engaged learning

G E O R G I A ’ S P U B L I C L I B E R A L A R T S U N I V E R S I T Y

EngagedLearning

Engaged Learning is a simple concept. Instructors practice the teaching method with preschoolers in the home and doctoral candidates in universities.

The method injects the student so intensely into the learning process that a passionate transformation takes place. The learner becomes committed to the subject and assumes the responsibility for learning it.

Engaged Learning, however, often needs outside stimuli.Occasionally a great orator can ignite passion in some learners. But how do instructors insert that

same passion into the majority of students throughout their college experience?Educators’ commitment, concerted effort and openness to innovative teaching methods can make

all the difference.That commitment is evident at Georgia College, cited by U.S. News and World Report as among

the universities with “A Strong Commitment to Teaching.” For several years Georgia College has fostered a faculty collaborative, Intensive Course-Building

Group, to investigate new pedagogical techniques to engage students in high-impact learning. The university recently sponsored a series of interactive learning workshops that enjoyed

oversubscribed participation by more than one-fourth of the faculty. As a result, faculty members implemented four teaching methods to engage students:• Problem-Based Learning• Reacting to the Past-Role Playing • Service Learning• Technology IntegrationThis publication highlights a few of these initiatives at Georgia College. We hope you discover

these stories of faculty and students engaged in high-impact teaching and learning strategies as exemplars of learning.

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What is Engaged Learning?

3-D technology is one tool used to create an engaged learning environment at Georgia College.

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‘Seven Revolutions’comes to the classroom

During the next 30 years seven major areas of change – revolutionary change – will shape life on earth.

Georgia College is one of just 11 public universities across the nation to partner with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and The New York Times in bringing these “Seven Revolutions” to classrooms in a dynamic way that challenges students to think strategically about long-term global trends.

CSIS developed the “Seven Revolutions” initiative to encourage political and business leaders to step out from under the weight of short-term pressures to engage in “high altitude” thinking about the world outside the United States. The initiative was extended to universities about six years ago and Dr. Steven Elliott-Gower, associate professor of political science and director of the Georgia College Honors Program, was one of the first designated “Seven Revolutions Scholars” asked to develop instructional materials to bring these issues into the classroom.

The “Seven Revolutions” are:• Population Demographics• Natural Resources Management• Technological Innovation and Diffusion• Development and Dissemination of Information

and Knowledge• Economic Interaction• Global Conflict• The Challenge of Governance “’Seven Revolutions’ looks at seven important global

issues that are currently shaping our world; it’s a conceptual approach that encourages students to confront the

opportunities and the challenges associated with these global issues,” said Elliott-Gower. “It’s also a very nice fit for a liberal arts college because it lends itself to, indeed it requires, a multidisciplinary approach.”

“The most exciting part about ‘Seven Revolutions’ is that students begin to identity the relationships between and among the seven revolutions early on,” Elliott-Gower said. “There are so many wonderful ‘light bulb’ moments.”

As GC student Loribeth Berry said, “’Seven Revolutions’ brings together everything you learn from other classes and focuses it around these key issues. Each topic builds on the other, so after the first three or four, you start to make those connections, and by the time you get to six and seven, you’re applying all the knowledge that you’ve gained from the early issues.”

As students delve into each issue, they learn the factors that contribute to its potential revolutionary nature, Elliott-Gower said.

“Global population growth, genetically modified foods, shared technologies, global conflict — ‘Seven Revolutions’ really gives you a different perspective,” said sophomore Caroline Clements.

Students also carry the combined perspective outside the classroom and into the real world.

“This class has me looking forward to the issues of the world — what’s happening every day,” said sophomore James McPhail, “and analyzing how the most important issues will shape our world. Knowing about global issues will help us plan for the future. I’m able to apply what I learn in this class to everyday conversations.”

Georgia College student Connor Sadowski reading the New York Times as part of “Seven Revolutions.”

