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Accessing the global: New models for study abroad

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91探花student abroad

 

鈥淓xpanding our offerings to include courses with an embedded, short-term study abroad component are an important way to increase access and equity in global learning.鈥�

鈥� Gayle Christensen, associate vice provost for Global Affairs

 
Thousands of 91探花students have had life-changing experiences all around the world with study abroad 鈥� but many students are deterred by the time or cost of traditional programs. Recently, innovative faculty have been exploring new models so that even more students can study abroad.

At the 91探花Bothell School of Nursing, Associate Professor Mabel Ezeonwu has partnered with a local nonprofit to bring student health care providers to rural Guatemala. In the College of the Environment, Lecturer Kristi Straus has piloted a 鈥済lobal flip鈥� program with Tsinghua University in China. And in the College of Engineering, Associate Professor Heidi Gough has partnered with a Jordanian university to have students study water engineering in drastically different regions of the world. These and other faculty, along with the Office of the Provost and the Office of Global Affairs, are committed to making the life-changing study abroad experience accessible to all students.

Short time abroad, long-term impact: Public health in Guatemala

Many of Associate Professor Mabel Ezeonwu鈥檚 graduate students in the 91探花Bothell School of Nursing are working professionals for whom a full study abroad program would be challenging 鈥� if not impossible.

Mabel Ezeonwu

 

鈥淚 believe that any investment we make in another country is of benefit to us, because of the way we are connected globally.鈥�

鈥� Mabel Ezeonwu, associate professor, School of Nursing & Health Studies, 91探花Bothell

 
So Ezeonwu found a way to give her students a study abroad experience in a way that works for them. In 2016, she partnered with Seattle-based nonprofit (GVH) to launch the 12-credit cross-disciplinary course, Global Health Promotion: Health Services Delivery in Resource-Poor Settings. GVH has been providing health services with partners in Guatemala for years; together with 91探花students, they have been able to provide care at unprecedented scale.

The program is designed to be as feasible as possible for working students, even before they get on the plane. It meets the Nursing program鈥檚 core requirements and runs during summer term. It鈥檚 also a hybrid course, combining online and classroom coursework with field work and team-building activities.

Students spend the first eight weeks at home, learning about global health issues in the context of Guatemalan policy and culture. Then, they go to rural Guatemala for two weeks, where they help provide on-the-ground health services to hundreds of people in a hands-on clinical setting.

Hands-on service learning: 鈥淓ducation at its best鈥�

Advance team-building is crucial, as in Guatemala, 鈥渢he work is pretty much 24/7,鈥� says Ezeonwu. The program welcomes a mix of students from all disciplines, both graduates and undergraduates. 鈥淭丑别 diversity of backgrounds makes the program unique,鈥� Ezeonwu says. She creates working groups that draw on students鈥� complementary skills: for example, the graduate students and experienced registered nurses bring clinical expertise and leadership experience, and undergraduates in majors ranging from cultural studies to biology bring different disciplinary perspectives.

Once in Guatemala, everyone is part of the team that delivers care 鈥� whether doing lab work, taking vital signs or running health education sessions. With GVH, the 91探花students visited seven villages, setting up mobile clinics with multiple stations (such as pharmacy, lab or education) in each one. Over the course of two weeks, they served around 600 patients.

These are mostly remote Mayan communities without local sources of health care. Some of the most impactful work is the most basic, such as tips on handwashing, tooth-brushing, boiling water or wearing shoes to avoid parasites.

鈥淔or students to see what it takes to deliver care in an environment with almost nothing, with almost zero resources to work with, that鈥檚 education at its best,鈥� says Ezeonwu. Program participant Stephanie Covel, former Masters in Nursing student and now surgery center manager at 91探花Medicine鈥檚 Northwest Hospital & Medical Center, agrees. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 really put into words how it might affect you 鈥� being able to see how other people live in the world, and how that opens your mind to global issues,鈥� she says.

Connecting local learning to global issues

For students, the program brings to light how the local and the global are always intertwined when it comes to health issues. 鈥淪tudents need to understand that what is going on elsewhere is also relevant to people in the U.S.,鈥� Ezeonwu says. 鈥淚 try to get them to understand the connectivity of health issues in the world.鈥�

Students also learn the value of collaboration 鈥� across disciplines, communities and nations 鈥� to make health education accessible for patients and students alike. These perspectives, for Ezeonwu, are at least as important for students as their discipline-specific learning.

In looking ahead, Ezeonwu has a lot of ideas for how the program could expand. For example, she envisions a training program for health practitioners and community health promoters in Guatemala who don鈥檛 have access or time to attend traditional degree programs.

In the meantime, GVH has reported that partnering with 91探花Bothell has allowed them to see many more patients than ever before. As the program grows, its impact spreads 鈥� from Washington state into rural Guatemala, and back again.

91探花Tacoma students

 
91探花Tacoma students in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 2017. Led by 91探花Tacoma Senior Lecturer Margaret Griesse and 91探花Seattle graduate student Angelica Macklin, the course Brazil: Movements and Intersections combines Portuguese language learning with research into contemporary Brazilian social movements. Students earn 13 credits in four weeks, travel from Sao Paulo to Rio de Janeiro to rural west Brazil, stay with host families and engage with university students. Photo credit: Margaret Griesse.

 

The 鈥済lobal flip鈥� experiment: Understanding
sustainability in China and at home

Kristi Straus, lecturer, Program on the Enivronment
Kristi Straus, lecturer, Program on the Enivronment

Kristi Straus, lecturer in the Program on the Environment, has long been practicing the 鈥渇lipped classroom鈥�: in which students study course content outside of class, and do more active learning during class time. The idea 鈥� increasingly popular nationwide 鈥� is that 鈥渇lipping鈥� makes best use of learning time, as instructors can support students through problem solving, discussions and other applied learning activities in the classroom.

In partnership with the Office of the Provost, Straus piloted a 鈥済lobal flip鈥� program in Fall 2017: a study abroad model that allows students to maximize the international experience in a shorter time frame.

With support from Center for Teaching and Learning consultant Wei Zuo and Academic Technologies, Straus worked with professors at Tsinghua University to design an introductory course on sustainability for students on both campuses. Tsinghua students watched recordings of Kristi鈥檚 lectures in her 91探花classroom, so that all students had in-person sessions at their own schools as well as access to an international, multi-cultural and collaborative online learning environment. Throughout the course, students connected online 鈥� via WeChat, online discussion boards and video conferencing 鈥� to think critically about how personal choices affect social, economic and environmental sustainability. They shared assignments and activities while comparing sustainability challenges and approaches to solutions in the U.S. and China.

Then, the real abroad portion: 10 days in Beijing. Together, the 91探花and Tsinghua students heard from well-known Chinese researchers and worked in teams on course materials. But they also did more active, applied learning activities, with each other and their instructors there for support. They took field trips to industry labs, a water treatment plant, and solar and wind farms, to see Chinese sustainability efforts at work.

91探花Students at the Gaobeidian Waste Water Treatment Plant learned about how waste water is managed in Beijing. Photo credit: Shunxi Liu.
91探花Students at the Gaobeidian Waste Water Treatment Plant learned about how waste water is managed in Beijing. Photo credit: Shunxi Liu.
short-term study abroad, partner students travel to 91探花campus and 91探花students travel to partner university
The global flip model combines short-term study abroad with Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) to maximize the international experience for students.

As the global flip model includes shorter-term travel, it increases access to immersive global experiences both for students in technical majors who have less flexibility, and for students who may not otherwise be able to afford them. Faculty in other departments, including English, Philosophy and Oceanography are currently seeking partners in countries around the world to replicate the global flip.

Applying learning in new climates: Water engineering
in the middle east and pacific northwest

Students of water engineering can learn a lot from studying local systems in the Pacific Northwest. But what might students learn from comparing those systems to a completely different climate and region of the world?

