General Sessions Saturday, November 9, 2013: 9:30 AM-10:20 AM
130-2 Challenging the Status Quo through Servant Leadership
Shannon Payne, University of Central Florida
Honors Congress fosters growth and diversity through organizing community work with local organizations to allow its members to gain a better understanding of their environment and to encourage a sense of humility. Students participate in civic engagement through the Volunteer portion of Honors Congress by addressing issues of concern.
Sheraton New Orleans Hotel (Bayside B)
296-1 International Internships for Pre-Health Majors: a New Model
Miranda Cook, Appalachian State University;
Alexandra Dezii, Appalachian State University;
Leslie Sargent Jones, Appalachian State University;
Caleb Yelton, Appalachian State University
Pre-health majors generally do not plan semester-long study abroad. Clinically-relevant summer internships at international medical, dental, etc. schools offer a highly desirable and valuable alternative. Qualitative results will be presented, along with direct reports from three students who interned in South Africa, Mexico, and India the summer 2013.
Sheraton New Orleans Hotel (Bayside C)
171-1 Honors Mathematics Students creating videos
Jessica DeNeui, South Dakota State University;
Donna Flint, South Dakota State University;
Michael Preheim, South Dakota State University
In a recent class and a separate honors contract, my students have been assigned to create videos explaining mathematical concepts and problems. I will discuss why I chose this activity, explain how I created the assignment, show some videos, and some students will share their thoughts on the assignment.
171-2 Science, 7th Graders, and a Stream: An Integrated, Experience-Based Science Course for Honors Students
Lauren Coyne, Eastern Kentucky University;
Malcolm Frisbie, Eastern Kentucky University;
Anthony Jeck, Eastern Kentucky University
We report pedagogical results from a novel, integrated, experience-based science course for honors students funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The course seeks to improve science instruction and attitudes toward STEM disciplines for both honors students and underprivileged seventh-grade students by using honors students as learning mentors.
Sheraton New Orleans Hotel (Borgne)
168-1 The Little Honors Program That Could
Lynn Preston, Tarrant County College NW
The Little Honors Program That Could: How a community college transformed their fledgling honors program into a flourishing Honors Associates of Arts Degree (Honors-A.A.).
168-2 Revitalizing an Honors Program at a Two Year College: Handling the Challenges of a Multi-Campus Institution
Rebecca Hayes, Northern VA Comm College;
Stacy Rice, Northern Virginia Community College
Creating and implementing an honors program is a challenge regardless of your campus size. However, sustaining an honors program at a multi-campus institution comes with an even different set of obstacles. Northern Virginia Community College is a multi-campus college (6 campuses) with over 75,000 students. Over the past few years, the college named a College Honors Coordinator to take the existing program and rebuild, making the honors program consistent across all campuses. Currently, we are in the midst of implementing new ideas in regards to scholarships, study abroad opportunities, and curriculum while at the same time trying to grow our program at every campus. We would like to share our ideas and struggles, offer advice,and gain insight from other colleges.
Sheraton New Orleans Hotel (Grand Chenier)
174-1 The Use of Social Media to Better Engage Our Community
Sara Gomez, University of Central Florida
Our best marketing tactic to maintain attendance at our events and foster a sense of community is the use of social media sites and online groups. We will display our tips and some of the steps already taken along with our new digital initiatives currently being developed to increase our digital presence.
174-2 Facing Facebook: The addiction to social media and its effects in the classroom
Matthew Robeson, University of Louisville;
Spencer Scruggs, University of Louisville
Social media is of the utmost importance in our society, so much that it affects all aspects of our life, including our academic life. We will take a look at how Facebook affects the classroom and what we can pull from it to improve the classroom environment.
Sheraton New Orleans Hotel (Grand Couteau)
Sheraton New Orleans Hotel (Maurepas)
169-1 First Year Experience: Preparing Students for Honors Education and Portfolio
James Clauss, University of Washington
Newly revised Honors 100 at the University of Washington prepares students for the entire program, including e-portfolio, with combination of large lecture and small seminar-like sections led by peer educators. Inter alia, students set up e-portfolios and compose a final integrative statement, as they will do in the capstone course.
169-2 First Year Seminar, Curriculum Development, and Retention in Honors
Jonathan Thorndike, Belmont University
The session examines the first year seminar at Belmont. We will analyze retention rates for the last 5 years university-wide and in honors. The data will show a correlation between retention and proactive community-building through academic and social programming associated with the first year seminar in honors.
