Making It Real: Illustrating Social Science Principles Outside the Traditional Classroom

1. Making It Real: Illustrating Social Science Principles Outside the Traditional Classroom Wanda McCarthy, PhD, Psychology ,UC-ClermontLeslie Elrod, PhD, Sociology, UC-Raymond Walters Meera Rastogi , PhD, Psychology ,UC-Clermont PresentationUniversity of Cincinnati First Year Summit 2009October 16, 2009

2. Experiential Learning:Bringing Social Science Principles to Life using Field Trips Wanda McCarthy, PhD, Psychology ,UC-Clermont College

3. What is Experiential Learning? • The American Association for Experiential Education regards experiential education "as a philosophy and methodology in which educators purposefully engage with learners in direct experience and focused reflection in order to increase knowledge, develop skills  and clarify values".  -Experiential Learning Office Ryerson University

4. Ryerson University: Experiential Learning Model /http://www.ryerson.ca/experiential_learning/el_at_ryerson/outcomes

5. Ryerson’s Outcomes for Experiential Learning • INTENTIONALITY - In EL, experience doesn't just happen. • ENGAGEMENT - Experiential learning is active, not passive. • ITERATION - EL is most effective when there are opportunities to apply what has already been learned. • INTEGRATION - To be fully effective EL has to be integral to a student's educaiton, not an occasional add-on.

6. Ryerson’s Outcomes for Experiential Learning • REFLECTION -EL is not just "learning by doing". Doing surely has to be accompanied by thinking if it is to contribute towards deeper understanding and inform subsequent action.

7. Experiential Learning in a Human Sexuality Classroom: Kinsey Institute Field Trip

8. Why the Kinsey Institute?

9. Alfred Kinsey’s Research

10. Kinsey Art Gallery

11. Kinsey Institute Library

12. Kinsey Institute Library

13. My students at the Kinsey Institute

14. Student Reflections on the Trip

15. Conclusions

16. Seeing is Believing: Enhancing the student experience Leslie Elrod, PhD University of Cincinnati RWC Department of Behavioral Sciences

17. Why Extend Beyond the Text in FYE? • Critical Thinking • Engagement • Content Application • Value-Added Education • Retention • Seeing is Believing

18. Where to Go? • Special Exhibit • Cincinnati Museum Center: “Race: Are we so different” • Historical Center • National Underground Railroad Freedom Center • Holocaust Museum: “Mapping our Tears” • Art Museum • Cincinnati Art Museum

19. What Happened? • Engagement • Discussion • Inclusion of Others • Camaraderie • Understanding

20. The Value of Professional Conferences for the Undergraduate Student Faculty Mentors: Meera Rastogi and Denise Francis Montaño Students: Jennifer Brinkman, Kate Brondyke , JodeeHoffland, Sarah Johnson, Ashley Lindsey, Elizabeth Pequet, & Tara Suplicki

21. Why take undergraduates to a professional conference? Pros Cons Too early Too advanced Will not be able to appreciate the experience • Share excitement of field • Increase student engagement • Enhance and strengthen faculty-student connection • Networking • Modeling

22. Research on Undergraduates and Professional Conferences • Graduate Student Experiences • “’make a lot of great memories’” and increase research productivity (Pakard, 2007). • “two international conferences has been the highlight of my graduate training experience, and these experiences have strongly influenced my career interests, aspirations and goals” (Hasan, 2007). • “’helped put the work we're doing in the classroom in perspective," and “allowed her to make contacts with clinicians and other practitioners she may not have met otherwise” (Novotney, 2008). • Undergraduates • network in the field and increase chances of getting into graduate school (Cynkar, 2007) • Overall • No research • Mostly limited to poster presentations and anecdotal experiences of graduate students

23. Making It Real Our Experience

24. International Counseling Psychology ConferenceCreating the Future: Counseling Psychologists in a Changing World Chicago, IllinoisMarch 7- 9, 2008

25. Step 1: Obtaining Funding College Funds • Edgewood College Academic Deans’ Travel Fund • President’s Mini Grant • Student Government Association Additional ideas: • Table for college • Food Expenses • Fundraisers

26. Step 2: Identifying and selecting students • Email and flyers to students: Attention Psychology Students!We are happy to announce the availability of funds for five (5) first year psychology students to attend the International Counseling Psychology Conference, Creating the Future: Counseling Psychologists in a Changing World in Chicago, Illinois. • Student application and selection

27. Step 3: StudentOrientation • Preconference training • Content • Travel arrangements, reading program, program selection, registration, meeting times, dress, etc. • Pre and post conference data • Student Application form • Pre and post assessment developed by Rastogi and Montano

28. Results

29. Demographics

30. Engagement in the discipline of psychology

31. Conference skills

32. Networking

33. Personal Goals Pre/Post Conference

34. Professional Goals Pre/Post Conference

35. Conclusions Limitations Resources See handouts • Small sample size • All female students

36. References Azar, B. (2008). The experience hunter. GradPSYCH, 6 (4), 28-29. Cynkar, A. (2007). Clinch your graduate school acceptance. GradPSYCH 5 (4). Retrieved from http://gradpsych.apags.org/nov07/cover-acceptance.html Hasan, N. (2007). Internationalzing your career. GradPSYCH 5 (3). Retrieved from: http://gradpsych.apags.org/sep07/corner.html Novotney, A. (2008). Revive your drive: Six empirically supported techniques for getting excited about grad school again. GradPSYCH 6 (3),. Retrieved from: http://gradpsych.apags.org/2008/09/cover-drive.html Pakard, E. (2007). Word to the wise: Get the most of of your graduate program with advice from these students.GradPSYCH 5 (4 ). Retrieved from http://gradpsych.apags.org/nov07/cover-wise.html