Heidi Gough, associate research professor, civil and environmental engineering
Heidi Gough, associate research professor, civil and environmental engineering

In 2012, the College of Engineering was lacking for study abroad programs, but Associate Professor Heidi Gough was determined to give students options for studying abroad. 鈥淚f students are strong enough to get a degree from the UW, they should have the opportunity for an international experience,鈥� says Gough. A professor of water engineering, she also felt it crucial that students apply their learning to different climates, populations and resource situations.

So she contacted colleagues in one of the most water-scarce nations in the world: Jordan. With professors at the Jordan University for Science and Technology, she co-designed and launched the course Water in an Arid Land in 2012.

To make this program as feasible as possible for students, Gough made sure the five-credit course would count as a technical elective (required for the engineering degree). Gough runs her course during the four-week Early Fall Start term to work around students鈥� summer internship schedules. By 2018 she has run the program four times, each time bringing 8-12 students to Irbid, Jordan. There, 91探花and Jordanian students have a completely immersive experience 鈥� living, traveling and working together.

The 91探花students tend to be a mix of domestic and international, undergraduates and graduate students. They also tend to be a disciplinary mix, including students specializing in chemical, structural and/or water engineering, or environmental studies. All work together on projects with Jordanian undergraduate and graduate students 鈥� collaborating across cultures, disciplines and educational levels.

Making the study abroad experience local

Currently, Gough is working hard to extend a similar experience to Jordanian students, by bringing them to study alongside 91探花students on the Olympic Peninsula. Her course Sustainable Water in a Wet Region launched in summer 2017 with 91探花students, who lived and worked on the Peninsula for four weeks. In Washington, students had a range of cross-cultural experiences: visiting tribes in Kitsap County to learn how they manage resources; comparing values around water across tribes and towns; and talking with city officials about sustainability in different regions.

Gough designed the course with the mixed cohort 鈥� Jordanian students with 91探花students 鈥� in mind, and is making progress around initial obstacles to Jordanian students receiving course credit. She looks forward to Jordanian students joining in the experience in Summer 2019.

Participants in Engineering Rome: a five-credit course, led by Associate Professor of Engineering Steve Muench, that takes students to Italy for three weeks during the summer-fall quarter break to study 3,000 years of Roman and Italian engineering. Photo credit: Mark Stone, University Marketing & Communication.
Participants in Engineering Rome: a five-credit course, led by Associate Professor of Engineering Steve Muench, that takes students to Italy for three weeks during the summer-fall quarter break to study 3,000 years of Roman and Italian engineering. Photo credit: Mark Stone, University Marketing & Communication.

91探花Bothell fiscal and audit services: Transforming eTravel and eReimbursement

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Bothell campus
91探花Bothell鈥檚 use of shared services for business practices has resulted in more efficiency, accuracy and accountability.

At 91探花Bothell鈥檚 Fiscal and Audit Services (FAS), an innovative model for sharing services has taken time to develop but has yielded transformative results.

The challenge: Too many 鈥渆xperts,鈥� not enough expertise

Bothell鈥檚 FAS unit used to provide etravel and ereimbursement services for the entire Bothell campus: entering all documentation, and staying on top of all rules and guidelines, for all faculty, students and staff. Anyone traveling 鈥� for example, a faculty member traveling for a conference 鈥� would complete their own forms when they needed reimbursement, and then submit to FAS to process and check for compliance.

In theory, this centralized model worked efficiently 鈥� that is, if documentation arrived to FAS in perfect shape from individual travelers, every time. In reality, travelers were not necessarily familiar with all the rules and steps of the process; receipts were lost, lines on forms were overlooked, and guidelines often changed. FAS staff needed enough expertise in every unit鈥檚 distinct processes to handle all contingencies, in every case. And travelers were spending time learning and performing the processes 鈥� more often than not, they only used that knowledge once or twice per year.

The solution: Local experts to serve as point people

In 2016, when 91探花Bothell leadership asked FAS to launch shared services for the schools and major units, the areas of etravel and ereimbursement seemed like perfect candidates to re-structure for greater efficiency. Working with administrators at 91探花Bothell-IT, the School of STEM and the School of Nursing and Health Studies, they developed and launched a 鈥減oint person鈥� model.

The new model is a way to maintain the efficiency of centralized services, while making use of individual unit staff鈥檚 existing expertise. Each school and program chooses one point person in their unit 鈥� usually, a fiscal specialist or program administrator 鈥� to complete and submit all reimbursement documentation. Rather than, for example, a faculty member having to negotiate the steps of ereimbursement for travel expenses, their department鈥檚 point person fills out the forms, attaches receipts, makes sure everything is correct, and then submits completed paperwork to FAS.

Bothell campus
Discovery Hall at 91探花Bothell. Photo: Lara Swimmer Photography.

As a 鈥渓ocal expert鈥�, the point person is familiar with etravel and ereimbursement processes, including updates and changes to travel rules. They also know the customers themselves: the faculty, staff and students seeking reimbursements.

FAS reached out to others for ideas and support. The team at the Seattle campus College of Arts & Sciences Shared Services Center, which was in its early phases at the time, was an enormous help, says FAS Manager Jenny Albrecht. 鈥淭丑别y told us, 鈥楬ey, we鈥檙e doing this ourselves and it鈥檚 all new, so use us as a resource,鈥欌�� she says. Some of the college鈥檚 experiences proved valuable for understanding how to approach the transition (for example, that they sought advice from experts in ) and to set realistic timeline expectations.

The benefits: A relationship-driven, customer-focused model

That the point person has a relationship with the people in their unit and with FAS is 鈥渒ey to a positive shared service,鈥� says FAS Director Kendra Yoshimoto. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a partnership.鈥� Each point person has a quarterly meeting with FAS partners to share updates and feedback, fostering open lines of communication and continuous improvement.

The more standardized model has meant more timely and streamlined reimbursement processing for travelers, as well as more confidence that everything will be processed correctly the first time. They can also be confident that their documentation is being managed by someone who cares: a point person they know, in their own unit. Further assurances are provided by FAS staff, who are themselves subject matter experts and provide the final compliance check.

The point people share mutual accountability with FAS staff 鈥� who also support one another. In addition, FAS has a strengthened relationship with the 91探花Travel Office, helping to ensure accurate and efficient processing.

Lessons learned: Communicate, and don鈥檛 rush the process

Yoshimoto stresses the importance of communication and setting clear guidelines for all partners. Strong partnership agreements with the units being served are a hallmark of shared services, she says, and should outline specific expectations for roles and responsibilities, how communication will be established, and metrics for measuring success. 鈥淚t鈥檚 also about educating people that this is going to take time,鈥� she says. The transition to a new model is a process, involving some trial and error; but as long as partners share common goals and stay mutually supportive, the process is a rewarding one.

Next steps for FAS

In early 2017, 91探花Bothell leadership asked FAS to expand shared services, to further free up staff in other units to focus on their own priorities. Says Albrecht, 鈥淲e鈥檙e asking, what can we do in our office that takes burden off administrators 鈥� that is transaction-based, that we can learn?鈥� Once again, they are turning to other units and institutions 鈥� including the College of Arts & Sciences, the School of Medicine’s Administrative Business Center (ABC) and University of California, Davis 鈥� for resources, best practices and advice on moving forward.

FAS also wants to inspire and support other units that are interested in shared services. In Spring 2017, they held a retreat, inviting representatives from units across the 91探花Bothell campus to attend presentations by Arts & Sciences鈥� Heidi Tilghman and UC Davis shared services expert Sarah Reid, among others. The retreat resulted in the formation of a shared services launch committee, which currently working on 鈥渄urable鈥� ways to expand shared services on the Bothell campus. As FAS shared services continue to gain momentum, the time and effort devoted to their transition 鈥� by FAS staff and those who supported them 鈥� translates into impact, experience and knowledge to be shared across all three 91探花campuses.

91探花Bothell’s FAS developed a new, shared travel reimbursement process
reimbursement process

The power of personal narratives in the classroom

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A 91探花Bothell professor shares how digital storytelling can be a powerful tool for learning鈥攆or students and instructors

During a recent Sociology of Education class at 91探花Bothell, a reticent student pointedly told Jane Van Galen she never talked about her family or her childhood鈥攁nd certainly didn鈥檛 want to share her story in a video.

