March 6, 2003

Chancellor: Superior teaching is top priority

Colleagues:

Today's Scarlet features the second of three special sections highlighting success stories at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. December's section was devoted to outreach and service activities carried out by university faculty and staff. This section is devoted to teaching and learning at the university. In my Sept. 6, 2002, State of the University Address, I stated my goal of celebrating and recognizing the ongoing excellence at UNL, and this section is part of that effort.

The university has a three-part mission of teaching and learning, research and discovery, and community outreach and service. Teaching and learning has been defined by the legislature as the university's top priority. We have external evidence of our success in performing this mission. UNL was recognized by the Association of American Colleges and Universities for implementing visionary campuswide innovations in undergraduate education. Just 16 universities nationwide were selected for programs characterized by extensive innovation in curriculum, pedagogy and organizational structure; just five of those 16, including UNL, are research institutions. These institutions have a campus culture that supports undergraduates within and outside the classroom, provides opportunities to "learn by doing," emphasizes critical thinking about complex problems, and promotes effective communication and the ability to contribute to a diverse society as an outcome of powerfully lasting undergraduate education.

This section attempts to tell that story. The examples are many, and no four-page special section could describe in a meaningful way every excellent faculty member and program that we offer. What we've attempted to do is to give you an idea of the breadth and depth of teaching and learning at UNL. I think you will be surprised to know how UNL faculty and staff are affecting Nebraskans.

In April, we will look at our research mission. By the way, these editions have been produced within the usual budget for the Scarlet and are not an additional expense item.

I'm proud of the work we do at UNL. It's important that all of us share the good news that continues to happen here.

Harvey Perlman

Chancellor

Biological Sciences Professor Charles Wood is working with first-year UCARE student Stephanie Fisher on "Evaluation of the Humoral Immune Response to the Clade C HIV-1 Glycoprotein."

UCARE students learn research firsthand

More UNL undergraduates are involved in research thanks to the Undergraduate Creative Activities & Research Experiences program. By providing Pepsi-sponsored funds, the program encourages intellectual partnerships between faculty and undergraduates.

UCARE coordinator Laura Damuth says the program reinforces the university's teaching mission by creating one-on-one working relationships between faculty and students that enriches the undergraduate's educational experience.

"Through UCARE, students are actively engaged with faculty in the discovery, application and critical evaluation of knowledge," she said.

Faculty see this as an opportunity to advance their personal research in addition to mentoring bright, engaged undergraduates, Damuth said.

"And students see UCARE as an opportunity to learn skills and gain experiences that they would not normally get in the classroom."

During the students' first year in the program, they learn the requisite skills associated with their faculty mentor's research or creative activity. They apply their knowledge during the second year, when they undertake a research project sponsored by their mentor.

In the program's three years, some 475 students have undertaken projects as diverse as encoding Walt Whitman manuscripts for Internet access (English; Professor Kenneth Price) to comparing two plant pathogens and their pathogenicity to the edible dry bean (plant pathology; Professor James Steadman).

Some professors use the landscape on campus, such as this Western Ironweed in the Cather Garden, as a teaching opportunity.

The opportunities are growing - literally

The time and effort put into the landscape at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln not only creates a beautiful environment, it also serves as a valuable educational tool. Instructors from all areas of study are able to use the wide variety of spring bulbs, native plants and perennial displays as a part of their coursework.

"The variety is nice and being able to use the plants is like having a giant laboratory," said horticulture professor Richard Sutton. "We get double duty out of them."

Students find the opportunity to study the plants on campus gives them a better understanding of the subject matter.

"We pick leaves off of a plants and look at them," said horticulture major Jody Wittnus. "It's a lot easier to learn from real specimens than from looking at a book. It's been really helpful."

Classmate Greg Miller agrees. "Pictures show how plants look when they're in the best shape," he said. "But here you get to see them when they're not looking so good in real life."

Art and architecture students also take the classroom outdoors to take advantage of the landscape.

The UNL campus offers faculty and students several additional opportunities to enhance classroom learning. The Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery, the University of Nebraska State Museum and Thompson Forums are just a few of the highly regarded resources.

