COH announces eight new interdisciplinary education projects
by Michelle Saport |
The College of Health has funded eight interdisciplinary education projects. In early October, the college solicited faculty to submit creative and innovative proposals to advance the college's interdisciplinary mission. A peer review committee evaluated all the proposals and then made funding recommendations to the dean.
The funded efforts span the range of disciplines and departments within the college:
Collaboration at the Anchorage Pioneer Home
First-year occupational therapy students will be paired with baccalaureate nursing
students, all of whom share a clinical placement at the Anchorage Pioneer Home (APH).
The students will meet with residents at APH and observe each other's approach. At
a common debriefing meeting, students will share their disciplinary perspectives and
goals from their respective care plans.
Encouraging father involvement
Digital stories will be developed to encourage father involvement during the birth
and early years of children's lives. The digital stories will then be incorporated
into a free class for new fathers offered through Providence 熊猫在线视频's Maternity Center.
This collaboration between the public health and early childhood education programs
supports the College of Health's mission by promoting the health and well-being of
fathers, infants and children in 熊猫在线视频.
Partnership between nursing and English faculty
Faculty from nursing and English will team up to help graduate nursing students transition
from the world of academic writing to confident scholarly writing. VoiceThread, a
media aggregator that allows students and faculty to post voice and visual media,
will be used for idea generation and peer feedback.
Linked courses for more feedback
Another project also focused on student writing is a collaboration between the Human
Services Department and the College Preparatory & Development Studies Department.
In this effort, two courses will be linked through coordinated lesson planning. Each
instructor will learn from the other's approach to teaching content and techniques.
For students, the benefit will be exposure to new content and consistent feedback
on writing.
Nursing simulation offers framework for mentorship and development
Advanced nursing students will be matched with underprepared first-year students participating
in the Smart Start program. Smart Start is a learning community for students who placed
at the remedial levels in both English and math. In this collaboration, Smart Start
students will participate in a nursing simulation scenario as actors and observers.
The nursing students will benefit from enhanced realism in the simulation and also
have the chance to serve as teachers, mentors and role models. The Smart Start students'
feedback on the simulation experience will encourage self-reflection and help motivate
educational advancement.
Experimental course to increase interdisciplinary understanding
A group consisting of faculty from the Departments of Human Services, Social Work
and Counseling & Special Education was formed to develop and offer an experimental
course designed to increase interdisciplinary understanding, appreciation and collaboration.
The differences among helping disciplines' historical contexts, philosophical/professional
identities and professional responsibilities will be presented through a lens of shared
values, ethical responsibilities and contributions to communities
"Critical Behavioral Health Issues in 熊猫在线视频" course
Another group of faculty will develop a course titled "Critical Behavioral Health
Issues in 熊猫在线视频." This course is designed to offer students an overview of serious
social problems in 熊猫在线视频: domestic violence, sexual assault, substance abuse and
suicide. Through an interdisciplinary lens, students will learn about evidence-based
practices and 熊猫在线视频 resources for addressing these issues. Five different units are
involved in developing and presenting this course: Center for Human Development, the
Department of Psychology, the Justice Center and the School of Social Work and the
Department of Health Sciences.
"Introduction to Health Occupations" course
A 100-level "Introduction to Health Occupations" course will provide students who
are considering health programs at UAA exposure to various health careers, as an opportunity
to explore their career aspirations and discover their aptitude and abilities for
a variety of health occupations. The course, coordinated by the School of Allied Health
will utilize healthcare professionals from within the College of Health faculty, as
well as the community. The goal is to assist students in making an informed choice
in their professional and educational pathways.
The College of Health has appropriated over $25,000 for these mini-grants, although no single undertaking exceeds $5,000. As a requirement of the award, faculty members will be making a public presentation regarding the design, implementation and outcome of the project.
For further information, contact Randy Magen, Ph.D., associate dean for curriculum, at (907) 786-6901 or magen@uaa.alaska.edu.