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Moderator: Kelly Anne McKeown, Westfield State University

A Response to Vaccine Hesitancy Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Student-Led Service-Learning Course

Toni-Marie Achilli , Lecturer in Molecular Pharmacology, Physiology and Biotechnology, Brown University

Roshan Sapkota, Student , Brown University

Xavier Dawkins, Student, Brown University

Patrick Faherty , Student, Brown University

The onset and evolving nature of the COVID-19 pandemic offered a unique opportunity for the implementation of project-based service-learning models. Service-learning models are useful curricular tools that facilitate the engagement of students within their communities with a particular emphasis on continued learning. Through a student-led initiative, Brown Boosts Immunity, students helped to alleviate vaccine hesitancy and promote vaccination uptake within their community by incorporating a service-learning model within their work. The students accomplished this by constructing a group independent study project (GISP), a credit-bearing course that is not a part of the traditional university curriculum. This GISP was informed by three guiding principles. First, through a collaboration with the university, the students would have full agency over the course syllabus and structure. Second, the course would follow an interdisciplinary approach to learning that would allow students from an array of academic disciplines to contribute their unique perspectives to the course objectives. Lastly, the course would incorporate academic learning that would allow students to continuously adapt to the evolving nature of their community engagement. This presentation will explore the structure of the GISP, offer an account of the lessons learned from its implementation, and extract high-impact practices. Additionally, the presentation will consist of an in-depth analysis of the impact the course had on students and the community. The findings of the analysis conclude that the GISP allowed students to gain experience investigating aspects of a public health campaign through the unique lens of their respective academic interests.

Interaction and Problem Solving in Covid-19 Times

Rodica Neamtu, Associate Teaching Professor, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Advising project teams is one of the most rewarding aspects of my work. I get to know my students and engage in collaborative initiatives to mitigate issues of our global society. Add to this project-based learning a cross-cultural experience and you get excited students ready to tackle challenges at the cross-roads of science, technology and society. This is in a nutshell what Interactive Qualitative Projects at Worcester Polytechnic Institute are: academic research projects that challenge students to work in interdisciplinary teams to raise awareness and contribute to solutions to real-world problems. The key ingredient is “interaction” with people from other countries, non-profit organizations, and groups facing adversities. Helping them involves traveling, getting to know them, work with them, and bond with them.

We set out to build a strong connection between the Romanian and American cultures. Our center was scheduled to open on March 16. Months of preparation by us as co-directors and weeks of research conducted by a group of 21 students at WPI, were only matched by the excitement of traveling to Romania for seven weeks and immerse into its culture, society and beauty.

As the pandemic became a reality and the departure date for Bucharest approached, we had to find new ways to adapt our "interactive" projects to the fast-changing circumstances. When it became clear that we will not be traveling to Bucharest we had to adapt all our projects to remote work.

There were many things on our radar, including:

(1) how to keep these projects impactful and helpful for our Romanian collaborators, while maintaining the goals and outcomes of the IQP experience intact; (2) how to address our students' disappointment and frustration and turn them into productive resources; (3) how to keep the Romanian spirit alive and give our cohort the best experience without traveling.

The challenge was not trivial: our work in Bucharest was supposed to be based on interacting with people. We were now relegated to communicating via emails and zoom. Our students were looking forward to living in Bucharest, immersing in the culture, taste and smell of another country. Now they had to cancel their travel plans and give up this dream. They resented the change in plans. As directors of the center, we had to turn this disappointing turn of events into a positive learning experience. It fell upon us to find a way to insure a successful debut of our center, despite the fact that we could not travel to Romania with our students.

With all that in mind, we asked our Romanian collaborators to send photos, videos, articles, and movies to help our students get as close to an authentic Romanian experience as possible. We organized these into virtual trips to various travel destinations. We “pretended” that we walked through the Carpathians Mountains and the Danube Delta. The trips followed the plans issued by the travel agency that was going to organize our amazing trips to those places.

Teaching Freshman Engineering Design in a Remote Learning Environment

Nathaniel Bohna, Associate Teaching Professor of Engineering, Penn State University, Fayette Campus

Freshman engineering design courses are historically very “hands-on” in nature. These classes typically utilize substantial group work, brainstorming exercises, and prototyping using tools such as 3D printers. Many of these activities cannot occur in a remote classroom. How do we teach students design thinking in a Zoom room? Much of the content needs to be re-imagined. New remote assignments need to replace in-class activities that instill the same messages of brainstorming, prototyping, and the iterative nature of the design process. Getting students engaged with each other and with the instructor is a real challenge. Creating and maintaining an inclusive environment for all students can be a unique challenge in a remote environment. The challenge of re-designing content has forced educators to take a critical look at course content. Some aspects of these courses are actually improved by the remote learning environment. Assignments created specifically for the remote course could remain permanent components of the curriculum moving forward. Examples of challenges and success stories in teaching freshman engineering design courses will be discussed.

Preparing STEM Educators During a Pandemic

Arne Christensen, Assistant Professor of Biology, Westfield State University

Frank Giuliano, Professor of Physical and Chemical Sciences, Westfield State University

Diane Morton, Adjunct Professor of Mathematics, Westfield State University

Taryn Weiss, Professor of Physical and Chemical Sciences, Westfield State University

All middle or secondary licensure students major in their science or math discipline and take a comprehensive professional sequence that includes pedagogical preparation as a teacher. In addition, pre-service teachers in Elementary, Early Childhood, and Special Education majors are required to take two lab-based science content courses that are highly interactive and hands-on. The pandemic pushed instructors to explore new pedagogical approaches that modify, or emulate, in-person interactions and hands-on activities, and as a result we identified useful tools that may be integrated into our teaching methods after a return to on-ground instruction. Moreover, our efforts to provide teacher candidates with hands-on, inquiry-based, experiences in a pandemic have exposed pre-service teachers to a rich variety of pedagogical methods that they may choose to adopt as future STEM educators. As a result of the pandemic, some teaching labs integrated mobile lab kits that allow students to continue to perform hands-on lab exercises at home. In our human anatomy and physiology courses we employed a virtual anatomy software application, Visible Body, as a surrogate for the physical models that are typically integral to laboratory instruction. In addition to coursework, preparation for the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL) moved online. Subject matter MTEL workshops were delivered virtually through Zoom, allowing students to discuss sample questions, and foster engagement. Pandemic advising and student practicums (student teaching) presented a challenge because these activities are more productive when robust interpersonal connections are made, which is difficult with COVID restrictions in place, and required flexibility while still maintaining high standards.