Art buyers and critics wander through the crowded city, pointing out and discussing the paintings hanging on the walls.

Artists attempt to lure collectors to buy their latest works and critics to write favorable reviews.

The setting is Paris, 1889. Nearly 200,000 people across the globe have come to view the famed Eiffel Tower, built for the World Exposition arts fair.

Today, Georgia College students recreate a time when avant-garde artists clash with traditionalists of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts as part of “Reacting to the Past” (RTTP) — a powerful role-playing pedagogy of interactive historical games.

In the Georgia College Museum of Fine Arts, students portray artists, critics, buyers and collectors in the only art-focused RTTP game, “Modernism vs. Traditionalism: Art in Paris, 1888-1889.”

“The goal is for students to read primary sources, critically analyze the sources, engage in debate and present their work orally,” said Dr. Elissa Auerbach, assistant professor of art history who teaches art writing courses.

During the game senior Tyler Griffin, who played French Impressionist painter Claude Monet, improved his writing skills.

“It’s really hard to give a formal analysis about a particular body of work,” said the fine arts studio major. “Putting that information on paper has been a real challenge, but this course has helped out a great deal with expressing myself.”

The art game is not the only RTTP game on campus. During fall semester 2010 Georgia College students were the first in the nation to speak

almost entirely in French while playing “Rousseau, Burke and Revolution in France, 1791.” “Our particular game has a double objective: improve the students’ mastery of the French

language and introduce students to French culture and history during that time period,” said Dr. Peggy Schaller, assistant French professor who taught the upper-level class.

That same semester Georgia College students sifted through Reformation materials for the


Putting a new spin on

Georgia College faculty, students and staff take part in Reacting to the Past.

the past


College of Arts and Sciences Dean Ken Procter views a painting with Paul Cézanne (portrayed by Curtis Williams, a senior art major concentrating in Museum Studies).

the past

Georgia College international marketing students studied abroad – without leaving their classroom.

Students exchanged marketing information and cultural ideas with colleagues in Spain during Georgia College’s first international video conferencing session.

“Not all students have the means to study abroad,” said Dr. Doreen Sams, associate professor of marketing in the J. Whitney Bunting College of Business who set up the course and international exchange. “Video conferencing gives that feeling of face-to-face interaction. To a certain extent we were able to remove distance barriers and put that human side to the country the students researched.”

Georgia College students participated in a live classroom discussion with marketing students at the Universidad de Valladolid — a 20-year exchange partner of Georgia College.

Students communicated with each other through Polycom HDX 7001 technology, high-definition video conferencing software providing voice, video and content capabilities.

A large split screen connected students for the course discussion. The groups shared PowerPoint presentations about the similarities and differences between the advertising methods of the two countries.

Georgia College senior Emily Scarboro felt the conference served as a useful tool to exchange marketing strategies.

“I was shocked to discover how relaxed censorship on nudity was for Spanish commercials, which was something that wouldn’t be tolerated in the United States,” said the marketing major. “However, the video conference was a great way to experience our partner students’ college setting and learn about their marketing methods.”

Sams plans to expand the experience in the future, connecting Georgia College with students in Canada in addition to those in Spain.

“The conference was an eye-opening experience for all of us in terms of cultural differences and sensitivity issues,” Sams said. “This time we looked at group likes and dislikes. Next time we will delve into individual student differences within these groups and hopefully start social media exchanges to expand our classroom discussions with these countries.”

Technology takes GC students abroad – virtually

game, “Henry VIII and the Reformation Parliament.”“One day, my students really went at it on how to treat

beggars and vagabonds during 16th-century England,” said Dr. Deborah Vess, professor of history and interdisciplinary studies. “You just don’t see that very often.”

Reacting games have taken root at Georgia College after Barnard College history professor Dr. Mark C. Carnes developed the historical series.

Dr. Steven Elliott-Gower, director of the Honors Program and associate professor of political science at Georgia College, introduced the games on campus.

