Call for Applications
Innovation in Experiential Education Award
Presented by USD’s Experiential Education Committee
Award Rationale and Purpose
The Experiential Education Committee (EEC) is committed to facilitating student-centered experiential learning, including service learning, internships, classroom simulations, and research. Such activities require great faculty dedication. To encourage, celebrate, and disseminate best practices in the development and implementation of experiential learning, the EEC annually presents the Innovation in Experiential Education Award, which includes a $1000 cash award, to a faculty innovator.
Eligibility Requirements
All full-time and benefit based USD faculty members are eligible. The award will be given for innovative and successful experiential activities used in a course during the last two academic years. Examples of recent winners and their student activities are listed below:
2002 - Dr. Perla Myers, Math and Computer Science. Creating workshops for elementary school students and their parents (Family Math Night)
2003 - Dr. Barbara Withers, School of Business Administration. Learning project management by executing a 4-day home renovation (The Thanksgiving Project)
2004 - Dr. Susan Lord, Engineering. Mastering engineering concepts by presenting them to middle school students
2005 - Dr. Lonnie Rowell, School of Leadership and Education Sciences. Working with local counseling centers to prepare and present an annual research conference
2006 - Dr. Peter Kanelos, English. Studying Shakespeare and Film by becoming Shakespearean filmmakers
2007 - Dr. Leeva Chung, Communication Studies. Analyzing communication while immersed in group projects for campus & community partners
2008 - Dr. Kevin Guerrieri, Spanish. Gaining multiple literacy through community and cultural engagement
2009 - Evelyn Diaz-Cruz, Theatre Arts Reflection and practical skills for engaging holistic student learning
2010 – Dr. Steve Conroy, School of Business Administration. For teaching students microfinance education and teaching students to serve as consultants for community-based lending groups
2011 – Dr. Michelle M. Camacho, Department of Sociology. For engaging privilege though active learning providing students a deeper understanding of stratification, racism, sexism, and heteronormativity.
Application Process
Faculty should submit nominations (or self-nominations) to Chris Nayve (cnayve@sandiego.edu). Please include the faculty member's name and course in the nomination email. Nominees will be notified and encouraged to apply and submit all materials by February 13, 2012 to be considered for the award. Past awardee applications are available upon request.
A one-page summary that includes your name, title, school or department, and a listing of courses for which the faculty members have developed experiential activities in the past two academic years. For each course list its number, title, and semester taught, followed by a brief description of the experiential activities used in the course. In order to be considered for the award, the course and experiential activity must have been conducted for at least two semesters.
- A letter, not to exceed three single-spaced pages, that summarizes the faculty member’s experiential education learning activities. You may give course-by-course summaries or focus on one or two activities:
a. Describe the experiential activity and its educational objectives.
b. Discuss how these objectives had been accomplished prior to implementing the activity.
c. Discuss student reception of the experiential activity.
d. Evaluate the success of the experiential activity and discuss whether the educational objectives were achieved; cite evidence of success, such as pre-and post test scores, student evaluations about the experiential activity itself, reflection papers, or other concrete measure of the impact of the innovation. These measures need to be linked to the experiential activity and not the course.
e. Discuss the activity's benefits and limitations with specific attention to how you would modify the activity in future courses (e.g., what you learned or how this will inform your future efforts).
f. Is this innovation useful to consider for a conference presentation or journal publication?
- Relevant course syllabi (a maximum of two) and supporting materials, such as class handouts. The award is given based on originality and impact on students, courses/programs, and community. Questions about eligibility or the application process should be directed to Dr. Miriam Rothman, EEC Chair, School of Business, rothman@sandiego.edu, x4856. The EEC committee will select the award recipient. All applicants will be notified of their status by mid-April 2012. The recipient will receive an award certificate at a luncheon/dinner presentation to be scheduled for Fall 2012.
