Track Session Type
Evaluation: Research in OER, Evaluation student engagement, OER Impact and Programmatic Assessment
Presentation Type
Presentation
OER Level of Expertise
Intermediate
Audience
Faculty
Unlocking Potential: Open Pedagogy's Impact on Liberal Arts Education and Employability
Session Abstract
This presentation will discuss how students developed Liberal Arts skills when participating in Open Pedagogy projects. During the Spring and Fall of 2023, students in four courses of SOC 100 Introduction to Sociology participated in Open Pedagogy Projects. Throughout the semester, students identified open peer-reviewed scholarly articles from the Directory of Open Access Journals to complement the chapters of an Introduction to Sociology textbook. Additionally, they created both reading questions and multiple-choice questions for select articles. Their final assessment required them to explain how these two exercises helped them develop their Liberal Arts skills and predict how they would be able to transfer these skills to their future work. Of the 128 students registered in the four courses, 72 (56.25%) signed a consent form authorizing the use of their work for research purposes. During the presentation, Dr. Simon will present the assignment, explain the consent process, and provide some findings from the students' self-reflection. Then, Madison will share her experience as a student in the class during the Spring 2023 semester and as a Teaching Assistant during the Fall 2023 semester. We hope that it will inspire you to promote the Open Pedagogy initiative on your campus.
Keywords
Open Pedagogy, Liberal Arts Education, Employability
Objectives of the Session
FIRST OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the development of students' Liberal Arts skills through engagement in two Open Pedagogy projects.
SECOND OBJECTIVE: Illustrate the process by which students apply and transfer these acquired Liberal Arts skills to their future professional endeavors.
Full Description of the Session
This presentation will discuss how students developed Liberal Arts skills when participating in Open Pedagogy projects. During the Spring and Fall of 2023, students in four courses of SOC 100 Introduction to Sociology participated in Open Pedagogy Projects. Throughout the semester, students identified open peer-reviewed scholarly articles from the Directory of Open Access Journals to complement the chapters of an Introduction to Sociology textbook. Additionally, they created both reading questions and multiple-choice questions for select articles. Their final assessment required them to explain how these two exercises helped them develop their Liberal Arts skills and predict how they would be able to transfer these skills to their future work. Of the 128 students registered in the four courses, 72 (56.25%) signed a consent form authorizing the use of their work for research purposes. During the presentation, Dr. Simon will present the assignment, explain the consent process, and provide some findings from the students' self-reflection. Then, Madison will share her experience as a student in the class during the Spring 2023 semester and as a Teaching Assistant during the Fall 2023 semester. We hope that it will inspire you to promote the Open Pedagogy initiative on your campus.
Presenter Bios
Dr. Nicolas P. Simon is an Associate Professor of Sociology in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, Criminology, and Social Work at Eastern Connecticut State University in Willimantic Connecticut. His major research interests include Sociology of Higher Education, First-Generation College Students, Community Service, Open Educational Resources, Open Pedagogy, and Sociological Theories. Dr. Simon holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Connecticut and a master’s degree from Université de Caen in France.
My name is Madison Farrell and I am an undergraduate student at Eastern Connecticut State university. I am a double major in both sociology and early childhood education, with a minor in psychology. I am from Meriden, Connecticut and I transferred here to Eastern Connecticut State University from Salve Regina University in the fall of my sophomore year to pursue my passion of teaching. In my time here at Eastern I have learned the importance of understanding people, behaviors, and social change through a variety of sociology courses. As a future educator I believe having a background in sociology will help me to provide the best well-rounded education for my future students.
Publishing Permission
1
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Start Date
4-4-2024 2:30 PM
End Date
4-4-2024 3:20 PM
Unlocking Potential: Open Pedagogy's Impact on Liberal Arts Education and Employability
This presentation will discuss how students developed Liberal Arts skills when participating in Open Pedagogy projects. During the Spring and Fall of 2023, students in four courses of SOC 100 Introduction to Sociology participated in Open Pedagogy Projects. Throughout the semester, students identified open peer-reviewed scholarly articles from the Directory of Open Access Journals to complement the chapters of an Introduction to Sociology textbook. Additionally, they created both reading questions and multiple-choice questions for select articles. Their final assessment required them to explain how these two exercises helped them develop their Liberal Arts skills and predict how they would be able to transfer these skills to their future work. Of the 128 students registered in the four courses, 72 (56.25%) signed a consent form authorizing the use of their work for research purposes. During the presentation, Dr. Simon will present the assignment, explain the consent process, and provide some findings from the students' self-reflection. Then, Madison will share her experience as a student in the class during the Spring 2023 semester and as a Teaching Assistant during the Fall 2023 semester. We hope that it will inspire you to promote the Open Pedagogy initiative on your campus.