But Van Galen gently persuaded her and her fellow students that their personal experiences provided rich and relevant connections to course material鈥攅xperiences that could be shared much more powerfully through digital storytelling than a more formal academic paper.

Van Galen, a professor in the School of Educational Studies at 91探花Bothell, is working to show faculty that the medium is an effective pedagogical tool that can help enhance student learning in multiple subjects across the curricula.

Jane Van Galen, professor, School of Educational Studies

She听has been teaching and researching digital storytelling in the classroom for about 10 years.

Research has shown that multimedia can help the 鈥渄igital generation鈥澨齜etter understand complex issues.听When students are asked to share their own stories within the context of what they鈥檙e learning in听class, the lessons become more deep-rooted.

The process of creating a digital story or documentary pushes students’ learning in multiple ways. Students听tap into their creative talents,听do careful research, think deeply about the question being asked and pay close attention to their script-writing. Many of Van Galen鈥檚 students improved their communication skills because they had听to organize their ideas and construct their narrative in such a way that the听audience听can understand a complex subject.

The core of storytelling

Digital storytelling is the art of well-told stories. They鈥檙e often personal in nature but not always produced in video form. Students use a large array of multimedia tools such as video, audio, graphics and web. And much like traditional storytelling, its digital counterpart also relies on a particular point of view to explore insights into the broader human experience.

In classrooms, the ideal video is less than 10 minutes鈥擵an Galen tells her students to keep the length of videos between听three and听five minutes. Their creation and final presentation is more manageable and the story more focused.

鈥淪tudents get to create something truly wonderful in a short amount of time. Sometimes, it takes more time to convince faculty that it is an appropriate tool to help students learn,鈥� Van Galen said. 鈥淒igital storytelling is not a traditional classroom learning experience. It is very fluid, non-linear, and sometimes faculty and students are challenged by the ambiguity of the process.鈥�

And because digital storytelling is a flexible form, it can be used in a variety of classes, said Van Galen. She recently taught a class directed at educators: 鈥淭elling our Stories as Teachers: Digital Storytelling and Teacher Reflection.鈥� She also held a three-day storytelling class for听biology instructors who wanted their students to be able to convey their personal investment in key environmental issues.

鈥�The work of composing a multi-layered digital story is a deeply reflective process, as students make connections between their own biographies and course content, and then anticipate how audiences will see those connections.鈥�

– Jane Van Galen, professor

In her research, Van Galen focuses on social class and social mobility through education. So she knows her students鈥攎any of whom hope听to become teachers鈥攂ring rich but sometimes painful personal histories that could unknowingly influence their lives as educators. The School of Educational Studies’听vision is to develop educators who will promote and support equity in learning.

Van Galen asks her students to share personal stories through digital storytelling because she hopes that experience will help them better understand how they can teach students to be more inclusive and more understanding of the diversity of experiences everyone brings into the classroom.

One student鈥檚 experience with digital storytelling

In one of her classes, Van Galen asked her students to explore through their own experience the cost of social mobility and the intersection of social class and education.

鈥淢any of my students have never told their stories as part of their academic work,鈥� Van Galen said. When they realize that their stories are relevant to what they’re learning, and that other people have an interest in their personal stories鈥攐r that they relate to or are inspired by them, 鈥渋t is very affirming,鈥� she said.

That was the case for Norma Perez, a student who originally found digital storytelling challenging. And yet, the powerful learning experience made her think deeply about what she could contribute as an educator.

Norma Perez realized the process of telling her family’s in Jane Van Galen’s class could make her a better educator.

鈥淭丑别 I chose to tell reflects the first time I realized my own family, my friends, my neighborhood鈥攚e were poor. Growing up in my neighborhood, everyone鈥檚 family looked like mine. My mom worked in the candy factory, while my dad worked on the construction site. We spoke Spanish at home and we lived in an apartment. This was normal to me,鈥� she said.

鈥淚t was a difficult story to tell, as it was for many of our classmates, but Jane made our classroom a very safe, non-judgmental, and open environment,鈥� Perez said. 鈥淲e cried together, laughed together, and supported one another through the entire process.鈥�

鈥淢y story centers on a school field trip, and how it was difficult for my family to pay for it,鈥� Perez said. And so it was for the other kids in the class. 鈥淚 watched one of my classmates reluctantly pay for the trip with coins, and as I sat there watching him, I realized we were poor. I was nervous sharing my story, as I am sure many of my classmates were too. My classmates didn鈥檛 know my background, and often when I tell people my story, they are surprised.鈥�

Crafting the script for the video was the most difficult part, but it was easier finding images to complement her words. When she finally put it all together, and then got to see her classmates鈥� work, Perez saw how their individual stories revealed what inspired them to become educators.

鈥淭丑别re鈥檚 pain and joy in the journey,鈥� Van Galen said. 鈥淧eople who want to be educators should pause and think about what they鈥檙e bringing into a classroom. Telling their own stories can help them make sense of the world around them and be more sensitive to the stories that shaped their students.鈥�

Van Galen鈥檚 tips to bring digital storytelling into the classroom

Consider taking a short course in digital storytelling: In addition to workshops she offers with 91探花colleagues, Van Galen periodically co-teaches three-day workshops at 91探花Bothell with the StoryCenter, a pioneer in digital storytelling, based in Berkeley, Calif. These workshops are open to faculty and staff from all three campuses as well as community members. Email Van Galen for upcoming course information.

Don鈥檛 sweat the technical details too much: Many of today鈥檚 students are digital-savvy, with access to all kinds of multimedia tools. In one of Van Galen recent classes,听students used as听many as eight different video-editing tools. 鈥淪ome of my students used their cellphones to edit their videos. They know how to work with the basics of these tools, so you don鈥檛 have to spend much valuable classroom time showing them how to work a video-editing program.

鈥淰ideo editing software is increasingly more intuitive and easier to use. I only spend 20 minutes or so demonstrating a couple of different tools,鈥� said Van Galen, who occasionally helps students troubleshoot technical problems and provides links to online tutorials and help forums.

Set creative constraints to help students focus their project: The script should be 300-350 words, with a story told in three to five minutes. Van Galen will often ask her students to use Ken Burns-like effects to produce their videos. Burns, an American documentarian, relies heavily on still images in his renowned Civil War documentary. He brings听them alive with panning and zooming techniques paired with voice-over and evocative music.

鈥淚 encourage the use of still images and tell my students to think deeply about what sorts of images they may want to use. If you need grandpa鈥檚 photo in the video, what do you want people to understand about him?鈥�

Images are important but pay attention to sound: 鈥淪tudents are often surprised how important sound is,鈥� Van Galen said. It evokes emotion and helps viewers understand subtle points. 鈥淢usic creates ambiance; music supports the tenor of the story.

Risk letting go: 鈥淎s an instructor, I cannot control every step of the process or the final product. I can鈥檛 expect my students to have a final draft in the first two weeks. I always tell instructors that producing digital stories is non-linear, fluid and often ambiguous, nothing like an academic paper.鈥�

Teach students to attribute materials: Creating new digital content is an ideal opportunity to teach the importance of crediting the work of others, including the value and importance of attributing copyrighted material. 鈥淭丑别re鈥檚 no such thing as a ‘Google’ image. It belongs to someone,鈥� she said. That also applies to music, even when it is available royalty-free. 91探花has its own website explaining听copyright and how to properly cite copyrighted听materials.

Students control who sees their stories: 鈥淵ou must deal with your students鈥� stories with sensitivity,鈥� Van Galen said. While students are expected to share their work in class with fellow students, they decide whether anyone else gets to see the videos. Posting their own videos on the web is always optional.

Finally, storytelling is everything: Van Galen spends a lot of classroom time talking about the arc of a story and what makes a powerful narrative. First, she gets students comfortable with switching from an academic to a narrative voice;听talking in the first person using “I” and “me” is acceptable. And she helps them think deeply about visual metaphors. 鈥淲hat can the visuals do for the understanding of the story?” Van Galen asks students. And these kinds of discussions lead to talking听about those little things that make up a whole story.

