College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Connections Project is an extraordinary opportunity to bring together students, faculty, staff, and the community for an evening of connection, education, and inspiration! In years past, the most successful form of outreach for student involvement has been from faculty. There are several ways you can contribute to the Connections Project by incorporating projects into your classrooms. Two popular ways include student posters and mini-talks. Below are a few poster and talk ideas from faculty members who are actively encouraging their students to participate in this year’s event on April 26.
Jana McCurdy, from Integrated Studies, has given her Liberal Arts Capstone students this semester a choice to either create a poster or a five- to eight-minute talk. Either way, students will summarize what they have learned and explain something that made an impact on them during their time at CWI. Topics will range from specific classes, skills they have developed, the tutoring center, the library, and student clubs. Describing presenting at the Connections Project as “a very safe environment”, McCurdy explained, “Everyone there is family – friends, students, faculty, and staff. We love to see examples of student work! It’s very positive, and it’s a good opportunity to go one step further then a classroom presentation.”
Karen Brown, from Visual and Performing Arts, will be incorporating a poster project opportunity in her ARTS 104 class, a global perspectives course focusing on the visual arts of Sub-Saharan Africa, the islands of the Pacific, and Pre-Columbian America. Throughout the semester, her students will be learning about these areas, their historical connections with the west, and the impact the west has had on these regions. Their studies will lead to a final poster project that will explore one aspect of how these cultures and the west have impacted each other. In the past, Brown’s student’s presented on topics such as the influence of Polynesian tattooing traditions on the popularity of tattooing in the west, depictions of hair in traditional African art and the symbolic role of hair in African American communities, and the connections between a Mesoamerican ball game to contemporary ball games. Last year, her students who were able to attend the event expressed the questions they were asked really helped them to think more about their project. Brown commented, “My students walked away with more professional skills. “They learned and gained experience into research, and made connections to other parts of the world”.
Cathy Carson, from Mathematics, has created an opportunity for her Math for Elementary Teachers class to present posters at this year’s Connections Project. Her students will choose an objective of Idaho’s Common Core curriculum in math and present two creative lesson plans that provide different opportunities for conceptual understanding. In Carson’s words, students who participate gain the opportunity to “bring their career choice to life”.
Catherine Kyle, from English, is also incorporating an opportunity for her PSYC 221 Gender class to participate in the poster presentation. Their projects will focus on a gender-related United States cultural import/export looking at how gender norms, gender roles, and gender ideas cross cultural boundaries. Her student’s posters will showcase everything from fashion and music to human rights. According to Kyle, Connections Project, “makes the work we do in school come to life in a new way. Being able to showcase that work, and help other people think about is a valuable thing”.
Do you have student work you would like to showcase at Connections Project? Faculty can submit work on behalf of their students, or students may submit work on their own. All submissions are due by Friday, March 23. For details regarding the submission process visit /current-students/connections-project-submissions. Please email connections@cwi.edu with any questions or if you want to talk through ideas.
Join us for this year’s Connections Project held at the Nampa Campus Academic Building on April 26 from 3-8 p.m.!