“These reacting classes are tremendously engaging,” said Elliott-Gower. “Because our students are pretty competitive, they have a real interest in the outcome of the game — which is to win.”

The teaching games have grown in popularity across university campuses after receiving the prestigious Theodore Hesburgh Award for pedagogical innovation in higher education.

Georgia College offers students reacting games across diverse disciplines each semester.

Other games offered at Georgia College include “The Trial of Galileo: Aristotelianism, the ‘New Cosmology,’ and the Catholic Church, 1616-33” and “The Trial of Anne Hutchinson,” taught by Vess; and “The Threshold of Democracy: Athens in 403 B.C,” taught by Dr. Jerry Herbel, assistant professor in government and sociology.

“My students have told me they see education as a completely different kind of experience now,” Auerbach said. “They have had such a transformative experience that every time I teach my ‘writing about art’ course, I’m going to use this game.”

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Comparing health care systems during a classroom discussion or from a textbook pales in comparison to actually working in an alternative health care system, two Georgia College nursing students learned in fall 2011.

Juniors Callie Denmark and Reagan Cumbie gained a first-hand international experience in health care while completing required nursing credits toward their degrees by participating in Georgia College’s first nursing study abroad program at Linnaeus University in Sweden.

“Callie and Reagan studied in the same areas as their cohort here, so they did not miss anything,” says Dr. Sallie Coke, international coordinator and assistant professor in the School of Nursing. “They also did their clinical rotations there, taking care of Swedish patients in Swedish hospitals.”

The students experienced health care practice in a nationalized medical system in Sweden, but the actual practice of nursing in Sweden is almost identical to that in the United States, according to Coke. And with English prevalently spoken in Sweden, the two nursing students adapted well to the international experience.

“Most people only dream of getting involved like this,” Cumbie said, “and I made the most of my experience.” She said the experience made her more understanding of patients from other cultures and expanded her thinking about nursing practice.

“While I learned the same nursing concepts that I would have at Georgia College, it was invaluable to study and work in a different setting within the health care system,” Denmark said.

While Cumbie and Denmark were in Sweden, Linnaeus University nursing student Helena Lindhult joined Georgia College’s fall cohort in Milledgeville. Lindhult is the second Linnaeus student to study nursing at Georgia College for a full semester.

In spring 2012, Denmark and Cumbie will rejoin their Georgia College cohort, while two new students visit Sweden. In addition, two Linnaeus faculty members will visit Georgia College. Denmark and Cumbie both plan

to complete their bachelor’s degrees in fall 2012 and believe their international experience will aid in pursuing advanced degrees.

“We are committed to making international study a focus area for our students,” Coke said. “International study will enable our students to benefit from learning about other health care systems and practices as well as from experiencing other cultures. It adds substantially to their education.”

Sweden

Reagan Cumbie and Callie Denmark

Students learn hands-on nursing in

What better way to learn about your local food system than to eat what’s in it?For a semester, Georgia College students made good use of the Milledgeville Farmer’s Market by learning about

the market’s resources and then using those resources to prepare a nutritious meal.Georgia College chemist Dr. Julia Metzker and sociologist Dr. Sandra Godwin led the course “Vegetable, Animal,

Human: The Science and Sociology of Your Food.”“One of our goals was to investigate the level of hunger in Milledgeville and the availability and affordability

of food,” said Metzker. “We also wanted students to understand how our local food system works and ways they could support it.”

Students planted an insect garden; interviewed local vendors about market experiences; listened to farmers and grocery store owners talk about food systems; and watched excerpts from the documentary film, Food, Inc., to better understand corporate farming.

“The end-of-the-semester potluck turned out well,” Godwin said. “It was great to see students take their course lessons about our food system and turn those resources into something delicious.”

Students learn by getting local with their food



The customer scans Georgia College’s produce stand for the day’s fresh herbs at Milledgeville Farmers’ Market. To help secure the sale, senior Kimmie Wingo steps up and shares a few quick recipes the customer can try at home using the herbs.