Sheraton New Orleans Hotel (Napoleon A2)
175 Honors as a Laboratory of Experimentation: Taylor Branch's The King Years and the Making of a MOOC
Taylor Branch, University of Baltimore;
Brian Etheridge, University of Baltimore;
Elizabeth Nix, University of Baltimore;
Paul Walsh, University of Baltimore
The presenters discuss an innovative honors offering at the University of Baltimore in the spring of 2013. Focused on the civil rights movement and taught by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Taylor Branch, the course was an experiment to see how an honors seminar could translate into a future Massive Open Online Course (MOOC).
Sheraton New Orleans Hotel (Napoleon A3)
178 Two-year College Honors Seminars: Transforming Students into Scholars
Al Golden, Joliet Junior College;
Patricia Jones, Polk State College;
Erik Ozolins, Mt. San Jacinto College;
Ce Rosenow, Lane Community College
Two-year college honors seminars operate under a variety of formats. This panel explores a range of seminar options including full- and no-credit courses, honors-only and open enrollment courses, and single-subject and multiple-subject courses. Panelists consider what constitutes best practice for individual honors programs helping students transform into scholars.
Sheraton New Orleans Hotel (Napoleon B2)
173-1 Transforming Leaders: Key Elements to a Successful Leadership Course
Kathleen King, Hillsborough Community College;
Dustin Lemke, Hillsborough Community College;
Sarrah Conn, Hillsborough Community College
Students newly admitted into the Honors Institute at Hillsborough Community College are required to take an honors leadership course. A panel of faculty will discuss the benefits of the course, learning outcomes, and innovative developments.
173-2 The Leadership Transformation
Penny Gabourie, Cypress College;
Kathryn Sonne, Cypress College
Leadership can be greatly enhanced for students when offered in multiple formats. Students at Cypress College have the opportunity to increase leadership skills through a required honors seminar, an honors leadership course, and Honors Club leadership executive board positions leading to associated student government roles.
Sheraton New Orleans Hotel (Napoleon C2)
170-1 Creating an Undergraduate Research Community at a Two-Year College
Diana Ciesko, Valencia College;
Keith Malmos, Valencia College;
Maria Wheeler, Valencia College;
Jacob Whitney, Valencia College
In 2012, honors students set out to create a research community at Valencia College. Their goal was to bring together diverse constituencies to discuss research opportunities, participate in scholarly presentations, and provide networking opportunities. This session explores Valencia's experience as a case study and an example for other two-year programs.
170-2 How Honors Can Change the World: Service from a Local to Global Level
Kati Andrews, University of West Florida;
Libby Lirette, University of West Florida;
Brian Rice, University of Alabama at Birmingham
We all know that honors students possess great knowledge, but what is it that we do with this knowledge? Come learn about how honors students can be the change in the world by serving and defending our Earth and the people in it from a local to global level.
Sheraton New Orleans Hotel (Napoleon D2)
172-1 Challenges and Triumphs: Embedding the Honors Mission Into the Curriculum
Nele Hempel-Lamer, California State University Long Beach
Embedding the honors mission into the curriculum poses a particular challenge in a higher-education climate that seems to prioritize a four-year "checklist-degree" rather than a well-rounded education. Administrative structures, cross-campus collaborations, and course development all play a vital part in creating a meaningful honors curriculum.
172-2 Developing Social and Cultural Capital in a Community College Honors Program
Matthew Zisel, Suffolk County Community College
Community college students may have a very different honors experience than their peers at four-year institutions. The variance in difference can be explained by many factors, including institutional factors; however, we will be discussing how inherited or acquired personal qualities help influence student outcomes in both populations. Possible interventions will be discussed.
Sheraton New Orleans Hotel (Napoleon D3)
153 Gifted Learners in Honors Programs: A Chance for Mutual Transformation?
Jonathan Kotinek, Texas A&M University;
Haran Phaneuf, Arizona State University;
Betsy Yarrison, University of Baltimore;
Jennifer Lane, Glendale Community College
Honors programs are not really designed for the gifted. We seek diversity, but continue to recruit students who fit our traditional profile of secondary-school high-achievers, thereby maintaining a homogeneous honors culture free of the energizing conflict that precedes transformative change. Can honors programs better identify, admit, and welcome gifted learners?
Sheraton New Orleans Hotel (Southdown)
177 Transforming Student Thinking about Global Citizenship Through Community Conflict: Students Collaboratively Create a Community Asset Map of Refugee Immigrant Neighborhoods.
Loree Crow, University of Northern Colorado;
Sarah Wyscaver, University of Northern Colorado
A 2012 NCHC Portz Grant recipient, we developed an innovative honors course partnering with the Global Refugee Center. Students worked alongside refugee community members creating a community asset map presented to city stakeholders. Our presentation focuses on the project's reciprocity elements and its ultimate impact on students and community.
