Faculty Mini Grants Give Students Hands-On Immersive Learning Experiences

The Rhode Island College Foundation has generously provided mini grants (up to $2,以支持以学生参与为重点的教师项目. 

This funding opportunity was initiated by RIC Foundation Board President Joyce Stevos, 她也是三届RIC校友(65年, (1997年和2005年).

根据史蒂夫的说法, “We had funds at the Foundation to support faculty research in our budget, 但它已经有一段时间没有使用了. When the college emphasized student engagement in teaching and learning as part of its strategic plan, I asked the Board to repurpose those funds to support faculty in developing more hands-on learning opportunities for students.”

获得小额资助的教师可以创建以下项目:

• 加强师生互动
• 参与服务学习
• 参与创造性工作
• 促进公民参与
• 支持学生出席专业会议或
• 为学生实习提供资金支持.

今年，有11名教员获奖. (见下文收款人名单.) Eight used their grants to fund student attendance at professional conferences. Monies could be used to cover conference registration fees, travel, food and/or housing.

在她的资助下, Associate Professor of Physics Medini Padmanabhan supported the attendance of a team of six physical science majors at the Material Research Society Fall Meeting. 这是一个为期五天的课程, 虚拟, international conference featuring cutting-edge material science research.

Padmanabhan’s students attended various talks that aligned with their interests; and in February, three of the students presented what they learned at the departmental colloquium.

她说，就学生的参与度而言，这种经历是值得的. “I believe that exploring shared interests and making new discoveries outside the classroom environment was invigorating for the attendees.”

在其他会议上, RIC students delivered poster presentations based on research they conducted under the supervision of the faculty member.

护理学教授乔安妮·科斯特洛 used her mini grant to pay for the attendance of RIC graduate student Ruth DeMelo at the Association of Community Health Nurse Educators Conference. 6月举行, DeMelo will fly out to Chicago for the conference and deliver a poster presentation of her plan for a diabetes program tailored to the Hispanic population.

在会议上, not only will Ruth be able to enhance her knowledge about population/public health interventions, 包括新的循证干预糖尿病教育, she will have the opportunity to engage with population/public health professionals to learn the latest trends in public health nursing education,科斯特洛说。.

参加会议仍然是吸引学生的最佳方式之一. 它允许他们分享他们的想法, 获得有价值的反馈, learn new ideas outside their field of expertise and network with peers.

Foundation mini grants included funding for Faculty of 艺术 and Sciences students who are required to complete an internship to fulfill their degree. 实习是一种让学生沉浸在学习中的方法. 然而, faculty recognize that many internship positions are unpaid and that often students need to work during the semester. This grant offers $1,500 stipends for undergraduates participating in an internship.

西班牙和拉丁美洲研究教授大卫·拉米雷斯说 funded the internship of five students at Rhode Island Latino 艺术 (RILA). Their internship will culminate in a student art exhibit in the Fall, during Hispanic Heritage Month. The exhibit will feature RILA’s collection of Latino oral histories gathered over the last 30 years.

实习生杰克·埃斯特拉达, 艺术史专业, described his experience at RILA this way: “To be able to see firsthand how oral histories are collected and put together is an experience that no lecture or textbook can teach or prepare us for. It not only brings awareness of what people have built in the past but also develops a desire to do more for our community.”

事实上, learning by doing was the goal of 护理学助理教授Linda Mendonca, 谁用她的小额资助让学生参与灾难模拟.

“A disaster simulation creates a ‘no-fault’ learning environment that gives our clinical nursing students the opportunity to be exposed to a disaster scenario where they have to respond, 对受害者进行分类和护理,她说。.

在本质上, 学院的小型补助金允许学生亲自动手, 真实世界的经验，并掌握自己的学习.

According to Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Carolynn Masters, “Engaging students in the learning process increases their attention and focus and moves them to more critical thinking. Research has shown that students who are engaged in the learning process, connect more deeply with the professor and the material and ultimately the material is retained at a higher rate.”

“我们对这些拨款的结果感到满意,史蒂夫说。, 并期待我们继续提供支持.”

2023-24迷你奖助金受助人: 

护理学教授林恩·布兰切特
护理学教授乔安妮·科斯特洛
历史学教授埃里克·克里斯蒂安森
咨询和教育心理学教授Shannon Dowd-Eagle
咨询和教育心理学教授詹琳·弗瑞
政治学教授罗宾·林德
护理学助理教授Linda Mendonca
物理科学教授Medini Padmanabhan 
生物学教授拉丽莎·帕特森
西班牙和拉丁美洲研究教授大卫·拉米雷斯说
社会学教授亚历山德拉·巴佐·维恩里奇