Sold.“Our group is all about inviting people to learn about

our products,” said Wingo, president of the Georgia College Entrepreneurship Learning Community. “If you really want to understand how a small business works, we are that campus organization.”

The entrepreneurship club teaches students the ropes of growing a product and owning, financing and branding a small business.

Led by faculty adviser Dr. Renée J. Fontenot, students sell fresh, dried and ground herbs at the Milledgeville Farmer’s Market.

“For our students to interact with our community on this level is a great learning experience into small business ownership,” said Fontenot, associate professor of marketing in Georgia College’s J. Whitney Bunting College of Business. “We’re literally a hands-on organization. From the time the herbs are planted to our presentation at the market, our club stays involved with the creation of our products.”

Fontenot and her students grow eight herbs in her backyard: Sage, Rosemary, Thyme, Catnip, Mint, Oregano, Basil and Chives.

Under the brand “SupHerb,” students sell the herbs for $3 per bag at the farmers’ market.

“Our herbs are organically grown and rainwater nourished,” said Wingo, a marketing major from Peachtree City, Ga. “This year, we even redesigned our packaging so the look complements the great tastes.”

Established in 2006 to teach business concepts and

benefits and risks of new enterprises, the club works year-round. Then each fall, students work the farmers market to sell their goods.

Not only do students plant new herbs during the spring and cultivate their harvest, they also learn the business side, networking with professionals in our community and nationwide.

“Our group is versatile,” Fontenot said. “We have rhetoric, science and drama students joining to gain firsthand experience and knowledge about entrepreneurship. It’s one of those skills that’s beneficial for anyone wanting to manage their own shop or cause.”

Students use their profits to invest in other entrepreneurs globally.

GC Entrepreneurship LC lends its profits to entrepreneurs on Kiva.org. The non-profit organization connects struggling business owners across the globe with lenders to help alleviate poverty. Kiva permits lenders to invest as little as $25 to help create a business opportunity.

“Last year we loaned $125 to an entrepreneur from the Philippines who sells fish, and $50 to a seamstress in Paraguay,” said Wingo. “Additionally, we have made loans to a food market group and a retailer in Mexico and a manufacturing group from Bolivia. It’s amazing to know we impact communities, both locally and internationally.”

The Georgia College club will continue to help entrepreneurs with global ventures and plans to broaden its reach in Georgia.

“We’re looking into possibly working at nearby markets to give students more exposure,” Fontenot said. “Any opportunities for students to sell more to help others and network with industry professionals, we’re excited to participate.”

entrepreneurs

Business students Cody Ivey and Tyler Opraseuth selling herbs at the Milledgeville farmers market.

Herb

While perceived by many as a slimy nuisance, algae play increasing roles in our lives. When Georgia College scientist Dr. Kalina Manoylov talks about algae, the tiny

organisms become a big deal. She collects them locally, nationally and internationally. She analyzes, categorizes and stores them at the Georgia College Natural History Museum for future student research.

“Well-known international corporations such as Exxon Mobil are interested in algae-based biofuels while suppliers like Martek Biosciences grow algae for nutritional supplements,” said Manoylov, assistant professor of biology in the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences.

On a mission to preserve local aquatic environments, Manoylov and her ecology and phycology students collect and examine algae at sites such as author Flannery O’Connor’s farm home (Andalusia), Lake Sinclair, Oconee River Greenway and the Savannah River Estuary.

In particular, Manoylov and her students study how algae impact aquatic communities. She also shares her knowledge with students to teach its global significance. Everyday uses for algae include: an ingredient in toothpaste and fertilizer, a contributor to vegetable fats and oils, an alternative to dye and coloring and a stabilizer in milk products.

Undergraduate students also receive opportunities to engage in field research with Manoylov. Senior Michele Weilbacher conducts research with her professor during sampling projects at local waterways.

