General Sessions Saturday, November 9, 2013: 4:30 PM-5:20 PM
Sheraton New Orleans Hotel (Bayside B)
296-2 Let Community Service Transform Your Honors Community
Shawn Campbell, Gardner-Webb University;
Collin Helms, Gardner-Webb University;
Daniel Morton, Gardner-Webb University
Building a strong sense of community within an honors program is essential. We are going to discuss the ways in which community can be transformed among honors students through reflecting on the role students fulfill through their involvement in the local community. Being service minded uniquely enhances an honors community.
Sheraton New Orleans Hotel (Bayside C)
295-1 Reflections on Co-Teaching Interdisciplinary Honors Courses
Marc DiPaolo, Oklahoma City University
Presenter will offer a narrative describing a series of experiences teaching team-taught and interdisciplinary honors courses with colleagues from a range of academic disciplines with strikingly different personalities and teaching styles. The challenges and opportunities inherent in these teaching experiences will be examined, as well as a discussion of how to gauge the relative success of the courses. Active participation from attendees will be encouraged but not demanded.
295-2 Team-taught, Interdisciplinary Courses: Possibilities and Pitfalls (as seen via the Honors Western Civilization Colloquium at the College of Charleston)
Bryan Ganaway, College of Charleston
The panel explores the utility and challenges of offering team-taught interdisciplinary classes as a cohort experience for honors students. Using five years of student and faculty data from the HONS 120/130 Western Civilization sequence as an example, this presentation assesses student learning outcomes as well as the challenge of convincing students and faculty of the value of interdisciplinary models.
Sheraton New Orleans Hotel (Borgne)
294-1 Maximizing the Potential of Your Honors Website
Aaron Hanlin, Kent State University
This session will explore ways in which honors programs and colleges can maximize their websites to meet the needs of diverse audiences.
294-2 Honors Program Blog: A Mosaic of Opportunities
Katie Geschwendt, College of Staten Island/City University of New York
Using limited resources, a blog can help recruit prospective students, provide professional development for current students, communicate with alumni, and highlight program accomplishments. This session, run by a first-time blogger, will include benefits of and strategies for running an honors blog, challenges encountered in the process, and potential opportunities and outcomes.
Sheraton New Orleans Hotel (Grand Chenier)
176 Sinking or Swimming? Doing It All and Staying Sane
Elaine Torda, (SUNY) Orange County Community College;
Frank Provenzano, Greenville Technical College
In our attempts to "do it all," honors program coordinators and directors face the real potential for burnout and thus leadership turnover. This interactive session will look at the potential causes of coordinator/director burnout and share strategies to combat them for our mental health and continuity in our programs.
Sheraton New Orleans Hotel (Grand Couteau)
258 Capturing Honors Learning: Critical Reflection, Transformation, and Learning Portfolios
Iman Abu-Aitah, Columbia College South Carolina;
MyLeah Barriteau, Columbia College South Carolina;
Venelina Vateva, Columbia College South Carolina;
Autumn Weideman, Columbia College South Carolina;
John Zubizarreta, Columbia College South Carolina
The power of critical reflection and continuous assessment in learning portfolios is a powerful complement to traditional measures of achievement. Portfolios capture intellectual growth and involve students in a rich, transformative process that enhances their honors education. What do students say about reflection and portfolios in creating significant learning? Find out about the benefits and challenges of learning portfolios, the value of reflective practice, and diverse applications of electronic and paper portfolios in honors. Come reflect, write, share, and listen to student voices!
Sheraton New Orleans Hotel (Napoleon D2)
297-1 Finding Our Way: Creating Community From the Diversity of an Evolving Honors College Faculty
Francois Amar, University of Maine;
Robert Glover, University of Maine;
Mimi Killinger, University of Maine;
Melissa Ladenheim, University of Maine
Honors faculty models are often characterized by disciplinary and structural diversity. As new models are introduced, it is easy to amplify the structural heterogeneity of the faculty. How do we strengthen community and inclusion amidst such innovation and multiplicity? Using experiences and data drawn from the University of Maine Honors College, this session will examine how we can confront these potential challenges in constructive ways that remain open to innovation and change, while preserving community and fostering inclusivity.
297-2 The Seneff Faculty Development Program: A Case Study
Valerie Burks, Valencia College;
Wendi Dew, Valencia College
Valencia College has a well-respected tradition of excellence in faculty development. Until 2011, the clear exception was in honors. However, when the program was transitioning into an honors college, faculty and administrators created alongside the new student curriculum a fully fledged faculty curriculum. Valencia's example will be offered as a case study.
Sheraton New Orleans Hotel (Oak Alley)
292-1 On the Global Track: Creating a New Community of International Scholars
C. Jay Pendleton, Mercer University;
Eric Spears, Mercer University
Higher learning in the global age requires that we re-examine how best to prepare students for a dynamic and interdependent world. What of the honors program experience? This session explores the creation of an international scholars community through intentional curriculum design and experiential learning with a focus on international development.
292-2 How can honors create more efficient global citizens?
Kevin Mills, Gardner-Webb University;
Brooke Rampy, Gardner-Webb University;
Jasmine Stevenson, Gardner-Webb University
Based on studies in honors classes, there is debate between STEM and Liberal Arts teaching methods. The opposing sides differ in which method creates a more efficient and knowledgeable global citizen, or if there is a mixture of both that is needed.
