Instructors Angela Bolen, Vanessa Gorman, and Ann Tschetter and graduate student Anthony Foreman are among a group of Huskers who have earned grants offered through the Center for Transformative Teaching. The four historians will use the strategic departmental grant to reimagine pedagogy for student success in entry-level history classes.
“We knew we wanted to do something both to expand our appeal to first-year students, especially first generation and minority students, and to help them succeed in college at a better rate,” Gorman, professor of history and classics, said. “The study of history is intrinsically exciting, but students are looking for an approach that is different from the traditional survey courses that they have had in high school.”
The four educators decided to establish a series of collaboratively-designed 100-level courses that will meet Achievement-Centered Education requirements such as Powerful Women in European History, Historic Voyages of Exploration and Exploitation, and the Cities at the Crossroads of History.
“By limiting them [the classes] to 30-40 students, we will offer a more personalized experience than many first-year students typically receive,” Gorman said. “We will focus on the discussion of primary documents and alternative viewpoints, while also emphasizing the ability to compose good argumentative writing from evidence and offering an opportunity for each student to create an individualized project.”
Applicants for the grants had to demonstrate that the funding received would be used to create a transformative learning experience that engages students in co-creating knowledge, increasing interdisciplinary inquiry and demonstrating achievement.
"Many of us can pinpoint the moment in our university experience in which we were transformed by an experience, a class, a course or an instructor's response to our work," Nick Monk, director for the CTT, said. "The CTT wants to help our instructors find the ways and means create more of these experiences for more of our students."