Masters program instructs how to teach diversity

Educators look at teaching, schools and communities from a new perspective after completing a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction that focuses on educating for diversity. The focus area, developed two years ago, allows full-time educators to complete a master's degree through a combination of Saturday seminars, online learning communities and intensive study in the summer. The first group of 17 students will graduate this year.

David Callejo Pérez, one of the faculty members for the master's program, said Nebraska schools are becoming increasingly diverse, not only in race and ethnicity but in the variety of learning styles, abilities and experiences children bring to a classroom. The educating for diversity focus area improves understanding of diversity and prepares graduates to assume leadership roles as instructors, administrators and policy-makers both in and out of the classroom.

One benefit of the master's program is that the students are part of a cohort, a small group of professionals who become mentors and allies for each other. Katie Marx, a graduate student from Hastings, said being part of the same group of students for two years provides support, companionship and new ideas for teachers to use in the classroom.

Antonio Almazan, a high school Spanish teacher in Lincoln, said being involved in the program made him aware of the need to take action in his community. Almazan, who is concerned about the school dropout rate among Hispanics, hopes to start a program to educate students and parents about the importance of staying in school. Almazan said the educating for diversity focus area helps improve understanding and harmony.

"We should strive for unity and cooperation and prevent divisions before they arise," he said. "A strong community is a united one."

Jen Deets, a Lincoln art teacher, said the program also covered hot-button issues including tax levy overrides and standardized testing and the impact of those issues on students, teachers and the community. She said the diversity focus area is vital for education to be successful.

"Diversity training fosters a respect for all individuals. We need to send a message that school is a place of truth and a safe place to ask questions. I feel very fortunate to be a part of the educating for diversity focus area," Deets said.

The Master of Education Educating for Diversity focus area is accepting applications for the fall program. For information, contact David Calléjo Perez, 472-3852, <dcallejo@unl.edu> or Margaret Macintyre Latta, 472-9958, <mlatta2@unl.edu>.

Entomology learning, at a distance

Students across the United States and beyond can earn a master's degree in entomology without spending time on campus.

The UNL Department of Entomology began its distance education master of science degree program in 1997 with one course. Aimed at off-campus students who are place-bound by family or job commitments, the program has grown to 13 courses available via distance technologies including video, CD-ROM and the Internet, with 36 credit hours required for a degree.

Eight students have graduated from the program, with three more to graduate in May. Eighty-six students are enrolled, from 30 states and five countries. Forty-five percent of enrollees are women; a key goal of the program is to increase the enrollment of women.

Animal welfare class includes mock hearing

A UNL College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources animal welfare class teaches students the ins and outs of the political process, up to and including a mock congressional hearing.

Animal Science Professor Mary Beck's students study the history of animal use in research, food, sport and product testing. Students learn to think fast, assuming roles of public policy and fiscal analysts, media spokespeople and lobbyists, defending assigned positions based on research rather than personal beliefs.

Kansas State University students also participate in the class via an Internet 2 classroom. This year's mock hearing will be May 3 at the UNL College of Law.

Learning to do business the right way

Started six years ago, long before the scandals at Enron, World Com and elsewhere made the news, UNL's program in business, ethics and society is designed to enhance the discussion of ethical issues among students, faculty and community business leaders. The multidisciplinary program uses new curriculum ideas, an ethics speaker and colloquium series, ethics pro-jects, an ethics resource center and community outreach programs to foster awareness and discussion of ethical issues in today's business organizations.

That speeding blur was a race car powered by engineering students

UNL puts engineering students on the fast track to a career in the racing industry with the Nebraska Motor Sports program. Students build and maintain a Grand National racecar and serve as pit crew for the car during the racing season.

The program provides the kind of real-world experience students need to get a job when they graduate, said Tom Spilker, director of engineering extension at UNL.

Jesse Wiefenbach, a senior mechanical engineering major from Omaha, said working on the car is the ultimate lab experiment.

"I can take things I learn in class and apply them to the car," he said.

UNL is the only university-based race team in open competition in the United States.

John Janovy Jr., Cedar Point co-founder and professor of biological sciences, speaks to students at Cedar Point Biological Station.

Biology students become one with nature at Cedar Point

It's summer, and a dozen or so students are studying field parasitology at Cedar Point Biological Station, the UNL field research unit that lies among the arid sandstone bluffs, cedar canyons, shortgrass prairie, lakes and springs of the Lake McConaughy perimeter. In their final sessions of a summer five-week class, the students are accustomed to the dirt, heat, and the associated exhausting physical rigor that comes with participation in this twice-a-week class.

