Through the spring 2024 semester, we redesigned our programs to pilot a cross-course group undertaking involving a social sciences course (SSC) titled, “Social Justice Actions within the U.S.”, an elective primarily for first and second 12 months college students, and a well being sciences course (HSC) titled, “Capstone,” a program requirement for fourth 12 months college students. This undertaking tasked cross-course teams to collaborate with one another to conduct analysis on a social justice motion and to develop community-based insurance policies to deal with the lasting concern, all whereas being conscious of the social determinants of well being, structural racism, and general inequities. On this article, we’ll share our strategy to this undertaking and classes realized.
Strategy and Timeline
Through the summer season 2023 semester, we recognized by way of strains in our personal scholarly pursuits. After a handful of conferences, we recognized an ideal alternative to pursue a SoTL undertaking in our lessons that duties college students with utilizing particular abilities, taking possession of their content material, studying and rising collectively, and most of all seeing how an occasion up to now can affect neighborhood well being sooner or later.
From there, we introduced on an undergraduate analysis assistant and commenced planning. Through the fall 2023 semester, we held bi-weekly planning classes. Throughout this time, we agreed on three core objectives for the undertaking: (1) to increase college students’ studying in regards to the histories of social motion actions from historic actions to the event of coverage options; (2) to facilitate college students’ group work abilities, each inside and throughout programs; and (3) to advertise mentoring inside the cross-course group by way of a “near-peer” mannequin.
We then constructed the infrastructure for the undertaking by way of an in depth “Mission Information”. This information contained the background and rationale for the collaboration; a graphic exhibiting the week-by-week duties and obligations; and an outline of every particular person activity, together with course possession and the way teams will share their work. We additionally deliberate for 3 face-to-face collaborative classes exterior of sophistication time (one in every of which was cancelled on account of climate). All through the undertaking, we deliberately deliberate to make use of a role-play paradigm; teams acted as shoppers and consultants by way of the manufacturing of requisite info, from figuring out a difficulty to presentation of a coverage proposal and negotiation of the coverage’s potential efficacy.
The matters our lessons labored on included the Ladies’s Well being Motion of the Seventies, environmental crises equivalent to water air pollution in Michigan, city development and injustice skilled in Boston’s Chinatown, and the Civil Rights Motion’s well being activism. SSC college students chosen the subject, shaped teams, carried out analysis to establish sub-topics, and submitted an in depth report back to HSC on their findings. HSC clarified their questions with SSC then carried out a literature and coverage evaluate; developed two coverage briefs at any degree (native, state, federal); and introduced them to their SSC companions who selected the transient that greatest addressed the social justice motion and their research of social sciences. HSC additionally deliberate for logistical issues wanted to enact the coverage and reviewed and supplied suggestions to SSC’s undertaking elements. The final face-to-face collaborative session was designed to share coverage proposals, reply thought upsetting and logistic-related questions, and in the end vote for probably the most impactful coverage.
Classes Discovered
After surveying our lessons and debriefing with one another, we concluded the pilot collaboration a hit. We heard college students report satisfaction in increasing their course scope to discover how occasions up to now influence health-related selections sooner or later. The next grew to become obvious to us:
- Analysis assistant: We’re grateful to have an RA to not solely hear from the coed perspective on undertaking logistics and to assist us develop IRB supplies, however to allow them to act as a liaison and mediator between course teams. The RA was compensated by way of federal work-study funding.
- College students crave face-to-face conferences with their cross-course colleagues: This one shocked us, as we imagined college students had been extra snug collaborating asynchronously. We each heard our college students report the significance of in-person conferences and people alternatives to develop relationships and rapport, deal with miscommunications, and to maintain each course teams engaged even when the present possession of the duty is the opposite course. We may also be rescheduling our programs to satisfy on the identical time for ease of scheduling check-ins and undertaking pass-offs.
- Course redevelopment and prioritizing content material: Whereas the HSC course was newly redeveloped with this collaboration in thoughts, we realized that the SSC content material ought to shift sooner or later. The up to date syllabus will front-load educating and studying in regards to the social justice actions which may be chosen for the collaboration. That is probably the most vital problem for the SSC course as a result of it necessitates strategic supply of content material; college students want to know how social actions evolve typically to have theoretical and logistical context to tell their understanding of the actions they are going to look at. The SSC syllabus might be re-conceptualized to accommodate the dear collaborative undertaking studying expertise. We’re additionally planning to ask a Librarian to go to the category to display analysis methods for social science matters.
- Outline and supply examples of mentorship: On the finish of the semester throughout a debrief, HSC college students voiced that they didn’t really feel like they had been a part of a near-peer mentorship. In preparation for subsequent 12 months, we’ll listing concrete steps and situations the place HSC can serve in a near-peer mentorship function to SSC. We additionally hope the extra face-to-face conferences, shared social sciences analysis coaching, and skill for us to go to the opposite class briefly to reply questions will additional develop collaborative abilities.
- Communication: We required all cross-course teams to develop a Staff Constitution of agreed upon cross-course group insurance policies and procedures for optimum group cohesion, and to keep up a Microsoft Groups web page with each instructors included. Our function within the Staff was to reply questions, make clear info, and share particulars in regards to the social justice motion or coverage growth. We realized that college students loved the chance to get in contact with us asynchronously; nevertheless, college students needed company over their most popular communication methodology. Subsequent time, we’ll proceed to make use of the Staff Constitution and we’ll construct within the company for college students to decide on intra-team communication however will nonetheless require Groups for cross-course communication functions.
- Particular person course grading and expectations: We each independently built-in the undertaking into our programs as we noticed match. Nevertheless, we each heard our college students report that they felt the collaboration was uneven on account of variations within the general element of ultimate grade and evaluation necessities. To that finish, we’ll guarantee uniformity within the weighting and expectations subsequent time.
Creating this undertaking required a ton of planning and intention, endurance and engagement, artistic flexibility, and far grace. Our efforts had been completely value it as our college students strengthened extremely marketable abilities and realized collectively and from one another. Selfishly, we had numerous enjoyable, too.
Kristen Petersen, PhD, is an affiliate professor of historical past and social sciences. Anthony Lacina, DHSc, is an assistant professor of well being sciences and program director for undergraduate and doctoral well being sciences. Lisa Sciarrillo is an undergraduate well being sciences scholar, all at Massachusetts School of Pharmacy and Well being Sciences in Boston, MA.
