Alyssa R. Stepter McKay, Eric Buschlen, Kaleb Patrick and Sarah Marshall
Case studies continue to be a signature teaching tool for developing leadership educators in a classroom setting. However, many of these cases tend to be generic and may limit…
Abstract
Case studies continue to be a signature teaching tool for developing leadership educators in a classroom setting. However, many of these cases tend to be generic and may limit student learning. In order to maximize the learning potential of case studies, we advocate for the use of peer-authored, real-to-life case studies written from a first-hand experience as a training tool for graduate and doctoral-level leadership students. Students author a case based on a real-to-life issue, share with a classmate, and analyze collaboratively. This form of training allows leadership students to examine a case through multiple lenses while processing with a peer who may still be dealing with the leadership issue in real time. The culminating process allows students to examine the issue with direct feedback from another who lived the experience, completing a true 360-degree examination of a real-to-life controversy. This process supports deep reflection, leadership competencies, and metacognition of a dilemma. The assignment outlined in this application manuscript can be completed face-to-face or online and can be modified to work with any leadership learner group or program.
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Guoqing Tang and Caesar R. Jackson
In this chapter, we present our ongoing efforts in developing and sustaining interdisciplinary STEM undergraduate programs at North Carolina A&T State University (NCA&T) – a…
Abstract
In this chapter, we present our ongoing efforts in developing and sustaining interdisciplinary STEM undergraduate programs at North Carolina A&T State University (NCA&T) – a state-supported HBCU and National Science Foundation (NSF) Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP) Institutional Implementation Project grantee. Through three rounds of NSF HBCU-UP implementation grants, a concerted effort has been made in developing interdisciplinary STEM undergraduate research programs in geophysical and environmental science (in round 1), geospatial, computational, and information science (in round 2), and mathematical and computational biology (in round 3) on NCA&T campus. We first present a brief history and background information about the interdisciplinary STEM undergraduate research programs developed and sustained at NCA&T, giving rationales on how these programs had been conceived, and summarizing what have been achieved. Next we give a detailed description on the development of undergraduate research infrastructure including building research facilities through multiple and leveraged funding sources, and engaging a core of committed faculty mentors and research collaborators. We then present, as case studies, some sample interdisciplinary research projects in which STEM undergraduate students were engaged and project outcomes. Successes associated to our endeavor in developing undergraduate research programs as well as challenges and opportunities on implementing and sustaining these efforts are discussed. Finally, we discuss the impact of well-structured undergraduate research training on student success in terms of academic performance, graduation rate and continuing graduate study, and summarize many of the learnings we have gained from implementation and delivery of undergraduate research experiences at HBCUs.