“Not only am I learning how to sample algae in natural habitats, but I’m learning from my professor and graduate students all the time,” said Weilbacher.

The biology student already has authored and co-authored research papers about diatom morphometrics and survival in freshwater environments. Recently, Weilbacher traveled with Manoylov and graduate students, Rob Moseley, ’10, and Joseph Dominy, ’10, to Glacier National Park in Montana to observe algae from high altitude habitats.

“Glacier National Park was a fascinating experience,” she said. “I got to see algae in a unique environment — on wet walls and in glacier pools and snow. We even saw billion-year-old stromatolites. The trip was a rare opportunity to compare algae presence in those environments to Georgia habitats.”

Dominy, a first-year graduate student, has spent much of his time learning about algae in Manoylov’s research lab and exploring the organisms in the field.

As an undergraduate student, he developed an original idea to survey primary algae producers from ponds recovering from kaolin mining. His work with algae evolved into a successful capstone project and a manuscript currently in review for publication. His recent graduate research focuses on algal biodiversity and the ecological role of coastal mud communities from the Savannah River.

“I’m seeing tremendous diversity in my littoral samples from the Georgia coast,” said Dominy, who is earning his master’s degree in biology. “A lot of areas today are disrupted by human impact, so by studying algae in aquatic communities, I can actually assess the overall ecological conditions of the area.”

Manoylov and her students gather samples yearlong to examine algal response in certain environments and determine water quality and toxicity. “Our communities need to know whether our water systems are good for either drinking or swimming,” she said.

“It is also valuable for our students to receive national and international research experiences presenting their findings,” said Manoylov. “These experiences will help strengthen their knowledge about these incredible organisms.”

Bringing students into the

Dr. Manoylov, above studying Algae at Andalusia with graduate student Rob Moseley, and below observing samples in the laboratory.

RESEARCH


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Historic tools, clothing and toys packed in modern-day suitcases are traveling across the community, taking students on trips of days gone by.

Georgia College education students and faculty members of the John H. Lounsbury College of Education pack up local artifacts as educational tools and send these “Traveling Trunks” with relics of Milledgeville’s historic attractions to classrooms in area schools.

“’Traveling Trunks’ offer local K-12 students the opportunity to explore fact-based knowledge using role play and hands-on activities,” said Revel Pogue, College of Education liaison. “The goal is to strengthen students’ awareness and appreciation for our area’s rich history.”

Georgia College students outfitted the trunks with teacher guides, student activities, historic documents, books, DVDs of music selections from a particular era and authentic artifacts from three historical landmarks: Georgia College’s Old Governor’s Mansion, author Flannery O’Connor’s farm home, Andalusia, and Georgia’s Old Capital Museum.

The mansion’s and Flannery O’Connor’s farm treasures are packed in one trunk each. Georgia’s Old Capital Museum artifacts are separated into three trunks: Frontier Georgia, Native Americans and the American Civil War.

“Our student chapter of Georgia Association of Educators worked with community members to construct and implement lessons meeting Georgia Performance Standards,” Pogue said. “Students learned to write the project grant, research various time periods, create age-appropriate lesson plans and suggest artifacts to outfit each trunk.”

Pogue developed the project after visiting the Atlanta History Center’s collection of Traveling Trunks a few years ago.

“The trunks fascinated me because they offer hands-on learning about an area’s rich history without students leaving the classroom,” said Pogue. “The lessons also broaden students’ knowledge about a particular time in history, triggering an interest so they would want to visit these historical venues.”

Dr. Manoylov, above studying Algae at Andalusia with graduate student Rob Moseley, and below observing samples in the laboratory.

Traveling Trunks send students on historic journeys

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Short films produced by Georgia College theatre students for an experiential learning acting course became finalists for an international competition.

Dr. Amy Pinney, assistant professor in the Georgia College Theatre Department, taught the “Acting for Film” course.

Within three weeks, students learned about their subject’s brand, acted on camera, shot video segments around campus and the community, and edited the work.