For more information, these resources were collected in collaboration with the 91探花Center for Teaching and Learning:

Digital Storytelling as an effective instructional tool

  • and the
  • ( and ) from the University of Houston
  • at University of Maryland Baltimore County (royalty-free media and other resources)
  • by EduCause

Connecting theories of instructor self-disclosure, critical race theory and instructional communication with digital storytelling

  • Arts and Humanities in Higher Education. (2008, Special Issue) . Vol 7(2).
  • Benmayor, R. (2012). . Equity and Excellence in Education, 45, 3 507-524.
  • Carmona, Judith Flores and Luschen, Kristen V. (2014). . Peter Lang.
  • Gubrium, A. and Harper, K. (2013). . Routledge.
  • Hull, G., & Katz, M. (2006). . Research in the Teaching of English, 41(1), 43-81.
  • Lundy, K. (2008). (Ed.) . Peter Lang.
  • Myers, Brann, & Members Of Comm 600. (2009). Qualitative Research Reports in Communication,10(1), 9-16.

Human Health

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Over the last 25 years, we have seen some of the greatest advances in medicine in the history of humankind. In the next 25 years, the greatest transformations will come as a result of interdisciplinary collaborations in the areas of clinical care, public health interventions, public policy, technology and more.

The routine distance-vision eye test has long been a staple of public school education in the state of Washington. Yet near-vision problems have not traditionally received the same scrutiny. This will soon change thanks to a new law signed by Gov. Jay Inslee earlier this year. The law grew out of a vision and learning symposium organized in 2014 by Associate Professor Bill Erdly, who helped bring together the experts, advocates and legislators needed to collaboratively develop a solution to the shortcomings of the routine test.

Christopher Brown, a three-time Marine combat veteran and master of social work graduate, created a sustainable local farming organization for veterans in the name of holistic mental health. Growing Veterans, a thriving nonprofit, seeks to transform the lives of veterans through satisfying work and an opportunity to reconnect with one another and their communities to help reduce feelings of isolation and prevent suicide.

Current oral drug therapies for HIV can greatly reduce the presence of the virus in the blood stream. However, limitations prevent these therapies from reducing the presence of HIV in the tissues of a body, and to work in the blood stream, patients must strictly adhere to daily dosing regimens for the rest of their lives. To address these shortcomings, Professor Rodney J. Y. Ho, pharmacy, and Professor Ann Collier, medicine, have partnered to develop a new, seven-day long-lasting HIV therapy that seeks to overcome drug insufficiency in tissues while also improving patient adherence.

Researchers at the UW鈥檚 Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering are developing groundbreaking new medical devices intended to help restore function and mobility in individuals stricken by spinal cord injury or stroke. Through interdisciplinary collaboration, these researchers have developed implantable devices that can detect brain signals and transmit that information to other parts of the body鈥檚 nervous system. The center鈥檚 goal is to develop a successful demonstration of this concept in humans in the next five years, which will then allow regulatory approval to occur for wider dissemination.

The brain has evolved over thousands of years to allow humans to communicate through language. Reading is a relatively new skill for the brain, however, which leads Assistant Professor Jason Yeatman to wonder if dyslexia is a byproduct of visual systems being wired slightly differently in some humans. With the aid of non-invasive brain imaging technology, Yeatman and his team are studying developing brains to identify the changes that occur as reading skills are required. Through this research, they hope to expand treatment options for dyslexia.

People suffering from lung diseases in developing worlds often do not have a good way to track lung functioning without visiting the doctor. Through the work of 91探花researchers, many may soon be able to measure their lung function simply by blowing into any type of phone due to SpiroCall, a new health sensing tool, which was found to meet the medical community鈥檚 standard for accuracy. With this proof of concept in hand, the research team can now plan for additional data collection and determine how to best communicate results to patients.


鈥淚 hope that my work advances interdisciplinary connections in support of legal and policy reforms that improve community health as broadly conceived, enhance the patient experience of care, and provide better value for our health care dollars.鈥�

Sallie Thieme Sanford, Associate Professor, 91探花School of Law


鈥淚 am particularly enthusiastic about the opportunity to learn more about potential collaborations between the health sciences and the broader University community [through the Population Health Initiative].鈥�

F. Bruder Stapleton, Professor and Chair of Pediatrics

ceci giachelli
鈥淚 hope the initiative will increase awareness of disparities in health, healthcare, and health-care access among different populations, and causes underlying these disparities.鈥�

Ceci Giachelli, W. Hunter and Dorothy Simpson Endowed Chair and Professor Bioengineering

Environmental Resiliency

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There is no question that our environment and its resources impact human health and well-being. The exact extent of the impact, however, is not always clear. From energy production to pollution, from natural disasters to overfishing, the Population Health Initiative encourages connections across disciplines to seek a better understanding of environmental sustainability.

91探花researcher Peter Kahn says that city dwellers are unaware of how their minimal connection to nature is putting our health and the survival of wildlife and wild areas at great risk. Kahn coauthored a new book exploring how 鈥渆nvironmental generational amnesia鈥� is partly due to multiple generations shifting away from meaningful interactions with the great outdoors. But nature can be incorporated within cities, the authors say. 鈥淐ities designed well, with nature in mind and at hand, can be understood as natural, supportive of both ecosystem integrity and public health.鈥�

The cost of producing fusion power has traditionally not penciled out in comparison to current energy sources, placing this zero-emission power source out of reach for wide-scale development. 91探花researchers believe they have now designed a concept for fusion power built on existing technology that will render that traditional cost structure obsolete. With a successful prototype in hand, they are now turning to further development and expansion of the device to create the needed power output to be a viable replacement for the fossil fuels that endanger our planet鈥檚 health.

As populations continue to grow on the West Coast, earthquakes remain a top threat. At the White House Earthquake Resilience Summit in February 2016, the 91探花received new funding for early warning systems. The UW-based Pacific Northwest Seismic Network is helping develop ShakeAlert, an alert system that could save lives by triggering automated and human actions just before an earthquake hits. And in a partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey, 91探花researchers will examine how a network of sensors on the ocean floor can provide early warnings from the volatile Cascadia subduction zone.

oysters in puget sound tileWhen overfishing, polluted waters and shoreline changes led to the extinction of the Olympia oyster from Puget Sound, it changed the nature of our local ecosystem. 91探花Tacoma associate professor Bonnie Becker is leading undergraduate researchers in a collaborative effort to reintroduce the native oyster to its original environment. Her teams monitor microscopic larvae to identify sites where Olympia oysters can naturally seed the area and be self-sustaining. Reintroducing native oysters can improve the habitat for other plants and animals, including salmon prey, and help restore the natural balance of the sound for the health of our region.

Smoke from open indoor cooking fires and cookstoves in developing countries is believed to cause millions of illnesses and premature deaths each year. Long journeys to gather all that fuel often expose adults and children to further dangers. To overcome these challenges, 91探花engineers partnered with the nonprofit BURN Design Lab to develop a much cleaner-
burning and more efficient cookstove, known as the Kuniokoa. This innovative stove will be manufactured by local workers in Nairobi, Kenya, and its designers believe the Kuniokoa will successfully reduce harmful particulate pollution by as much as 67 percent.

Air pollution monitors like this tracked pollutants in more than 1,500 locations across six metro areas between 2005 and 2009. Then researchers developed computational models to generate accurate pollution concentrations affecting people鈥檚 health.

Researchers have long understood that lengthy exposure to air pollution is directly linked to an increased risk of heart disease. Thanks to the result of a 10-year study led by Professor Joel Kaufman, we now have a greater understanding of the biological responses to pollution that lead to heart disease, and that air pollution at levels 鈥� even below regulatory standards 鈥� can accelerate the hardening of human arteries. The study鈥檚 results are being used to push for new action in controlling pollution levels worldwide.

