Academics at Wellesley and Olin College

Individualized Learning

Written by Kate H., Anna M., and Olivia R.

Looking at Academics from a Personal Perspective

In the past, present, and future, students’ studies are a main focus of life on campus. Material evidence found from the Wellesley College Hall Archaeology Project proves this statement, as well as photographic insight from the Wellesley Archives. While learning in a group is beneficial to students, academics on a personal level indicate individualized focus and attention. Within this academic environment, however, students still maintain leisure activities, in many cases, forming a direct connection with the academic, as tasks such as studying and note taking become an outlet for personal expression and enjoyment.

To show the progression in individualized learning from the era of the College Hall fire in 1914 to today to the future, these three objects reveal the overlap between academics and leisure activities at Wellesley on a personal level. The glass bottle and stopper from the excavation indicates the prevalence of scientific research, often an individual activity, at the college in 1914 as a strictly academic endeavor. The notebook, however, demonstrates a connection between education and leisure activities as academic notes transition into creative works of art to show the student’s simultaneous interests in studies and drawing. The scanner, as the individualized learning tool of the future, suggests tools to complete class assignments to make learning more accessible to each student on a personal level. The three main objects encompass a wide array of interests, from strictly academic pursuits to those bridging the gap between studies and leisure activities.

Past evidence of Individualized Learning

To challenge social stigmas that hindered women’s ability to pursue “hard” sciences, Wellesley students were required to enroll in science classes beginning in 1877 and the chemistry, physics, geology, botany, and biology departments soon equaled those of the humanities in prominence. The glass bottle and stopper found 50 cm below the surface of Severance Hill at the site of College Hall would likely have been utilized by the chemistry department. X-ray fluorescence analysis discovered traces of antimony; the bottle was likely used to contain such a chemical. The ground shank of the stopper creates an airtight seal when secured into the bore of the bottle to hold potent materials. Additionally, the expensive nature of the bottle indicates that it was used over a long period of time. Bottles with ground glass stoppers were twice as expensive as bottles without glass stoppers; similar tincture bottles with flat hood stoppers were sold for $2.20 per dozen by Whitall, Tatum & Co. in 1904- approximately $50 today. Individualized learning was prioritized in laboratory settings in which 96 Wellesley students per class conducted experiments independently using personal equipment. Through classes that would have utilized equipment such as the glass bottle and stopper, students would have had the opportunity to apply knowledge learned through lectures in an individualized manner. The emphasis placed on independent scientific study at Wellesley provided women with the tools necessary to succeed in a field previously reserved for men.

Present-day evidence of Individualized Learning

Note taking is frequently used by students as a way to record and process class material. Beyond its use as a study tool, however, is its significance as an expression of individual learning styles and aesthetic preferences. The biology notes exhibited here provide a clear picture of its creator as an individual. Particularly of note are its blue ink, stylized cursive and margin drawings. All can be traced back to the visual preferences of the notetaker, and in the case of the flower and leaf drawings, can be tied to the photosynthesis and transpiration subject matter of the notes. At the same time, the format of bullets, arrows and underlined phrases shows an individual approach to the processing of lecture information in order to help its writer better understand the material in the moment and in review. Removed from the actual lab notebook it was once a part of, this object becomes even more individualized, characterizing the singular moment in time when the notetaker engaged directly with the subject material both on academic and leisure levels with the notes and related margin drawings.

Future evidence of Individualized Learning

This scanner and app would allow a student to create individualized notes while attending class. If a problem were to present itself within a class, for example a lengthy math equation or science question, the student would simply ‘scan’ the information provided, and the scanner would be able to tell the student what formula or information is needed to solve the problem, and show the steps to solve it. This object would keep a student’s notes personalized and organized as they would have all the necessary information accessible in one location, and would be easily written or used in another situation as the app stores all the used information. The student can use it in their personal environment, such as their room or library - anyplace they feel comfortable - not just in a lab or classroom, making the student engage more with the learning process. The significance of the object is the presence of technology in the classroom. While some argue that technology should not be used in the classroom as it is a unnecessary distraction, many others believe it is very beneficial in the current and future learning process of students.

Social Academics

Written by Zack D., Alex H., and Regina W.

