Feel free to reach out to Charlie Baxter if you have any questions or would like to discuss ideas. The priority deadline to apply is Jan. 6, 2019.

CURCA Corner

Screenshot of text coding in a digital humanities project

Post Spring Research Opportunities

All faculty, from humanities to social sciences to STEM, are encouraged to post project and research opportunities for the spring semester on the CURCA website so that students can get involved. The submission process is easyjust fill out a short form describing the opportunity.

Graduate student presenting her research poster

Spring Presentation Forums

Keep reminding your students about the presentation forums coming up in April! If students would like to present their work, abstracts will likely be due early in the spring 2019 semester. The Celebration of Student Academic Excellence will be held on Thursday, April 25, 2019 in the Center for the Arts, and the SUNY Undergraduate Research Conference (SURC) will be hosted by Niagara County Community College on Saturday, April 27, 2019.

UBuffaloELN
@UBuffaloELN
UBuffaloELN
17 Norton Hall, Buffalo, NY 14260

ubeln@buffalo.edubuffalo.edu/eln

If this was forwarded to you by a colleague, sign up
to continue receiving our monthly faculty/staff newsletter.

You are receiving this email because of your interest in
Experiential Learning at the University at Buffalo. 
unsubscribe from this list 

Update your profile to ensure we have your correct information.

Copyright © 2018. University at Buffalo. All rights reserved.