Emiko Tajima
鈥淚 hope that the Population Health Initiative encourages and supports collaboration across disciplines and across sectors towards this common goal and further, that having a deliberate and sustained focus on population health will amplify our impact.鈥�

Emiko A. Tajima
Associate Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
School of Social Work

David Reyes
鈥淭hrough this initiative, I hope that we educate all our students to understand, integrate and apply population health principles and knowledge in their personal and professional lives regardless of whether they choose a career in this field.鈥�

David Reyes
Assistant Professor
Nursing & Healthcare Leadership Program
91探花Tacoma

Hedwig Lee
鈥淭hrough this initiative I hope that faculty, researchers, and students across units can work together to harness our world-class research and teaching and commitment to community service to improve the health of populations in the United States and across the world.鈥�

Hedwig Lee
Associate Professor
Sociology

Social and Economic Equity

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Social and economic inequity has lasting effects on societies and the health of populations. 91探花scholars from a wide range of disciplines are addressing equity in innovative ways. Solutions range from addressing income inequality to education quality, poverty to criminal justice reform, and many other equity issues that directly and indirectly affect human health and well-being.

Since Seattle passed legislation providing for an increase in the minimum wage to $15 an hour, the nation has been watching and waiting to see the effects on the local economy and quality of life. Tracking these effects and more is the Minimum Wage Study, a five-year research effort led by investigators from the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance with the School of Social Work.

The team seeks to answer such questions as, does a higher minimum wage improve quality of life measures, including health, nutrition, and family daily life? As more cities anticipate hikes in their minimum wage, this research will inform future decisions about the effects on workers, their families, employers, and the community.

Each year, there are millions of babies in developing countries born prematurely or with oral clefts who struggle to breast feed. These babies are often at high risk for malnourishment, infection, and often death. Thanks to Christy McKinney, a clinical assistant professor of oral health sciences, a new feeding aid is now readying for widespread distribution across Africa.

In partnership with PATH and Seattle Children鈥檚, McKinney developed the NIFTY鈩� cup (Neonatal Intuitive Feeding TechnologY), a low-cost silicone cup with a small reservoir and spout that allows mothers to easily and safely feed these vulnerable newborns. This innovative intervention has the potential to solve a major global challenge, which could save millions of lives.

Why do some states place more kids into foster care than others? A new study connects the hidden dots between a state鈥檚 approaches to social problems and their rate of foster care. Author Frank Edwards is a 91探花doctoral student in sociology who found that states with more punitive criminal justice systems remove children from their homes far more frequently than states with more generous welfare programs. This means that two states with similar rates of child abuse and neglect could have very different rates of foster care entry, significantly impacting the futures of already vulnerable children.

What does it mean to be homeless in the U-District? Drama students created 鈥淪kies Over Seattle,鈥� original theater pieces inspired by the intersection of volunteerism and artistic creation in pursuit of understanding that question. Graduate students in acting, design and directing, as well as several undergraduates, volunteered for three community organizations that serve the homeless around the UW鈥檚 Seattle campus.

Over the course of a year, their lessons learned and questions asked inspired the students to write, design and perform original pieces that challenge assumptions about the communities that share the space beneath one sky. 鈥淲e want the community to know that we鈥檙e not giving them a voice 鈥� they already have a voice,鈥� says AJ Friday, a student in the Professional Actor Training Program.

Education is a key component of lifelong health, yet the underrepresentation of Native American teachers across the United States often negatively impacts young Native students. The new Native Education Certificate seeks to address that challenge by providing a knowledge base for non-Native teachers to create a culturally relevant curriculum for Native students. Mixing online learning and community projects, the 10-unit program is designed to reduce the disconnect between non-Native teachers and Native children, making public schools more inclusive.

Inadequate sidewalks and navigational infrastructure can be a nuisance to anyone, but for people with mobility limitations or low vision, these conditions can not only feel insurmountable, but become hazardous. The听Taskar Center for Accessible Technology听and the听OpenSidewalks听team from the 91探花eScience Institute鈥檚听Data Science for Social Good听program held a Map-a-thon to address these issues. Data collected by Seattle community members will be integrated with the OpenStreetMap open source听platform to offer more robust sidewalk information and navigational assistance for those with limited mobility.

Less than 20 percent of the U.S. nursing workforce are from low income or underrepresented backgrounds 鈥� yet the patients those future nurses will serve are increasingly likely to be minorities. The 91探花School of Nursing is widening the pathway to nursing for minority students through the 91探花Nurse Camp. Each summer, high school students get hands-on experience in the world of nursing. Not only do they gain insight into medical career options, many begin to see earning a degree as a real option for the first time, something many low-income or underrepresented students may struggle to visualize.

鈥淭his initiative will provide the activation energy needed to facilitate real impact when it comes to tackling key challenges that currently compromise population health.鈥�

Alison Cullen
Professor, Evans School of Public Policy & Governance

91探花Bothell’s Husky Leadership Camp

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First years interested in leadership get a head start with the right tools and a network of peers

Orientation & Transition Programs at 91探花Bothell offers incoming students multiple ways to begin their university journey. Its award-winning is one such choice that uses leadership as an organizing concept to bring together students from all backgrounds before they begin their courses in the fall.

鈥淚 think the whole camp is a way for the students to learn about themselves, and to learn about their leadership style,鈥� says Taylor Sims, a senior studying community psychology and consciousness studies and who has been both a participant and a student organizer for this supplemental orientation program. Structured as a three-day retreat, it provides students with tools for leadership and personal success in order to create their most fulfilling Husky Experience.

How Husky Leadership Camp gets students involved

Taylor Sims, 91探花Bothell Senior
Senior Taylor Sims kicked off his college career with Husky Leadership Camp and now mentors incoming students as an Orientation Leader. Photo courtesy of Taylor Sims.

Incoming students learn about HLC when they sign up for their Advising & Orientation Program. It is currently offered on a first-come, first-served basis for $100, although the organizers are looking into adding an application and developing a process for providing financial aid. Other similar programs for transfer and international students are also being considered.

Sims, who took a year off after high school graduation, saw HLC as a way to become familiar with the Bothell community. 鈥淚 was never really involved in school other than sports, but then I saw how much fun my friends were having at college, so I signed up [for Husky Leadership Camp]. It鈥檚 nice to have that first connection when you walk into class and know somebody,鈥� says Sims. 鈥淭o me that was the biggest plus.鈥�

According to Terry Hill, director of Orientation & Transition Programs, the primary goal is helping students get a jump start on leadership opportunities their first year. Along with that, the camp addresses a common student concern: 鈥淲e know many students鈥eel like they are starting over and it can be intimidating to try and get involved,鈥� says Hill. HLC helps them figure out where to start and to identify what they have to offer in a new environment, regardless of their level of involvement in leadership opportunities prior to enrolling at 91探花Bothell.

Leadership activities introduce new skills or build on existing ones: As a student organizer for HLC, Sims has learned about the important connections among self-discovery, reflection and leadership style. At the camp, new students spend time bonding and thinking about skills through games and activities grounded in student development theory. 鈥淭丑别y all come in with different styles, so the games show them that they can work together to get the task done,鈥� he says.

Also embedded in the program is a diversity training module. Through this segment, students learn how to work through difference and with people of diverse identities, whether that means different ethnicities, socioeconomic status or even personality types. Reflecting upon this element of HLC, Sims added, 鈥淥ur community is leadership-oriented around diversity, so it鈥檚 how a 91探花Bothell student can show this and the leadership perspective we gain from coming here.鈥�

Peer-to-peer insight makes the challenges of new college experiences more manageable: Orientation & Transition Programs made a purposeful decision to put much of HLC鈥檚 organization and implementation in the hands of student leaders. Hill points out that this eases the transition for incoming students since they are likely to see the student Orientation Leaders who ran HLC when they are making their way around campus during the first few weeks of the quarter.

This peer-to-peer approach helps new students feel as though they have someone to talk to or ask questions. 鈥淧lenty of students come in with no idea of how the system works, so we assist them anyway we can 鈥� give advice about work and courses, what the workload is like,鈥� says Sims. The time management workshop was particularly popular for the way the students broke down the hours they spend outside class each day. 鈥淲e can use our personal experience as students to get them to think about a different perspective,鈥� says Sims.