"It's a good time," said biology major Josh Krejci. "It's the best way you can spend your tuition dollars. By far. You're actually getting out here and doing things instead of listening."

Hosting classes like parasitology, aquatic microbiology, prairie ecology; and research projects on birds, parasites, and insect herbivory, Cedar Point has a huge reputation, and students have emerged from their summer studies as field scientists.

UNL biologist and Cedar Point co-founder John Janovy Jr. said access to a diverse environment is what fuels both the scientists' learning and their study.

"When you study microorganisms there is diversity everywhere, but this particular site and the surrounding 100 miles is a very rich source of teaching and research for us. It's real easy to teach here. There's a lot of stuff. It's all at your fingertips, it's all alive, and it's all in the proper context."

Journalism student Jill Zeman interviews a Cuban church leader on camera about AIDS in Cuba.

Journalists-to-be cover stories in Cuba

While most college students were enjoying a much-needed semester break, nine UNL journalism students were on an intense fact-finding mission to Cuba.

The 11-day trek was part of the college's depth reporting class in which dozens of students competed for the chance to go to Cuba. Since August, they researched and examined topics for exploration during the Jan. 1-12 trip to Miami and Havana. This semester, they'll put together a 75-page magazine and a broadcast documentary on the people, culture, government, economy and everyday life of Cuba. A special focus will examine the 43-year-old U.S. embargo of Cuba and whether eliminating it would benefit Nebraska farmers and cattle ranchers.

"It may be the best assignment of their lifetimes," said Dean Will Norton.

Child lab provides day care, teaching experience

The children who attend the Ruth Staples Child Development Lab on East Campus help provide a unique learning experience for UNL students studying child development. Adults employed at UNL can send their children to the lab for day care, which is staffed by experts and students in the field through the College of Human Resources and Family Sciences. Above, Megan Chen, a senior child development major, reads a book to Mashari Al-Numair, left, Anna Qu, center, and Dylan Hafer at the lab.

Film and New Media professor Sharon Teo, center, works with students Tania Greene, left, and Walter McManigal as they edit a piece of work on one of the editing stations in the Mary Riepma Ross New Media Center.

New-media students have plenty of room in new center

Students enrolled in the Film and New Media emphasis through the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts have a new home in the Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center.

The building gives students much needed space.

"(In the Temple Building) we used to store equipment in a tiny little closet," said Sharon Teo, assistant theatre arts professor.

Now, there's more room for equipment and bigger classrooms for spontaneous and hand-on learning.

"If the class doesn't get what I'm saying, we can pick up a camera and demonstrate it. We're able to do more class exercises," she said.

Faculty and students are excited at the possibilities as the new space gives the program room to grow.

Church gets advice from construction, architecture class

When it comes to learning the basic skills of a profession, there's nothing like real-world experience.

Students in Professor Tim Wentz's mechanical systems course spent the fall semester putting theories they've learned in the course to use at the Christ Temple Church in Lincoln. The students, some of whom study architecture and some studying construction management, worked with the leaders of the church to find ways to make the church more energy efficient and sustainable.

The students divided into teams, analyzed the church, then recommended ways to improve it. The students' models and recommendations were set up in the church so members of the congregation could study them. They also presented their findings to church members this semester, and church leaders are still considering what recommendations to follow.

It's this hands-on experience that proves vital in a college class, Wentz said.

"The learning process is always enhanced when a student can see firsthand how the knowledge gained can be applied," he said. "This process is further accelerated, in my opinion, when you are applying your knowledge to help people you know, in a real-life situation, who otherwise would do without."

Theresa Johnson of Omaha, left, speaks to Nebraska Beef Team members Lesha Eggers, center, and Jamie Bauman about ways to use beef in recipes at a Baker's Supermarket in Omaha.

Beef team educates consumers

A team of UNL students is educating shoppers about beef right in the supermarket and building skills they'll need for their careers.

Each fall, about 12 College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources students are trained to educate shoppers about beef selection, cooking, nutrition and food safety. Pairs of students typically set up displays near supermarket meat counters, where they answer questions and assist shoppers who request help.