“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to teach a class through engaged and experiential learning that reflects our university’s mission,” said Pinney. “With the film industry growing in Atlanta, this course is important so our students have the necessary skill set. Students leave the class with individual reels of their film and monologue work.”

The 58th annual Cannes Lions Film Festival in France last June selected three Georgia College commercials for its “Make an Ad Competition.”

The GC students’ films were in competition against thousands of professional cinematographers.

The finalists’ films included:• AT&T’s “Rethink Possible” campaign by Gabrielle

Byndloss and Erin Borain;• Glacéau vitaminwater’s “Hydration only better” by

Troy Hencely; and • Chevrolet’s “How far would you go to seize an

opportunity?” by Joseph Dumford.

Dumford’s film also placed in the competition, earning him a cash prize.

The course was freshman Troy Hencely’s third acting class at Georgia College.

“It’s a pretty amazing feeling to become a finalist of such a prestigious festival after three theatre courses,” said Hencely. “Dr. Pinney helped me really get through the process with her advice. Reaching that level showed the quality of this class and our theatre program.”

Theatre class leads students to finals of

Above: Lauren Adel portrays a mother confronting the Tooth Fairy with help from fellow actors Erin Borain and Joe Dumford.

Left: Tim Vacula, Lauren Adel, Amy Pinney and Joseph Dumford star in “Parent’s Day” by Lauren Adel.

Special photographs by Tom Wise

Cannes Film Festival

To see the students’ films, visit gcsu.edu/theatre

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Georgia College professors have made math count for more than just a course requirement.During fall 2011 math instructors introduced a new pedagogy to help students understand and apply college

algebra using the latest technology. The Department of Mathematics

collaborated with the Library and Instructional Technology Center to create a math emporium — Georgia College’s largest computer lab dedicated to math and personalized instruction.

“The lab features approximately 100 Dell computers, which use web-based state-of-the-art mathematics software,” said Dr. Robert Blumenthal, mathematics department chair. “Students learn and practice the material at their own pace and receive immediate feedback in an environment that allows a higher level of individualized instruction than in traditional course formats.”

Using the online math series MyMathLab, students navigate through course chapters that include videos, animations and tutorial exercises correlating with their textbooks.

“Since college algebra is an entry-level course, some students view it as merely a refresher class after high school,” said Blumenthal. “The goal of the emporium is to enhance the

mathematical preparation of our students and to do so in a manner that increases student engagement, satisfaction and success.”

The emporium includes an open area with computer stations and hanging display screens for group demonstrations. Personal instruction seminar rooms also are available for studying or tutoring.

“The lab is a unique, interactive learning environment,” said Joe Windish, lead technical specialist for Georgia College Instructional Support. “Our computers are part of a robust system, so 100 students can do 100 math problems fast.”

Georgia College math professors developed the emporium model to give students a hands-on approach and a better experience with mathematics as they begin their college careers, said Blumenthal.

“Success in college algebra is crucial for our students because the skills learned in this course are needed in order for them to advance within their chosen major,” Blumenthal said. “The emporium model enables us to offer college algebra in a format using powerful instructional technology and more student/faculty interaction than might otherwise be possible.”

Innovative instruction for

Marcela Chiorescu talks with Taylor Orgeron while working in the new Math Emporium.

21st century math


Students at Georgia College are learning real-world skills by developing applications, or “apps,” for smart phones.

Georgia College students have designed, developed and implemented apps for the Georgia College Career Center and Public Safety department.

Under the leadership of Dr. Gita Phelps, associate professor of computer science, the J. Whitney Bunting College of Business at Georgia College began offering iPhone development courses in spring 2010 and has advanced the program to include paid student positions.

Student interest in creating apps led Phelps to begin the app development courses, which began as private study for individual students. In less than one year, Phelps had created positions within the Multimedia Technology Center for students to do more in-depth work on the projects outside of class.