Putting new skills into practice with leadership opportunities reserved for camp participants: To continue the learning initiated through the HLC program, its organizers provide participants direct paths into campus volunteer opportunities. In addition to meeting the needs of campus organizations, this is intended to help the students stay connected to their network
while branching out to build new ones. Such opportunities include working with ASUW-Bothell, the Campus Activities Board and the Universal Leadership Conference committee.

Kimberley Cross is a first-year student who is now vice president of the Residence Hall Association after attending the 2015 HLC. 鈥淗usky Leadership Camp allowed me to use skills and apply them to a new environment,鈥� says Cross. 鈥淥ne of the concepts we discussed was inspiring a shared vision, and I have done that in my current leadership position and in my classes. What this essentially means is contributing to something that everyone in a group wants, or motivating others to help create an environment or outcome that is wanted by everyone.鈥�

Reflecting on the outcomes

91探花Bothell Students at Husky Leadership Camp
The activities at Husky Leadership Camp are designed to encourage self-discovery and reflection, and help students form a community so that when the academic year starts, they see some familiar faces around campus. Photo courtesy of 91探花Bothell Student Affairs.

A spring reunion is an opportunity to bring HLC members back together to check in with each other and with peer mentors. 鈥淲e have them reflect as a group on their experiences so far, and set goals for the rest of the year,鈥� says Hill.

The efforts and organization are paying off. 鈥淪o many of our student leaders on campus have actually done the camp,鈥� says Hill. 鈥淚t鈥檚 great to hear them talk about how the camp really helped them jump in.鈥�

Sims himself is an example of a student who recognized the immediate and longer-term benefits of the HLC program. Today, as an Orientation Leader, he works with new students throughout the year.

鈥淚t鈥檚 leadership, so the whole point is taking that next step in your education,鈥� says Sims. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e at HLC, you鈥檙e an ambassador showing what a 91探花student should be.鈥�

Bothell Campus Quick Facts Crop

91探花Bothell鈥檚 Diversity Workshops: From Dialogue to Action

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Terryl Ross prompts meaningful conversations on race and equity and moves them from talk to action

Terryl Ross, Ph.D., Director of Diversity, 91探花 Bothell

鈥淚 hear people say they wish they鈥檇 done these workshops earlier. People think I鈥檓 going to lecture them or tell them they have to like black people or be 鈥榩olitically correct.鈥� Instead, we explore what the changes in their community mean, and it becomes real.鈥� 鈥擳erryl Ross, Ph.D.

At the 91探花 Bothell, Terryl Ross, director of diversity, helps people move from having conversations about race, equity and diversity to taking action. He builds opportunities for dialogue, bringing people from diverse backgrounds together to learn from each other and from experts about race and equity. 鈥淧eople are ready to have a higher-level conversation that leads to real action,鈥� says Ross, 鈥渁nd they want to have it in a safe place and with people who are different from them.鈥�

As part of this work, Ross has designed several workshops that offer students, faculty, staff and community members the opportunity to learn more about themselves, their fellow participants and the future of their communities. Most importantly, workshop participants work together to choose a course of action based on their shared experience, and leave empowered to do more. This year, ideas generated in previous workshops are being implemented campus-wide at 91探花Bothell.

鈥淎s our society continues on a path toward a more 鈥榗olor-blind鈥� attitude, more people need to be aware of the subtle ways in which institutional racism is further embedded in our every action,鈥� says Karin Clayton ( 91探花Bothell 鈥�07), a database coordinator at Wellspring Family Services who attended the 91探花Bothell Ross organized in spring 2015. 鈥淭丑别 unconscious ways in which people treat others is, to me, almost more damaging than outright abuse because that person is unaware of their impact on others. Attending events like this will hopefully plant the seed of awareness.鈥�

Ross employs several techniques to help participants talk about race and equity. He focuses on both data and identity as tools to start conversations about differences rather than political correctness, and provides people with a common language and examples to talk about the issues. 鈥淭his stuff is here whether we are in this workshop or not,鈥� says Ross. 鈥淪o, how do we deal with this?鈥�

Telling the story of our changing community through data

Relying on census data, Ross introduces some workshops by telling the story of 鈥渢wo Americas鈥� 鈥� two demographic groups roughly equal in size. One tends to be older, whiter, more conservative and interested in health care; the other is younger, ethnically diverse, more liberal and interested in education. By sharing data on these groups鈥� growth trends, political leanings and more, workshop participants begin with a mutual starting place. They aren鈥檛 asked for their opinions. Instead, they talk about what the demographic trends around increasing diversity can reveal about the future of a community and what they might be seeing in their own neighborhoods. Ross says, 鈥淚f everyone had a thought bubble over their head about how they see the country, each one would be different. Working with data takes the opinion out and helps people see the patterns and systems. It鈥檚 powerful because it gives them a common starting point to talk.鈥�

Identity as middle ground since everyone has one鈥r many

Identity is another powerful conversation starter, notes Ross, since everyone has multiple identities 鈥� some stronger than others. He finds identity a helpful concept to introduce the topic of race in context. 鈥淭丑别 more diverse the audience, the better the workshop,鈥� says Ross.

Participants in Ross鈥� diversity workshop learn about different dimensions of identity. People have more control over some dimensions than others, and some may change over time, such as education level, family status, religion, military experience or where they live. Others we are born to, such as race, ethnicity, age, mental and physical abilities, or sex at birth.

Sample Identity Wheel: As a starting place for deeper conversation, workshop participants map and discuss the intersectionality of their own identities. Dimensions with more relative importance to an individual are marked closer to the edges.

Ross asks participants to plot aspects of their identities on a wheel-shaped chart, from race to family status and everything in between, assigning relative importance to each. Ross says, 鈥淚t becomes very personal to them. No two people have the same wheel yet they can find interesting commonalities. Both may rate race as very important but they are from different ethnic groups, for example, or maybe they are the same race but one says it matters a lot to them and for the other it doesn鈥檛.鈥� Considering the dimensions of identity prompts genuine questions and real listening about what race and other identities mean to each person.

Developing a common language for talking about race

Ross defines terms and shares examples when he moderates conversations about microaggressions in the workplace and in the classroom. Participants learn that microaggressions are 鈥渂rief, often unintentional and without intended malice, everyday exchanges that belittle and alienate a member of a marginalized group.鈥� They include actions like confusing a person鈥檚 ethnicity with that of a different group; consistently mispronouncing a person鈥檚 name; interrupting; only making eye contact or taking questions from people of one group; making jokes aimed at minorities; or dismissing the validity of slights described by minorities.

Ross shares examples from media clips. 鈥淎fter sharing a clip with participants, they get it. Groups find it very powerful to discuss a real example. It鈥檚 not theoretical,鈥� explains Ross.

Workshop participants develop the language to describe things they may have seen but not understood before. Clayton, the 91探花Bothell alumna who invited Ross to give a workshop at her office鈥檚 鈥淟unch and Learn鈥� program, had an immediate revelation from that discussion. 鈥淚 had multiple experiences with a coworker that were uncomfortable. I couldn鈥檛 pinpoint what the issue was, but I knew it didn鈥檛 feel quite right,鈥� she says. 鈥淎fterwards, I realized I was experiencing a microaggression, which enabled me to process the encounters in a different manner.鈥�

Moving from talk to action

All workshops end with a call to action. Groups craft a plan for how they can start making changes, get involved or develop a community service project that would address the issues they discussed. According to Ross, 鈥淭丑别 workshop explains a lot and participants feel that they are more grounded 鈥� with language to describe things they鈥檝e seen but didn鈥檛 understand. I ask, 鈥業f you could do something, what would it be?鈥欌�� says Ross. 鈥淟ast year, a group at 91探花Bothell decided they wanted to host a dialogue on race so we鈥檙e pursuing that this year.鈥�

Increasing opportunities for dialogues on difference

Heading into his second year as 91探花Bothell鈥檚 director of diversity, Ross has received even more requests to hold workshops for groups both on and off the 91探花Bothell campus. Ross is planning what he calls 鈥淏othell 2.0,鈥� that includes both the second annual Diversity Week in spring 2016 and an expanded Diversity Conference open to the community. New this year is a dialogue on race, an idea that developed from workshop participants. All of it is designed to increase opportunities for students to find commonalities and see the humanity in people different from themselves.

