The April 2021 Faculty Forum Recording is Now Available
Dear Faculty Colleagues,
Thanks to all who joined us on April 16 for our monthly Faculty Forum, a conversational session dedicated to the discussion of Community-Based Instruction. Two faculty members, Dr. Milmon Harrison, an Associate Professor in the Department of African American and African Studies, and Dr. Catherine Brinkley, VMD, PhD, MS, Associate Professor from the Community & Regional Development program in the Human Ecology Department, started off the conversation by sharing their experiences in creating community-based learning for their students. The recording is now available.
Dr. Harrison highlighted the service-learning elements that integrate his research, teaching, and public service initiatives. His interest in the historic presence of African Americans in the community led him to serve as a member of the community advisory board of the Center for Sacramento History, and to work on the project “The Black Valley” that includes the Sacramento area. In his service learning class, students worked on research projects based on the public materials of the Center and contributed to the mission of the Center under his supervision. Students also engaged in collecting oral history materials in support of Dr. Harrison’s current book project. Dr. Harrison will be teaching a course on Black California for the Department of African American and African Studies.
Dr. Harrison encouraged faculty who are interested in public engagement in their courses to take advantage of UC Davis support programs and shared the following resources: https://publicengagement.ucdavis.edu/ and https://publicengagement.ucdavis.edu/faculty-fellows-programs. Other resources shared include a book on Learning through Serving, The Center for Sacramento History archive, and the Center’s oral history initiative on pandemic stories.
Dr. Catherine Brinkley discussed how she is partnering with local governments and nonprofits in her undergraduate and graduate classes. Acknowledging the challenges of sustaining interest and student investment in her community-based learning projects and partnerships, Dr. Brinkley stated that the 10-week quarter time frame leads to IRB logistics challenges, as well as challenges with training students for surveying techniques and practices. Her initiatives included a Health Impact Assessment of Yolo County's new Universal Basic Income program, and a revision and update of the Sacramento Region Food System Action Plan. Student participants in these projects gained skills and knowledge that they will soon apply beyond the classroom as UC Davis alumni.
Academic Technology Services offers DOLCE (Discussing Online Learning and Collaborative Education) on the first Friday of every month, and Faculty Forums on the third Friday of the month during the school year. Please plan to join us at our next DOLCE event on May 7, 2021 at noon.
If you have questions about Instructional Design at UC Davis, please contact our ATS senior instructional designers at instructionaldesign@ucdavis.edu.
Best,
Dr. Andy Jones
Academic Associate Director, Academic Technology Services
Editor in Chief of The Wheel: The Instructional Technology Blog of UC Davis
University of California, Davis