Introduction to Communication
COMM 1010
Dr. Karen Anderson-Lain launched a community service project called Advocacy in Action. Students work with Denton-based organizations to help meet a need (i.e. food pantry supply collection, items needed for women’s shelters or local shelters, donation collection/drive, etc.). The team-based projects that support these organizations are built into the curriculum of the course and serve as assignments for a grade as well as products for the ePortfolio. Nearly 1,000 students over two semesters had the opportunity to grow their teamwork skills by aiding local organizations.
Skills assessed: teamwork
Foundations for Design
ART 1450
James Thurman leads this large multi-section course with instructors and has students work with different thrift stores in Denton to obtain supplies students can up-cycle. Students are given an objective, for example, to design a costume. They use scrap materials to create something meaningful and valuable. Once the project is complete, students return their finished product to the source. They submit their products to the ePortfolio with their design process while recognizing the role of being able to return their upcycled product back to the community.
Skills assessed: critical thinking
Spanish for Social Services
SPAN 3520
Dr. Talia Weltman-Cisneros has students partner with United Way of Denton and partner organizations to help with translation and to welcome clients when they come in for tax preparation. Students benefit by communicating in Spanish in real-life situations and understand the role of these organizations within the community. Dr. Weltman-Cisnerosalso requires students to write reflections on their experience in Spanish throughout the semester, easily bringing together curricular goals with the service-learning experience.
Skills assessed: teamwork, critical thinking, oral communication
Content Development for Digital Media Arts
MRTS 3525
Frances Perkins’ students create reels and produce films for different departments on campus as well as other organizations in the community. Students write the script, shoot the video, and edit it. At the end of the semester, Perkins showcases student work at a public screening making this experience as “real” as possible.
Skills assessed: critical thinking, written communication
Product Development II
MDSE 3250
Kristina Bruder leads students in a project where they pitch their own fashion line for the upcoming year. They compile their designs, colors, cost analysis, and marketing plans. The experience teaches students the process of creating their own fashion line and how to submit a proposal. Students work in teams to accomplish this and are required to present their final products as a part of their final grade.
Skills assessed: teamwork, oral communication
Volunteer Management Concepts and Applications
PADM 4240
Dr. Laura Keyes’ students work with Big Brothers Big Sisters, at their request, to assist them in growing their volunteer recruitment, volunteer retention, and marketing strategies. Students applied the concepts from the class as it relates to organization management and volunteer mobilization to help the organization. Students completed surveys, analyzed the data, created formal proposals, and eventually presented this directly to leadership from Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Dallas.
Skills assessed: critical thinking, teamwork
Interdisciplinary Art and Design Studies
AEAH 4899
Students worked with UNT, TWU, and Greater Denton Arts Council who organized a symposium in 2018: Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power. Students helped market and advertise the symposium, attended the symposium, and then used their experiences as inspiration for their digital humanities project, emphasizing the interdisciplinary nature of this course and area of study. Students completed projects including topics such as male masculinity, racial profiling, police force and bias, etc. Students engaged in creative approaches to visualization including videos, fabricated art pieces, and other hybrid concepts. This allowed students to engage with curricular concepts while using the service-learning experience to propel their learning forward.
Skills assessed: teamwork, critical thinking, written communication, oral communication
Biology Special Problems
Students write their own manuscripts and design and complete their own research that supports the lab’s overall focus and includes mentorship by the Principal Investigator. Students complete a poster at the end of the project to present the results of their research. On top of giving students a platform to showcase their work, the ePortfolioacts as a digital archive for the department of Biology as a way to track all the projects that come through each semester.
Skills assessed: teamwork, critical thinking, written communication
History Archiving and Digital Sourcing Project
Dr. Todd More and Dr. Andrew Torget lead digital archiving projects each year. An example of a recent project was construction of an online museum detailing the people and history of St. John’s Cemetery in Denton County. Since 1938 no one was responsible for the maintenance of the cemetery, so students examined records and archives to decipher who was buried there. They created a digital museum to represent their lives.
Skills assessed: teamwork, critical thinking, written communication, oral communication
College of Engineering
The College of Engineering has a senior capstone project where seniors work in groups to do a “real build”. Groups either work with community organizations or with UNT departments. Students are required to create a functional product that will be presented and demonstrated on Design Day with employers in attendance. Students solve a variety of engineering challenges for their company/partner, for example, developing a wrist prosthetic that has increased rotation because the majority of affordable prosthetics often have a very limited range of motion.
Skills assessed: teamwork, critical thinking, written communication, oral communication