Given the growing diversity of Bothell 鈥� both the city and the University 鈥� these workshops are leveraging a unique opportunity, and serve as amodel for creating conversations throughout the entire community. Photos courtesy of Terryl Ross.

Classrooms without borders

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91探花Bothell lecturer Ursula Valdez uses Facebook, Skype and other social media tools to bring together students in Bothell and Peru

91探花Bothell lecturer Ursula Valdez learned social media can be adapted to the classroom for effective teaching and learning.
91探花Bothell lecturer Ursula Valdez learned social media can be adapted to the classroom for effective teaching and learning.

In spring 2015, , a 91探花Bothell lecturer in Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences, used readily available technology and social media tools to bring Peru and its people right into her Bothell classroom.

She teamed up with a colleague in Peru to teach the same class in two countries at the same time, creating a dynamic virtual learning community that encouraged students from vastly different backgrounds to work and learn together.

“Working with students who are thousands of miles away is not impossible anymore,鈥� says Valdez, who is encouraging colleagues to听consider launching similar classes. 鈥淲e can be in China, in Egypt, in Peru or in a classroom in Seattle. It doesn鈥檛 matter. We can use all the offerings of the modern world to help us make global connections.鈥�

鈥�We can be in China, in Egypt, in Peru or in a classroom in Seattle鈥�

Valdez鈥檚 class鈥擣rom the Andes to the Cascades along the Pacific Coast: Environmental issues in Peru and the Pacific Northwest鈥攚as taught as an advanced seminar for 10 Bothell students. Valdez designed the class as a collaborative international learning experience, partnering with Dr. Armando Valdes-Velasquez, who taught a parallel class for his 20 students at Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia in the capital city of Lima. Both classes were taught in English.

鈥淐ollaborating with the Peruvian students online was an amazing opportunity that challenged my communication skills and significantly helped to prepare me for working with colleagues internationally,鈥� says Kramer Canup, a 91探花Bothell student.

鈥淭his was an experience that made me realize how small I am in this world,鈥� says fellow student Kanwal Yousuf, 鈥測et there is so much one person can do to make a difference.鈥�

Creating a study abroad experience without leaving home

To make the class a success, Valdez knew she needed students in her classroom and in Peru to engage in deep discussions on environmental issues that affect both their countries. And they had to interact and collaborate with one another to find potential solutions.

Valdez, who received her PhD in biology from UW, and her Peruvian colleague relied on social media tools that are ubiquitous around the globe to bring their classes together. They used Skype to create a single virtual classroom, allowing the students in both countries to make voice calls, chat and message, and also to conduct live video conferences over the internet. These sessions brought the parallel classes together as one, even as they were being held concurrently 5,000 miles apart.

To encourage and enrich further interactions among students outside the classroom, Valdez asked students to use social media tools such as Facebook and WhatsApp, a free instant messaging app for smartphones, which allowed students to talk to one another inside and outside the classroom.

There were communication challenges, for sure, but the efforts paid off in huge ways, says Peruvian co-lecturer Valdes-Velasquez.

鈥淒esigning and developing a course that took into account two distinct realities and two languages was a huge challenge,鈥� he says. 鈥淎nd one of the most rewarding initiatives I have been involved in.鈥�

Globally networked learning is possible

The seeds for Valdez鈥檚 class were planted a year ago, when she attended a 91探花Bothell Global Initiatives seminar and heard about the Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) Fellows program.

The fellowship supports 91探花faculty and staff from all campuses in developing multicultural learning environments that link 91探花classes to those at other universities across the globe. Instructors use various communication technologies to engage students from different countries, with lecturers from each country co-teaching and managing course work.

鈥�鈥o create an international and intercultural learning community that broke boundaries.

With COIL, Valdez saw an opportunity. 鈥淚 kept thinking about how I could bring some of these experiences from my native Peru to my students in Bothell. But I was also thinking about how I could bring the rich history and biodiversity of the Northwest to Peruvian students,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 wanted to create an international and intercultural learning community that broke boundaries.鈥�

Valdez received a COIL fellowship to develop a collaborative international teaching and learning experience that focused on biodiversity, climate change and other important issues that face the Northwest and Peru. With assistance from Valdes-Velasquez, she spent several months designing her course.

鈥淚t was not difficult to find parallels between the two countries,鈥� Valdez says. 鈥淎rmando and I wanted students from each country to relate to each other鈥檚 problems.鈥�

Valdez鈥檚 six suggestions for creating parallel classes

1. Find a committed teaching partner and connect with 91探花resources for support

Support is available for 91探花faculty and staff who want to pursue teaching globally. The Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) Fellows program can guide you on how to successfully carry out globally networked learning, from finding a faculty partner to gathering institutional support and negotiating course content with your teaching partner. Demonstrating her commitment to co-teaching, Valdez used her fellowship funds to bring Valdes-Velasquez to Bothell to help lead classroom discussions for a week, and she traveled to Peru to teach in his class as well. While having global connections was certainly helpful to Valdez鈥攚ho grew up and studied in Peru and continues to teach there鈥攖hey are not required.

2. Apply to be a 91探花COIL Fellow

 

91探花faculty from all three campuses are encouraged to apply for the 2015-16 cohort of 91探花Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) Fellows. Successful applicants will receive $2,000 in funding and individualized support to implement an international collaboration course.

3. Focus tightly on engaging topics that cut across borders

Finding areas of common interest to students in both countries is one of the most important components of any co-taught international class, Valdez says. Working together, Valdez and her teaching partner settled on four major topics for discussion that had parallels in both countries: biodiversity and iconic species of the Pacific Northwest and Peru; use of forest resources and the impact of human activities on habitat loss, conservation and the economy; mountain ecology and climate change; and fisheries and conservation.

4. Collaboration leads to higher engagement

Interaction and collaboration with Peruvian students was highly motivating for her class, Valdez says. It led to higher engagement with class materials and better learning outcomes.

鈥淵ou begin to see things you didn’t see through the eyes of someone who may live in a very different society compared to yours,鈥� says Yousuf, of 91探花Bothell. 鈥淵ou get to compare issues that happen around your area to issues that are happening around the world. I learned a lot about why our ecosystem is so important, but most importantly I learned why collaborating and researching with other people from other parts of the world is so important.鈥�

Canup, a fellow student, agreed. 鈥淚t was a truly unique interdisciplinary experience, with a diverse class structure that always kept me engaged and excited, as the class combined group discussions with students abroad, and outdoor workshops and field trips with professional conservation biologists.鈥�

5. Social media is your friend

There are many ways to communicate across the globe but Valdez settled on Skype, both for its large number of communication features and because it is readily accessible to Peruvians.

So is Facebook, and Valdez decided to create a private group to allow students to share information outside the classroom.

Facebook post
Valdez posted often in a private group in Facebook for both classes to encourage discussions across borders鈥攁nd got lively responses.

鈥淚 never imagined that Facebook would have been such a powerful tool for learning,鈥� says Valdez, who posted often to encourage students to discuss issues.

COIL facilitator Greg Tuke was impressed by the use of Facebook. 鈥淚t was so clear to me when I read the student Facebook exchanges that they were connecting with each other both from the head and the heart.鈥�

鈥淎nyone can research, then compare and contrast bioregions of the world,鈥� Tuke says. 鈥淭丑别 information is easy to access. But as these students learned about their local bioregions and how it impacted people they now were getting to know, students started gathering and posting additional information to benefit each other, not just to get a better grade. That is motivated learning at its best.鈥�

Valdez also created a blog for students to share their ideas, and during field trips to Mount Rainier and other Cascade Mountains destinations, she encouraged them to make short videos that could be shared with their Peruvian counterparts.

