Class Projects

	Class Projects
	Education Program Working Group, Project List, 2/2/2012
	Several students have proposed projects related to education programs: teaching particular subjects or mentoring. All of these projects are collected here.

	Maggie Werner-Washburne 1/26/2012

4. Easier online discussion/teaching.	Why doesn't Google Hangout have a slide Share and write/doodle/white board feature?

5. Change the education planet.	Document and write a book about Discovery and Innovation, and other approaches towards opening students' minds to be more creative and innovative. Time out - get 10 at risk high school boys (start with jrs/srs maybe) and teach them their courses with the framework of Discovery and Innovation or teaching for imagination and innovation. Dream on - small grants for high school and college students to start small businesses, mentored by creative entrepreneurs.

6. Change the face of mentoring.	Locally and nationally, help people understand that mentoring programs are different from advising or ad hoc mentoring and can really get results in terms of successful student outcomes.

7. Mentoring Waterfall.	Have trained mentors to help targeted mentoring groups at UNM go viral. Help students get to the point of distinguishing useful mentoring from guesses.

8. Trial periods at different jobs for faculty and administrators.	We have no idea whether we have all the right people in all the right positions, in fact, I would bet we don't. There should be a program that allows people to switch jobs for 2 weeks as a refresher and for both the person and their colleagues to see if the other job is a better fit. This is to maximize the potential of people we have in place here.

9. Get a Life!	An ongoing seminar/discussion series for UNM students to learn about different careers and educational trajectories, meet experts in the field, and be able to "imagine" themselves in this position.

10. Out of the Box!	Nonstandard advising by experts in the field, aimed at helping students really understand what they are learning - theory, how to think about things, ask questions, etc.


	Sarah Kintner 1/29/2012

3. Dilemma Eraser.	Software program that hears a dilemma in the room where the computer has a microphone input that recognizes "a dilemma" in the voice of the person in the room. The program plays 3 things to the person in the room: Encourages positive viewpoint on the problem The program tells the person that they can find a satisfying outcome (even if it is letting go temporarily.) Gives an example of the way others have solved similar problems in history.


	Lauren Erica Davis 1/29/2012

4. Cultural complexity.	Cultural misunderstandings are common and can cause problems. The aim of this project would be to create a class that could be taught in high school which would teach kids about culture and how to understand people from other cultural backgrounds.


	Justin Allen Burr 1/29/2012

3. A way to educate people on the impact of throwing litter in the wild.	This would help with keeping animals from getting trapped in the trash and it will also help keep the wild beautiful. It could be made mandatory to take this course in high school or a little course when getting your license.


	Terrill Yazzie 1/30/2012

1. Wake me up.	Trying to establish concentration, perception, and memory early in the morning is difficult. The aim of this project would be to develop mental techniques that help improve brain functioning without the use of caffeine or an energy drink.


	Jennifer Piarowski 1/30/2012

1. Taxonomy Teacher.	educational program (like Rosetta Stone) with multi-faceted approach to teaching students taxonomy and features of species


	Ellen Smith 1/30/2012

1. Project Health.	The focus is to get a greater number of people in the population to receive flu vaccinations. If I could really expand public awareness and knowledge on the importance and benefits of the vaccination, then I could broaden the project to other vaccinations and increase funding in public health.


	Pablo Sisneros 2/1/2012

7. Mentoring.	Use the UNM students to prepare high school students prepare for collage. Start a program that that goes to different high schools with advice for students. Things like study strategies, essay writing, test taking techniques, time management, etc. Use the different branches to reach the different high schools around the state.


	Jeremiah Anderson 2/6/2012

4. Experimental design class.	Many undergraduate science programs do not have a class that covers one of the most important things about being a scientist, designing experiments. This is a great disservice to everyone because when the undergrads become graduate students, they don't understand how to design an experiment to answer their question.

5. New biology curriculum.	Most of the biology undergrad is spend memorizing material instead of really learning and understanding important concepts.


	Amber Leigh Ortiz 1/27/2012

Outreach/ the "NEW" Freshmen Summer Bridge Program: Project 2 Problems: Increase freshmen retention rates Math and Science requirements are low in the High School curriculum Math (Science in some cases) is now always required in the senior year Increase interest in STEM Fields Prepare HS students for college course rigor Obtain network of friends/support prior to beginning college Students need better advisement Students able to become "pre-major" status through program Able to cater advising early on Current Freshmen Summer Bridge Programs 3 months (short) Not full length college courses No lab experience My Idea: Many points discussed above Students will be a part of a yearlong program Starting in their Senior year and ending just before beginning their first year in college Students will obtain research experience Help with finding specific interests in science and better understanding College Credit - Participate in Math, Science, and English course Help in bridging into the course rigor Help students to pick proper freshmen course list Students obtain mentors Professor/PI Upperclassmen students help them through the process Best classes Best professors Best tutors Best TAs Participate in mini-symposium presented by different (participating) departments Students learn "What is out there?" Program provides tutors for students during the program Students learn about the University CAPs Libraries Other Resources Students are tracked to understand program efficacy Program Eligibility: ? Personal Essays Future Goals Why they want to be a part of the program HS Recommendation Grades? Must have "on-track" graduation status with HS Must be planning to apply to college Preferably State school? Nationally? Will the program help in this application process

Class Projects

Education Program Working Group, Project List, 2/2/2012