General Sessions Saturday, November 9, 2013: 1:30 PM-2:20 PM
Sheraton New Orleans Hotel (Bayside B)
250-1 Factors associated with honors thesis completion
Luis Raul Camara-Fuertes, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras;
Marisela Santiago-Castro, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras
Many honors programs include as part of their requirements a thesis. For many students finishing this research project can be a challenge. Using logit equations we focus on a variety of factors (sex, area of study, honors curriculum, etc.) to study which are associated with students completing their honors thesis.
Sheraton New Orleans Hotel (Bayside C)
249-1 The Swarm: A New Research Approach in an Honors Classroom
Juan Carlos Espinosa, Florida International University;
Omar Leon, Florida International University
"Swarm" is an innovative multidisciplinary research approach used in a seminar at FIU. It is used to study complex phenomena. It has two phases: swarm - discovery and analysis by each student from their particular discipline, and hive - review and synthesis by the group into a new work.
249-2 Constructing an Honors Composition Course to Support a Research-based Honors Curriculum
Annmarie Guzy, University of South Alabama
As the research focus of postsecondary honors education intensifies, the honors composition course can be designed to support this mission by introducing students to discipline-specific research tools and argumentation styles while building an interdisciplinary community of scholars who can debate issues both within and outside their fields.
Sheraton New Orleans Hotel (Borgne)
246-1 Developing Leaders through Dance: Sometimes You Lead, Sometimes You Follow
Gladys Keeton, Texas Woman's University;
Stephanie Terrell, Texas Woman's University
Texas Woman's University's Honors Program integrates dance into its core curriculum and Living Learning Community to aid in developing leadership skills and close personal bonds. Through dance, people are able to learn about key concepts needed as leaders, such as creativity, focus, discipline, passion, communication, and diligence. Audience members will have the opportunity to participate in dance activities.
246-2 Conflict, Transformation, and Mixture in Place: Buenos Aires and its Tango as Text
Celia Lopez-Chavez, University of New Mexico;
Javier Lorenzo, University of New Mexico
Jazz is compared to tango in its history and development. Buenos Aires (Argentina) can be compared with New Orleans as a place where cultures meet and transform, and their mixture becomes the "paradigm for creativity". This honors seminar uses the city of Buenos Aires and its music (tango) as text.
Sheraton New Orleans Hotel (Grand Chenier)
245-1 Globalizing Honors Education: Cultivating Global Competence for the 21st Century
Wolfgang Brauner, Western Kentucky University
The purpose of this paper is to examine how best to globalize honors education. It will argue that global honors education needs to be re-conceptualized to better prepare students for the global transformations of the 21st century.
245-2 Creating Honors Programs for the 21st Century: Opportunities and Challenges
Jennifer Wunder, Georgia Gwinnett College
Georgia Gwinnett College is the first U.S. college of the 21st century built from the ground up. During 2012-2013, the director and 50 honors students began developing our honors program from the ground up, too. Our collaborative process illustrates how one school is re-imagining honors for 21st century global society.
Sheraton New Orleans Hotel (Grand Couteau)
243-1 Researching Honors through Focus Groups, Interviews, and Surveys: Success vs. Deficiency-based Research Methods
Jeremy Trucker, Community College of Baltimore County
This session reviews the results of honors program surveys, compares quantitative honors data to the college general population, and discusses the results of extensive honors qualitative research. A comparison of quantitative and qualitative research suggests honors programs benefit from qualitative internal research that can help promote the honors program's success stories.
243-2 Transforming Assessment in Honors: The role of data, student engagement, and ethics in addressing the conflict over measured outcomes
Shannon Brenner, University of Maine;
Robert Glover, University of Maine;
Jordan LaBouff, University of Maine;
Nicholas Moore, University of Maine;
Christopher Paradis, University of Maine
To what extent can, or should, the objectives of an honors education be quantified and traditionally assessed? This panel will examine the powerful benefits of active, constructive student roles in the transformation of honors assessment. Students and faculty will discuss data informing the ethical and pedagogical implications of this conflict.
Sheraton New Orleans Hotel (Maurepas)
247-1 University of Alabama Huntsville Honors Mentoring Program
Taylor Bono, University of Alabama Huntsville;
Robyn Ciliax, University of Alabama Huntsville
How to Use a Mentoring Program to Build an Honors Community.
247-2 The Road to Success: Building a Peer Mentor Program
Craig Harwood, Macaulay Honors College at Hunter College, CUNY
How do you create a successful and robust peer mentor program? A peer mentor program involves outlining the goals and structure of the program, careful selection of the peer mentors and ongoing training. This session will discuss some strategies for developing a successful peer mentor program.
Sheraton New Orleans Hotel (Napoleon A2)
251-1 A Culture of Collaboration and Creation: Honors Community Involvement
Marina Baratian, Eastern Florida State College;
Karyn Ott, Eastern Florida State College;
Jarrett Poore, Eastern Florida State College
Brevard Community College, a national leader in service-learning, offers Community Involvement courses both traditional and honors. What are the benefits of an Honors Community Involvement Class? This presentation will explore what makes the honors version a unique experience of citizenship, community and compassion for students and faculty.
251-2 Tranform Students' Academic, Personal, & Professional Lives with Honors Service Learning Curricula!