This year, the team is working at Omaha's Baker Supermarkets after operating in Lincoln stores since the program began in 1998, said Chris Calkins, the animal science professor who leads the team.

The program is a hit with consumers who say they're prepared to try new, sometimes less expensive beef cuts and dishes thanks to the team's help. Students say working with consumers helps them develop communications and other career skills.

The team, a partnership between the state's beef industry and NU's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, was the first of its kind nationwide and became a national model.

UNL excels at teaching its teachers

UNL Teachers College graduates win high praise from school administrators for their experience and work ethic.

James Freeman, director of recruitment for the Omaha Public School system, said he likes to hire UNL grads because they have good skills and excellent rapport with students.

"I find UNL Teachers College graduates to be well-prepared and willing to go into any situation and do a good job," Freeman said.

Jim Walter, associate dean of Teachers College, said the UNL program puts students in the classroom early. Every student enrolled in a teacher certification program participates in at least three classroom-based practicum experiences.

"Students have early and continuous involvement (in the classroom) so that by the time they graduate, they've had every kind of experience in the schools," Walter said.

Faculty members also spend a lot of time in the schools with students. During a practicum, professors lead small-group seminars to help students process the experience.

Seminar offers skills to find, land the perfect job

Departments campuswide work hard to prepare students for the jobs they'll find after graduation. But are they ready for the job interview?

An employment seminar offered through UNL's College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources is helping students prepare for their careers by preparing them for these make-or-break moments.

The seven-week course, offered each semester, teaches students to write resumes and cover letters, research companies and learn interviewing techniques. They participate in mock job interviews and a session on dining etiquette.

Jana Hafer, CASNR career specialist who coordinates the seminar, said it provides students with career development tips to prepare themselves to obtain internships and jobs after graduation.

Thirty-five students took the course during spring semester 2003. The course is not limited to CASNR students but about 95 percent are from the college, Hafer said.

Get a job! OK, at least an internship

Eager to bolster their classroom experience, UNL students have landed internships with remarkable diversity, from a marketing intern with the New York fashion house of Vera Wang to the traffic engineer at a Lincoln engineering firm.

The result is practical experience, hands-on learning, and a chance to truly experience a career, said Chris Timm, associate director of UNL Career Services. That's among the reasons professors encourage - and often require - internship experience.

"It really strengthens the classroom experience by helping students apply what they learn," Timm said

Beyond that, an internship may actually keep a student in school by identifying career interests.

"A major reason students cite that they leave school is uncertainty about their career path," she said. "An internship can be a way to clarify their career interests and then stay at the university."

Dave Johnson, a May 2002 UNL graduate, says his internship at Olsson Associates, a Lincoln civil engineering firm, paved the way for his now full-time job as a structural engineer with the company.

"Every student that's worked here has been hired for a job after graduation," Johnson said, noting that 70 percent of Olsson employees are UNL graduates.

Steve Guenther, manager of the Lincoln Kohl's department store, says his store offers a summer internship in retail management. Students are responsible for an area of the store and by the end of the 12-week internship are actually charged with hiring other employees.

"If you're really good, we'll even give you keys to the store," Guenther said.

Stories like these contribute to continued interest in internship programs; 75 students turned out for a recent Career Services program offering tips on landing an internship.

There, students learned that many departments offer academic credit and have employees to help in the search. Career Services also provides individualized counseling and operates Husker Hire Link, a web-based connection between employers and individuals looking for jobs and internships. The site lists more than 800 available internships; some of the more unique offerings include jobs as a "can seam intern" at Anheiser-Busch or an embalming intern in Indiana.

Last year UNL students reported having 730 internship experiences. But Timm says students are not required to report, and with 2,900 individuals registered on Husker Hire Link, she estimates the actual number of UNL student interns is in the thousands.

UNL student Jamie Dorn took this photo of a fellow student learning to play the drums during their Study Abroad in Ghana, West Africa, in fall 2001. Dorn said, "Studying abroad was an intellectually stimulating, culturally enriching and personally satisfying experience." Photo courtesy of International Affairs.

