8/25/2023: This article has been corrected. Christine Corr Kiewra conducted this project during the 2021-2022 granting cycle and the title of the project was “Guest Speaker and Virtual World Tour of Early Care and Education.”
Student participation in a virtual conference could be a helpful addition for any instructor seeking opportunities to expand the diversity of perspectives students are exposed to. This could also help instructors find ways for students in any discipline to engage with professionals in their fields.
In alignment with the N2025 strategy, the Center for Transformative Teaching awards a number of small teaching grants to UNL faculty each year. In 2021, Christine Corr Kiewra, Assistant Professor of Practice, Child, Youth, and Family Studies, received a pedagogic intervention grant. Kiewra’s project, Guest Speaker and Virtual World Tour of Early Care and Education, was an immersion experience for students enrolled in CYAF 374: Curriculum Planning in Early Childhood Education. Over a ten-day period, students participated in a World Forum on Early Education virtual conference interacting with teachers, parents, and program directors from different countries with diverse cultures.
According to Kiewra, “A primary goal was for students to envision their future career path embracing equity and inclusion. The opportunity provided glimpses into a variety of early care and education classrooms, hearing firsthand from teachers and directors who administer the programs, and actually viewing what young children’s and families’ lives are like. I hoped that the experience would open my students’ eyes to the richness of experiences they can plan for themselves once they become teachers.” Kiewra noted additional project goals provided students the opportunity to experience “multi-national perspectives on key early childhood themes such as leadership, Indigenous culture and education, and challenges affecting refugees,” along with forming connections with colleagues across the globe.
Projects like this can be sustained beyond the grant funding period when engaged students continue their commitment to their professional development with attendance at future virtual and in-person conferences. When asked how her project might be helpful for other instructors, Kiewra stated, “Student participation in a virtual conference could be a helpful addition for any instructor seeking opportunities to expand the diversity of perspectives students are exposed to. This unique opportunity could also help instructors look for new creative ways for students in any discipline to engage with professionals in their fields.”
Evidence of how the project impacted Husker student learning was evaluated through pre- and post-surveys and a cumulative course project reflecting on the virtual workshop. One student shared her experience, “There was a resounding message that played through the World Forum tour, one of togetherness, happiness, being resourceful and finding ways to better education for ALL young learners… inclusion and equity for all.”
Pedagogic Intervention grants support faculty in exploring learning experiences that promote experiential, interdisciplinary, or active approaches, whether teaching face-to-face, hybrid, or online courses. CTT is committed to student success through inclusive, innovative, research-informed teaching. Husker faculty use grant funds to create transformative learning experiences that engage students in co-creating knowledge, increasing interdisciplinary inquiry, demonstrating achievement, and preparing for their futures.
More details at: https://teaching.unl.edu/opportunities/teaching-grants