Monika Byrd, Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society;
Susan Edwards, Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society;
Kathryn Sonne, Cypress College;
Patricia West, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
Service learning provides enrichment in all areas of students' lives – academic, personal, and professional - and clear connections to the Community College Survey of Student Engagement benchmarks. Join the conversation about designing collaborative curricula that integrates academic inquiry, problem-solving, and the exercise of leadership that is current and relevant to real-world, complex challenges.
Sheraton New Orleans Hotel (Napoleon A3)
241-1 Promoting Civic engagement in Interdisciplinary Courses
Kim Finer, Kent State University at Stark;
Lee Fox-Cardamone, Kent State University at Stark;
Leslie Heaphy, Kent State University at Stark
This session will discuss some examples of efforts to incorporate civic engagement into team-taught interdisciplinary courses on contemporary topics such as AIDS and genocide. In addition thoughts will be offered concerning some of the successes and failures in those efforts.
241-2 Bonner Leaders, Community Engagement and the Role of an Honors College in Sustainable Neighborhoods
Alison Leland, University of Houston
We will address the role of the university in sustainability issues in local neighborhoods, and why that demands new approaches to honors pedagogy – namely, inclusion of humanities and natural sciences, better platforms for collaboration and interdisciplinary research, and better pathways for engagement of students with ongoing and locally meaningful research.
Sheraton New Orleans Hotel (Napoleon B2)
244-1 Inspiring Leadership: The Dynamics of a Peer Instructor-Led FYE Course in Honors Education
Maria Jerinic, University of Nevada Las Vegas;
Tiffany Schmier, University of Nevada Las Vegas;
Daniel Villanueva, University of Nevada Reno
Honors faculty and staff will discuss the impact of UNLV's sole peer-instructed FYE course on honors students and the broader campus. Also, presenters will explore how this peer-instructor FYE model responds to recent calls in popular and academic arenas for innovation in higher education.
244-2 Honors 101: Evolution of a First-Year Student Orientation Program
Paula McCabe, American University;
RJ Pettersen, American University;
Saba Tabriz, American University;
Emma Zaballos, American University
What are the essentials for a successful first-year student orientation program? Critical is creating structures for mentees—and upperclass mentors—that allow them room to learn and bloom. Panelists will share highlights and wisdom from nearly a decade of Honors 101, an evolving semester-long freshman orientation program at American University.
Sheraton New Orleans Hotel (Napoleon C2)
248-1 Penguin Pen Pals: A Service Project that's "Breaking the Ice" in Socioeconomic and Cultural Diversity
Jordan Edgell, Youngstown State University;
Jude Koury, Youngstown State University;
Ashley Orr, Youngstown State University;
Jacob Schriner-Briggs, Youngstown State University
This session will showcase the YSU Penguin Pen Pal project, which is a volunteer mentoring program between inner-city elementary students and honors students. The program seeks to improve writing skills of the elementary students while exposing the honors students to the lives of children from diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds.
248-2 Honors students approach to a design project for a local children's science museum
Camron Bagheri, Youngstown State University;
Cory Merlo, Youngstown State University;
James Tancabel, Youngstown State University
During the Spring 2013 semester at Youngstown State University, first-year engineering students were commissioned to design, build, and demonstrate an interactive exhibit for a local children's science museum in Youngstown, Ohio. This presentation will discuss our approach as honors students to the design process used to develop our prototype exhibit.
Sheraton New Orleans Hotel (Napoleon D2)
252-1 Living and Growing in an Honors Learning Community
Tim Friedmann, Binghamton University;
Sarah Glose, Binghamton University;
Bridget Murphy, Binghamton University
In the Fall of 2011, The Binghamton University Scholars Program started a new Learning Community for incoming freshmen. Since then, the Learning Community has transformed from a small experiment to a large success. Learn about the ups and downs of the Learning Community from three students who lived and learned.
252-2 Joining Forces: Honors, Housing and Residence Life, and Collaborative Community Building
Jeanessa Gantt, University of West Florida;
Nathan Holley, University of West Florida
This session will discuss the recently developed Honors Resident Assistant position at the University of West Florida, and explain how this position has fostered a more collaborative effort between housing and residence life and the honors program to enrich the honors living/learning experience in John C. Pace Honors Hall.
Sheraton New Orleans Hotel (Napoleon D3)
242-1 Service Learning in Honors: Sidewalk U
Lauren Cool, Eastern Kentucky University;
Greg Gunderson, Eastern Kentucky University;
Katie Scott, Eastern Kentucky University;
Chris Thurman, Eastern Kentucky University
Eastern Kentucky University honors students are encouraged to participate in a week-long service learning trip known as "Sidewalk U." This year, twelve EKU honors students traveled to Washington, D.C., in order to learn about and evaluate those who are living in conditions of poverty in our nation's capital.
242-2 Exploring Citizenship: Louisiana Service and Leadership (LASAL) Scholars
Granger Babcock, Louisiana State University;
Catherine Fontenot, Louisiana State University;
Cindy Seghers, Louisiana State University
The mission of the LASAL Scholars Program in the LSU Honors College is unique; it integrates housing, course work, internships, field work, and research for select students who want to solve Louisiana's chronic problems, poverty and coastal wetlands loss.
