Let’s Walk!

An estimated 20 million people worldwide will die this year from cardiovascular disease. The American Heart Association (AHA) of Green Bay is doing their part to help fight this leading cause of death by hosting its annual Heart Walk right here on our campus. The AHA’s mission is to build healthier lives that are free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke – the nation’s number 1 and number 4 killers.

The students in the Wellness and Health Promotion program at NWTC are not only preparing to become professionals that will assist others in lowering these statistics, but will also be participating in a service learning opportunity by organizing the Heart Walk for our campus. Through their Wellness Programming and Design course, students will:

• Volunteer on various sub-committees to plan the event
• Coordinate everything from the interactive activities offered for participants to the food and drinks that will be available the day of the event
• Help in recruiting corporations to participate in the event

This opportunity gives the students real-life experience in event planning as well as beneficial experience in collaborating with other organizations to reach a common goal. The students truly help with the event from start to finish and do their part to make an impact in the fight against heart disease. Be sure to join this fight and save the date to participate – September 19, 2015 – and see our students’ service learning in action.

Beyond Memorization – Supporting First-Year Student Success

Do your first-year students struggle to move beyond memorization and thinking to learning and applying?  You can support your first-year students with methods and practices that will improve their abilities to problem solve, analyze, and draw conclusions.

Your practices within and outside the classroom are critical for enabling your first-year students to successfully transition into higher learning.  As you prepare to teach your next first-year course, consider these ideas:

• Active Classroom Learning – First-year students need plenty of hands-on practice applying concepts.  Keep lecture time short, and intersperse activities that give students the opportunity to make use of higher level reasoning and problem solving.
• In-Class Reviews – Because first-year students may lack study skills, it is beneficial to help them develop these skills for test preparation.  A thoughtfully created review that encourages problem solving and analytical skills can be completed in class to ensure students are effectively working through the study process.
• Classroom Office Hours – Students may be hesitant to make use of instructor office hours, especially those in first-year courses.  Make it easy for them to access you outside of class time by moving your office hours to a classroom setting.  In addition to breaking down barriers for approachability, this also allows you to serve groups of students more easily.
• Service Learning – Service learning offers the opportunity for students to simultaneously serve the community, gain career skills, and earn course credit.  Accounting students taking the Computerized Tax class participate in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) service learning project, in which they provide basic tax preparation services to low- and moderate-income households.  This is a great way for students to gain real-world experience, apply concepts, and meet a community need.

These ideas will help you transform your first-year students’ habits and thinking into skills that promote higher learning.

 

Amp up Employability Skills with Service Learning

VITA Service Learning Project Volunteers – Marinette Campus

Would your students benefit from further developing their non-technical skills so critical for successful employment? Consider the role service learning could play in fostering these important virtues!