Easing the Uncertainty: Discover Arts Students Find Clarity Through Core Program’s Interdisciplinary Learning
About the Presenter(s)
Marissa McCray , Core program and humanities visibility coordinator ; academic advisor , College of Arts and Sciences
Location
Crossing Boundaries and Intersectional Learning
Start Date
7-1-2020 10:30 AM
Abstract/Description
Kennedy Union 312
Many students who begin their college career without a declared major often lack direction and struggle with the meaning of seemingly unrelated general education courses. Many also grapple with links between academic disciplines, careers, and broader life pursuits. This informative session presents research findings about how the Core Integrated Studies Program influenced Discover Arts students’ academic major selections and sense of vocation. The study examined a cohort of juniors who began Core as Discover Arts and who were interviewed one month after completing the program. Findings revealed the program’s high-impact pedagogy not only enabled wise academic major choices and vocational awareness, but the program’s tight-knit intellectual learning-living community also enhanced overall student development. The study’s implications suggest interdisciplinarity positions Discover Arts students for increased academic and vocational clarity by providing meaningful pathways that holistically equip students to lead engaged, purposeful lives.
Goals for Attendees
The goal is to inform attendees how the Core Program’s high-impact, integrated teaching model coupled with its learning living component influenced Discover Arts students’ academic major selections and sense of vocation. Attendees will be informed how Core not only shaped academic decisions, but how it also enhanced overall student development, thus impacting the education of the whole person.
Easing the Uncertainty: Discover Arts Students Find Clarity Through Core Program’s Interdisciplinary Learning
Crossing Boundaries and Intersectional Learning
Kennedy Union 312
Many students who begin their college career without a declared major often lack direction and struggle with the meaning of seemingly unrelated general education courses. Many also grapple with links between academic disciplines, careers, and broader life pursuits. This informative session presents research findings about how the Core Integrated Studies Program influenced Discover Arts students’ academic major selections and sense of vocation. The study examined a cohort of juniors who began Core as Discover Arts and who were interviewed one month after completing the program. Findings revealed the program’s high-impact pedagogy not only enabled wise academic major choices and vocational awareness, but the program’s tight-knit intellectual learning-living community also enhanced overall student development. The study’s implications suggest interdisciplinarity positions Discover Arts students for increased academic and vocational clarity by providing meaningful pathways that holistically equip students to lead engaged, purposeful lives.