This diverse array of communication tools made it easier for students to exchange ideas inside and outside the classroom.

鈥淵es, there were language barriers, technical barriers, but students felt empowered,鈥� says Valdez. 鈥淭丑别y could talk to one another, exchange ideas and have lively discussions. We used everything we had at our disposal to help them learn together.鈥�

6. Move students to action

Valdez wanted her students to understand that research for research鈥檚 sake is not enough. She wanted students to take action that would encourage real change. So, students were asked to write articles and letters to editors and politicians to bring attention to environmental issues. At Bothell, students assembled a display table at the center of campus with information on protecting water quality in Puget Sound, and asked fellow students to sign a petition.

91探花Bothell Students Petition to protect water quality in the Puget Sound
91探花Bothell students set up an information table to discuss water quality issues in Puget Sound and asked fellow students to sign a petition to protect it.

The Peruvians took similar actions back in Lima. 鈥淲e were able to do concrete things to solve problems such as writing letters to various authorities, whether the head of state, ministry of environment or fishery, and letters to the editor in magazines,” Peruvian student Romina Najarro says. 鈥淚t was rewarding to have new ideas for problem solving, as well as cultural exchange among students.鈥�

Beyond moving students to action, the joint classes showed the incredible potential of connecting students around the world.

鈥淲atching my students explore the similarities between the past and current issues in Washington and Peru, engage in heated discussions with their US counterparts, and work jointly to come up with great presentations and great work has led me to believe that the skills to work internationally should be an intrinsic part of our career programs,鈥� Valdes-Velasquez says. 鈥淚t creates new and enriching opportunities for students and, most importantly, helps create a new kind of professional capable of generating global initiatives and answers to today鈥檚 problems.鈥�

Supporting success through an integrated core curriculum

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Discovery Core for first-year and pre-major students at 91探花Bothell

鈥淭丑别 Discovery Core is one the most high-impact, revolutionary attributes of the Bothell campus.鈥�

Ismaila Maidadi 鈥�12
Program Manager, CUSP; B.A., Global Studies and Policy Studies, 91探花Bothell

 

First-year students at 91探花Bothell are immersed in a curriculum designed both to inspire creativity and to bridge the transition to the rigor of college-level academic work. When the Bothell campus added freshmen and sophomore students in 2006, the campus also created the to house support services for first-year and pre-major students. Then CUSP launched the , an innovative core curriculum that welcomes students into small seminars and gets them academically engaged through creative course offerings such as 鈥淭丑别 Biography of a Commodity,鈥� 鈥淯topias and Dystopias,鈥� 鈥淔ood and Social Justice鈥� and 鈥淒reaming.鈥�

Bringing resources to students, rather than sending students to resources: While the Discovery Core classes are innovative, so is the curriculum鈥檚 approach to bringing student success strategies and support into the classroom. The faculty who teach first-year seminars break the ice between new students and the people dedicated to supporting them by, for example, asking the director of the writing center to spend an hour in their classroom modeling how to do a deep read of a scholarly article. 鈥淭丑别 literature suggests that this student body doesn鈥檛 do 鈥榦ptional鈥� very much,鈥� says CUSP Program Manager Ismaila Maidadi. 鈥淭丑别y were in second or third grade when 鈥楴o Child Left Behind鈥� was passed, and they鈥檝e been taught to the test. Because most resources are optional, those things we think are crucial we are moving into the classroom. We want students to be able to easily and quickly access any resources they need.鈥�

A curriculum that engages both students and faculty: The Discovery Core offers new students a way to have fun, make friends and learn how to navigate the challenges of college life while also fulfilling general education requirements. But the program is designed to inspire its instructors, too. 鈥淲e like to think the Discovery Core seminars are not just a rich opportunity for students, but also for faculty,鈥� says CUSP director Leslie Ashbaugh. In a competitive selection process, faculty from across campus apply to teach in the Discovery Core. Lecturer Kristy Leissle says, 鈥淭丑别 openness CUSP has had to my proposals for content鈥攚hich range from chocolate to science fiction鈥攔eally spurs my pedagogical creativity. In the Discovery Core, I am teaching in an open and welcoming environment where innovation is encouraged.鈥�

The Discovery Core鈥檚 interdisciplinary team teaching introduces students to a range of disciplines in their first year of college, which helps them discover what kind of degree they might be interested in pursuing.

Jennifer Atkinson
Faculty Coordinator, Discovery Core; Lecturer, IAS, 91探花Bothell

 

High-impact experiences make learning meaningful and memorable: The Discovery Core curriculum deliberately and explicitly incorporates what the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) calls 鈥�,鈥� educational experiences with a demonstrated effect on student retention and engagement. Faculty coordinator Jennifer Atkinson, a lecturer in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences (IAS), sees this as a hallmark of the Discovery Core. 鈥淪tudents aren鈥檛 shut away in their classrooms,鈥� she says. 鈥淭丑别y go out into the community for field trips, service learning, research in the wetlands or North Creek Forest; they interview workers in local industries or activists in the streets; and we regularly host guest speakers from the community in our classes.鈥�

Collaboration is the key: CUSP is a team effort from the location of staff offices to the development of curricula. In order to help students find what they鈥檙e looking for and foster collaboration, the Bothell campus brought partners such as CUSP, academic advising, veterans services, study abroad, disability support services and career services into one . The Discovery Core is also a joint effort. When faculty and staff met last summer to revamp the curriculum, they were joined by leaders from the Teaching and Learning Center, the Quantitative Skills Center, Career Services, Institutional Research and several other units. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important to have all the key stakeholders in the room,鈥� says Ashbaugh. As faculty coordinator, Atkinson ensures collaboration听continues throughout the academic year, and that the Discovery Core faculty meet regularly to discuss teaching best practices.

Student success in three stages: The Discovery Core is designed to help students transition from a top-down high school model of learning to a student-centered, inquiry-based model of learning, says Ashbaugh. The curriculum tackles this challenge in three phases:

  • Discovery (fall): Students learn about campus resources and college-level academic skills, from interpreting written sources to reading a syllabus
  • Research (winter): Students build on discovery skills while focusing on developing new research skills, such as critical analysis and facility with academic citation standards
  • Reflection (spring): Students write about their intellectual development, reevaluate which majors best suit their skills and interests, and curate a portfolio of their work to present at a spring showcase

Overall, the Discovery Core sequence is designed to prepare first-year and pre-major students to take full advantage of their college

鈥淚 would not have known about resources like the writing center or librarians had it not been for Discovery Core classes. They told us early on about campus resources so we felt like we knew how to seek out help and where to seek out help. College can be hard to figure out and navigate.鈥�

Shauniece Drayton 鈥�14
B.A., Community Psychology, 91探花Bothell

 

education. 鈥淢ost students will change their minds about what they want to focus on,鈥� says Ashbaugh. 鈥淭丑别 whole point is to expose them to a rich environment and a diverse set of ideas and experiences, and hopefully by second year they鈥檙e finding a pathway for themselves that includes study abroad, service learning, undergraduate research and other high-impact opportunities we offer on campus.鈥�

Wrapping resources into assignments: The faculty and student services staff who design the Discovery Core curriculum intentionally integrate learning outside of the classroom into class assignments. For example, one early low-stakes writing assignment puts students in touch with a variety of resources while emphasizing the value of drafting and revising. After reviewing first drafts, their instructor uses class time to schedule one-on-one meetings with each student to offer feedback. 鈥淎pproaching a faculty member can be intimidating,鈥� says Ashbaugh. 鈥淭his breaks that barrier.鈥� Students are then sent to the writing center, and asked to fill out a form reflecting on their experience鈥斺�淣ot only about using the service, but also imagining how it could be useful to them going forward,鈥� says Ashbaugh. Students then go through a round of peer review before submitting the paper again for a final grade.

The ePortfolio is a communication tool, workspace and archive: Throughout the Discovery Core, students build an that is more than an academic archive鈥攊t鈥檚 designed to become a snapshot of their curricular and co-curricular life throughout four years.

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Read the full Provost report on how to .