The first official app began when Dr. Gerald Adkins, chair of the Information Technology and Marketing Department, and Mary Roberts, director of the GC Career Center, discussed ways to create an innovative to-do list to help students find jobs after graduation.

Adkins suggested that the students in Phelps’ iPhone class develop the Career Center app as a class project.

“We made an application that prepares students for the workforce,” said Phelps. “The Career Center application grooms them for the job market, and it’s all in the palm of their hands.”

The app connects students via iPhones and Androids with the Career Center to track their degree progress and get advice about post-graduate opportunities.

The Department of Public Safety introduced its need for an app for its Student Night Auxiliary Patrol (SNAP)

program. SNAP, a free service for Georgia College students, provides a safety escort for any student by dispatching a trained volunteer in a golf cart to the student’s location. Linking the service to student smart phones with an app seemed like a “no-brainer,” Phelps said.

Besides the app that needed to be created for students, the SNAP project also needed to work for Public Safety on the back end. They needed an interface to receive requests, control dispatchers and manage the entire system.

“The SNAP app was a great opportunity for information systems and computer science students to work together,” Phelps said. “Students learned new techniques in programming, collaborating with each other and working with clients.”

“The app allows public safety to update information instantly,” she said. “This project illustrates how our students’ hard work makes them more marketable once they complete their degrees.”

After months of testing and tweaking, both the SNAP and Career Center apps were launched in August 2011. The clients are happy with the end product, but the students who were a part of an engaged learning project of this magnitude were the largest beneficiaries.

“I really appreciate that the Career Center and SNAP reserved these projects for Georgia College students,” said Scott Zhang, one of the most involved students on the projects. “They are precious opportunities for the students and our future careers.”

There’s an for that

Dr. Gita Phelps working on the iPhone apps with graduate student Scott Zhang.

App


In Dr. Hauke Busch’s physics class, students interact with the class presentation through the aid of “clickers,” or Student Response Systems.

Clicking makes learning the principles of physics easier to understand for Georgia College science students.

Students use remote control clickers to lock in responses to classroom discussions, quizzes and testing, and to receive instant feedback in Dr. Hauke Busch’s introductory physics course.

“Clickers give real-time assessment,” said Busch, assistant professor and physics lab coordinator in the Department of Chemistry, Physics and Astronomy. “The moment students punch in their answers to multiple choice quizzes and numerical choices for tests, the information is graded immediately. With this method I also can direct and adjust my lectures to correct any misunderstanding of the material.”

Clickers, also known as Student Response Systems or Classroom Response Systems, aid students in answering questions during a custom-designed PowerPoint presentation.

“These devices fit in well with our method of teaching called Peer Instruction, which involves students actively engaging in their own learning during lectures,” said Busch, who has used clickers for nearly

two years at Georgia College. “The clickers promote alertness and engage students. Also, this technology increases students’ retention and knowledge of new material.”

In fact, Dr. Carl Wieman, Nobel Prize-winning physicist and associate director for science in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, conducted a recent study that shows students learn more with interactive tools like clickers than through traditional lectures. His study was published in the journal, Science.

Georgia College senior Stephen Higgins finds clickers allow students more opportunities to participate in classroom discussions.

“You’re able to interact with the professor and your classmates without being put on the spot,” said the physics major and first-time clicker user. “Clickers allow us to give our answers fast and with anonymity.”

“Clickers are flexible,” Busch said, “It’s a tool most professors and students can use to make teaching more engaging and to keep students interested in the course material.”

Clickers aid ‘Peer Instruction’ pedagogy

While three-dimensional (3-D) technology in movies has been around since the 1950s, the release of the 2009 film Avatar showcased 3-D technology like never before. Avatar captured the attention of the world and broke the all-time box office sales record, earning nearly $3 billion worldwide.

Now, Georgia College is bringing this same technology to the classroom to transform the way professors teach.

“A traditional art history lecture might involve a group of students sitting at desks looking at a static representation of a work of art,” said Bill Fisher, associate professor and chair of the Department of Art.