With Study Abroad, the world is a classroom

Pursuing a degree at UNL can show a student a whole different world, thanks to the university's Study Abroad program. Last year, more than 500 UNL students participated in the programs in more than 50 countries around the world, including the United Kingdom, China, Australia and Ghana. The programs allow a student to study in a foreign country, most often for a semester, and earn credits toward his or her UNL degree. Many majors allow study abroad at various universities around the world. Most of those who have participated agree: Study Abroad offers a once-in-a-lifetime experience that gives a firsthand perspective of the world that can't be taught in any classroom.

UNL a pioneer of high-tech teaching

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has long been a leader in using technology to augment teaching. UNL is also a national leader in distance education, now often delivered in real time via the Internet. At the same time, UNL has been developing a robust and full-featured online teaching environment through the use of the Blackboard e-learning system.

Blackboard allows professors and students to take the class outside of the classroom; at its most basic, each Blackboard-enabled class can access online discussion boards, syllabi and associated materials that add to the classroom's learning experience.

Bruce Sandhorst, instructional technology coordinator in Information Services, describes a typical beyond-the-classroom use of Blackboard: "In some cases, professors are asking students to answer a set of questions on assigned readings several hours before the classroom lecture, so that the professor can get an idea of what they understand and what they might be having problems with, and tailor the lecture to the level of understanding."

Some UNL classes are putting the Blackboard environment and lecture video (or audio) together, creating distance education materials that combine both delivery of the classroom lecture on a live or on-demand basis, and the support and communications systems available in Blackboard.

According to Larry Walklin, professor of broadcasting in the College of Journalism and Mass Communications, this integration has allowed tremendous flexibility for students.

"We have a student now in our master's program that was driving down from Offutt to attend classes. She finished her military career, moved to Connecticut, and at about the same time had triplets. But the program went with her. She's able to finish the program from wherever she chooses to go."

Technology is enhancing the learning environment of the typical bricks-and-mortar classroom, too. Presentation screens and digital whiteboards are taking the place of overheads and chalkboards. The live nature of these classroom tools allows faculty and students to discuss their subjects with a greater degree of interactivity than ever before.

Living on campus offers lessons about real life

With 5,000 students, and more than half of enrolled first-year students, living in UNL residence halls, University Housing takes advantage of those opportunities for more informal learning.

Sometimes that involves teaching roommates to get along, said Chris Kaberline, associate director of University Housing for residence life. Negotiation skills that might help smooth a roommate spat will come in handy later in life.

"We are teaching them how to become adults," she said.

Chuck Rensink, assistant director for residence life, works with student leaders and hall governance. The opportunities for leadership education abound in housing's governance structure, he said.

"For many students, this is their first time alone and their issues are not just academic. They span from laundry to relationships. So our programming ranges from sexual awareness and diversity training to environmental issues."

"We don't separate academics from life, or life from academics," he said. "We are not just housing in terms of a bed and breakfast, but part of the entire academic system. And we encourage our students to make the most of that experience."

Housing plan aids learning

For students leaving familiar towns for the unfamiliar UNL campus, finding solid academic and social niches is key to staying in school, earning good grades, participating in campus activities and graduating.

University Learning Communities have been created in several variations on campus to help students find these academic and social niches. In the Learning Communities, first-year students with similar academic interests are grouped together in a residence hall to help them make friends who share those interests. It makes it easy to meet classmates and get together for informal study groups because residents on one floor are all often taking the same class. These students also connect with faculty and staff in their area of interest, forming better relationships with their academic leaders.

Several variations of the program are offered:

• Students in the J.D. Edwards Honors Program live and take classes in the Kauffman Center.
• Students in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources and the College of Human Resources and Family Sciences can participate in the Achievement, Commitment and Excellence program, which houses about 60 first-year students with similar interests together in Burr Hall on East Campus.
• Other learning communities center on biology, business, engineering, journalism, ROTC, law, music, nursing, theater and other topics. Most of these students live in Abel Hall, with music students living in Selleck Hall, which provides in-hall practice rooms and pianos.

University Learning Communities improve UNL's retention rate. The ACE freshman-to-sophomore retention rates averaged 94 percent in 2000-01. Other Learning Communities have a retention rate about 5 percent better than the universitywide retention rate.

About this section

"Teaching Excellence" was written and produced by the staff of University Communications at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and staff at Communications and Information Technology, Institute for Agriculture and Natural Resources.