Social Life and School

At universities, the parallel landscapes of academics and socialization often overlap, and social groups form around study groups. In high-stress environments, projects and study groups become a major source of social interaction as commitments eat up leisure time. We observe this artifacts from Wellesley in the early 20th century, from Olin College in the present day, and from a university in a hypothetical future.

Artifacts from Wellesley’s College Hall Archaeology Project provide insight into an early-1900s classroom. Remnants of lab equipment, like the stand clamp on display, highlight how subjects like Chemistry can be a natural source of socialization. This clamp would have held a shared experiment, creating a natural social circle: the lab group. These groups aren’t just good for lab safety; they turn stiff college courses into more social activities.

This is also true of the current academic landscape, such as at Olin College, where rigorous classwork is such a large part of the student experience. Groups initially form for a particular class or assignment, but as the displayed photos, food waste, and group messages on display can attest, these temporary groups become a way for students to connect with one another.

With the rise of digitally-available resources, modern classes focus more on understanding the big picture and accessing primary sources. 100 years in the future, we can imagine a digital memory implant that makes entire bodies of pre-downloaded information available as quickly as a memory. Outside the classroom, that same technology will irrevocably work its way into dinner parties and networking events, matching faces, names, and cross-referenced social media profiles.

These three artifacts, spanning centuries and campuses, highlight different situations where academics are a vehicle for socialization. We hope that you are able to use these artifacts to consider the role of work in your social interactions.

Past evidence of Social Academics

This valve clamp, found buried beneath the former site of Wellesley’s College Hall, is a remnant of the lab equipment used by chemistry classes in the early 1900s. It is constructed of two metal tubes joined together: one that contains the valve, and one to secure the device to the ring stand. This clamp would have been purchased in a set with other chemistry equipment, like a ring stand or beakers, for as low as $6 and shipped to the college via train from a large manufacturer of scientific equipment. As the accompanying photo suggests, as many as eight to ten students may have clustered together around a shared experiment supported by this clamp. The formation of these groups can address lab safety concerns, help spread limited equipment throughout the classroom space, and provide an opportunity for socialization in a rigorous academic environment. Similar objects are still used in labs today as they continue to engage students first hand with class concepts in a safe, structured, and collaborative way.

Present-day evidence of Social Academics

Whether they’re heading off campus together, sharing snacks at their meeting, or swapping humorous stories, students in high-stress environments find ways to turn formal academic settings into social spaces. These adaptations allow for healthier dynamics where teams trust and enjoy being around one another, creating a more productive and enjoyable work environment. The three objects illustrating this phenomena, gathered from various Olin College project groups, consist of a photo from one team’s road trip, the leftover packaging from another team’s snacks, and a sampling of light-hearted messages from a third team’s messaging platform.

The photo exemplifies teams planning non-work-related activities to destress and form group bonds. The food packaging is representative of the frequent presence of food at team meetings, where it is used to keep energy high and to form community through shared ‘meals’. Finally, the messages show how an academic group has made a space on their official communication channel for sharing lighthearted, funny occurrences. All of these are traditional social activities modified to fit within a rigorous academic environment. They are examples of temporary groups, formed solely for a particular project or class, becoming a source of social connections that can last even beyond the end of the project.

Future evidence of Social Academics

The wearable device at right is a representative model of a biotech device of the future: a digital memory implant. Harnessing brain-computer interfaces, scientists a century into the future will create a technology that artificially expand the capacity and clarify the recall of our memories, while also adding the ability to synthesize data into human-interpretable format. In an academic context, this implant could store millions of primary sources, analyses, critiques, and lessons in an instantly-indexable memory format on a removable card. Outside the classroom, users could important data in multi-dimensional space, and even remember names, faces, stories, and other personal history with perfect fidelity.

Plucked from an imagined future, the allure of these implants would have a profound effect on society. By swapping in and out cards for different contexts, literally “context switching,” people could instantly magnify their skills and knowledge in a subject area. However, would our brains get too attached to such acuity? It’s conceivable that we’d grow dependent on perfectly organized structure and instant gratification, such that without the cards, we’d be hollow shells. When we’ve got our “office” context cards in, would we even recognize that friend from History class so long ago?

*Please note that some fossil casts of early hominins and a replica human anatomical teaching model used in palaeoanthropology courses may be visible in the background of these photos*

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