Now students will receive a 3-D experience where their interaction with history could completely change, Fisher said. Instead of looking at a photograph of a monument or architectural relic from a single point of view, students will now examine it from a variety of angles and perspectives.

“Imagine where you’re able to fly over and walk through a historical monument,” said Fisher. “With this type of technology we can now enter a building, grab a column, label the parts, examine and discuss the various architectural elements.”

This 3-D technology will take Georgia College students

in art history classes through architectural marvels such as the Acropolis and Parthenon in Greece and the Pantheon in Rome.

“We try in every way we can to mentally transport students to a historical site,” said Dr. Elissa Auerbach, assistant professor of art history. “Our students now will have the perspective of someone who is actually at the Acropolis — not in 2011, but in a 3-D model of its original state.”

While the technology is making its debut at Georgia College in art, it is in no way limited to that subject. Fisher sees the benefits of 3-D learning in many areas, including biology, chemistry and world history.

Eventually, students will be able to create their own 3-D models to explore. Imagine touring a 3-D version of Georgia’s Old Governor’s Mansion as it was in 1860, or walking through downtown Milledgeville in the 1930s.

Ultimately, Fisher says, it’s about getting students engaged with their subject.

“This technology provides additional visual information to understand the construction of these great monuments and the environment that they occupy. This is going to create excitement and keep students engaged in the classroom.”

3-D technologyGeorgia College art students experience art history in a whole new dimension using 3-D technology.

brings art to life


First-hand teaching in

What if students could put what they learn in the classroom into practice without ever leaving the classroom? They can—thanks to “Second Life,” an online virtual world that puts theory into practice.

“’Second Life’ allows for educational experiences that could never happen in the real world,” said Wesley Smith, director of Web Enabled Resources, and the creator of much of Georgia College’s “island” in Second Life, nicknamed “Bobcat Den.”

Students can explore an entire virtual world (called “The Grid”) that is home to more than 20 million residents, as well as real-life businesses such as IBM, Amazon.com and American Cancer Society. The educational opportunities made possible by the technology are plentiful.

Dr. Aurora Castillo uses “Second Life” to allow her students to travel to parts of The Grid where Spanish is the predominant language.

“It’s an experience we can’t simulate in the classroom,” said Castillo. “In ‘Second Life,’ my students can go from Milledgeville to Spain in less than a minute, having real conversations with real people in their native tongue. It’s an invaluable tool for foreign language.”

Castillo says that the students have the option of typing with others or using a headset and microphone to actually speak with them. And while she says most stick to typing, their comfort level grows quickly.

“When they first begin talking with others in ‘Second Life,’ they don’t know what to say,” she said. “We will give them questions to ask, and they will have to report back the answers. But after they have been doing it awhile, they will say, ‘I don’t need questions anymore, I can just talk with people about anything.’ “

Dr. Bob Duesing, an assistant professor of management, uses “Second Life” to give his entrepreneurship classes a taste of running a business. His students create business

plans, build virtual businesses and get them off the ground and running.

“The students get a real sense of what it takes to create a business plan and then execute it,” Duesing said. “Then they have to see how the residents of ‘Second Life’ respond to their business. Their plan might work; it might not. They get instant feedback.”

Raile Bell, a student pursing degrees in English and psychology, summarized her thoughts about the benefits of the nontraditional learning tool.

“I think that ‘Second Life’ allows students to take their skills and apply them in a medium outside the traditional classroom,” she said. “’Second Life’ projects create a more diverse and involved educational experience.”


‘Second Life’

Above: Hanging out on the Georgia College campus in “Second Life.”

Left: Dr. Bob Duesing’s students gather in “Second Life” for class.

Campus Box 24Milledgeville, GA 31061-0490

Georgia College is Georgia’s designated public liberal arts university,combining the educational experience expected at esteemed private liberal

arts colleges with the affordability of public higher education.

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