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Check back this fall for our new Project Portal!
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Dear colleagues,
With our summer break quickly approaching, we want to take the opportunity to thank you for a truly amazing year. As we reflect on the successes and contributions of our students, partners and faculty, there is so much to be proud of. From infusing experiential learning into existing courses, to incubating new opportunities for connecting students with partners in Buffalo and around the world, we have seen the power of experiential learning in action. And we have recognized that our students and faculty want more—more opportunities to go further and deeper with partners, contributing their talents and interests in exciting and meaningful ways.
So this summer, your ELN team will be building an innovative new platform that will bring project-based collaboration to scale, inviting students into “project spaces” that will be framed around topics that are inherently interesting, relevant and transdisciplinary in nature. They will feature both local and global partners and will include projects that allow students to make meaningful contributions while also supporting their academic and professional goals.
The portal will be digital in nature, allowing students to browse project spaces and hear from UB sponsors (faculty, staff or students) and featured partners. To engage, students can register for associated courses, which will be available starting in spring 2020, or work independently through our new Project-Based Collaboration (PBC) digital badge sequence, which will be available this fall. Badges will facilitate the collaboration process and will include 1) Preparation, 2) Engagement and 3) Reflection, “stacking up” to a Project Based Collaboration Badge.
To activate the potential of this model, we invited submissions from faculty and staff across the university to bring ideas for project spaces and associated partners. We were excited to receive many excellent proposals and look forward to sharing the portfolio of project spaces that we will be piloting this fall. Although we are not quite ready for a big reveal, I can share that they span topics from technology to civics, from sustainability to systems design and humanities. They will include both local and global partners and will engage students through research, communications, leadership activities and innovation.
Because the portal will be digital with co-curricular engagement opportunities, students from all majors and disciplines will be able to participate, following their own pace and timeline with no additional cost or commitment. And by sharing student projects within “digital galleries,” we can build on one another’s work and contribute to our partners and their communities in exciting and innovative ways. We hope that you will join us in the fall, exploring ways to get your partners and students involved in this exciting new initiative. I'd love to discuss the portal in person and would welcome opportunities over the summer or fall to discuss in meetings or group presentations.
Best wishes for the end of the semester, have a fabulous summer, and we look forward to introducing you to our new Project Portal!
Mara Huber, PhD
Director, Experiential Learning Network
Associate Dean for Experiential Learning and Undergraduate Research
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