Speaker

Kristi Julian

Kristi Julian

Professor Dr. Kristi Julian

Prof. Dr. Kristi Julian
Middle Tennessee State University, USA

Prof. Dr. Kristi Julian
Dr. Kristi Julian is a Professor and Program Coordinator at Middle Tennessee State University. Dr. Julian is a National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) registered interior designer with experience in facilities design, healthcare, hospitality and construction. Dr. Julian is a Council for Interior Design Accreditation Site Visitor Chair and has over 35 years of practical experience in the field. Her research interests focus on interior design pedagogy, virtual exchange and sustainability. She is a scholarship reviewer for numerous journals including but not limited to American Society of Engineering Education, Journal of Engineering Technology, Interior Design Educator’s Council, Common Ground Research Network Journals, and Sustainability Journal and has over 44 research publications. Dr. Julian is an Accredited Professional with Leadership in Environmental Design Building Design and Construction (LEED BD+C), Evidence Based Design (EDAC) and WELL Building Standard. Dr. Julian is a founding member of the Council of Virtual Exchange (CoVE) and currently its acting Director of Research and Online Interface.

The Translation of Theory to Practice in the Midst of a Pandemic: Challenges in Higher Education

The Translation of Theory to Practice in the Midst of a Pandemic:
Challenges in Higher Education

Keywords: experiential learning, service learning, internship, pandemic, theory to practice

Contribution:
Authors describe the challenges that occurred in experiential learning as a result of the pandemic. Higher education relied on didactical and organizational learning environments to provide a scaffold within a remote delivery system from which the translation of theory to practice occurred, and to promote discourse on multiple perspectives when experiential learning opportunities were immobilized.

Abstract:
The translation of theory to practice is an important aspect of the higher education learning environment. Much of this translation occurs in the classroom setting through coursework, discussions, and case simulations. However, experiential learning opportunities provide a scaffold by which theory becomes reality. Experiential learning provides students with skill development and meaningful immersion (Samur & Duman, 2011; Caine & Caine, 1990).

Experiential learning comes in many forms, from services learning projects to clinical internships, and is used in a variety of disciplines to better prepare students for their foray into professional careers. These types of learning opportunities challenge studies by destabilizing their constructed knowledge, promote community awareness and exposure to social issues, in turn testing biases, and encouraging social responsibility (Nwokah & Leafblad, 2013; Guthrie & McCracken, 2010).

The worldwide pandemic has greatly decreased access to experiential learning opportunities. Internship settings, particularly in social sciences, became remote. The use of teleconferencing replaced face-to-face interactions. The relational aspects of the experiential learning environment quickly dissipated with little opportunity for students, faculty, and community organizations to creatively reproduce the hands-on effect of experiential learning. In turn, theoretical content no longer has the robust context of the community setting.

Industry is also impacted by this sudden shift. As students graduate and move into their chosen professions, their education will not be fully informed by experience-based learning opportunities. These opportunities are met with an increasing number of variables that change the learning environment context in which students must operate in order to successfully engage in an evolving world influenced by globalization, human needs, and technology. They may require additional training and orientation as part of onboarding and professional development, including institutional strategies and goals that are inclusive. The impact of digitalization plays a major role as students and faculty utilize relevant forms of collaborative strategic software.

As we have lost the positive effects of experiential learning, we must devise methods of replacing this with other skill-enhancing processes. This will require collaboration with industry, interdisciplinary partnerships, and a reliance on information technology to establish meaningful experiences that simulate face-to-face interactions, and potentially combine technology with relational opportunities for students and our communities.

References

Caine, G. & Caine, R. (1990). Understanding a brain-based approach to learning and teaching. Educational Leadership, 48(2), 66-70. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ416439

Guthrie, K. L. & McCracken, H. (2010). Teaching and learning social justice through online service-learning courses. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 11(3), 78-94.

Nwokah, E. & Leafblad, S. (2013). Service learning to promote brain-based learning in undergraduate teaching. Journal of Excellence in College Teaching, 24(3), 69-98.

Samur, Y. & Duman, B. (2011). How an awareness of the biology of learning may have an effect on performance. Education as Change, 15(2), 257-270.

Global Shutdown: Voices from Universities Around the World

Digital technologies have had a great impact on higher education institutions (HEI) in recent years, but COVID-19 has strongly influenced the education sector worldwide. This panel discussion we give an account of different university stories from Europe, North America, and Africa.
Universities were faced with the task of offering online or blended learning scenarios overnight. What effects did the shutdown have on their country’s educational sector and HEI? How was digitalization perceived after the lockdown? How did the institution deal with transforming their traditional classes? Are there state or federal policies in place that support and provide mechanisms to address technical issues, social inequalities, accessibility issues and training for faculty and staff? What are the biggest challenges in digital learning that need to be overcome? What lessons were learned and how can we learn from each other. Global learning and virtual exchange can offer new opportunities for the global educational community? Can COVID-19 be a blessing in disguise for the educational community? What lies ahead and is there going to be a “new normal” after this crisis has died down?
Each panelist will present a short brief about the educational policies in their respective country by highlighting how their HEI tackled the enormous challenges caused by the pandemic since March 2020. We will hear voices from Bonn-Rhein-Sieg, University of Applied Sciences (Germany), Polytechnic Institute of Viseu (Portugal), Conestoga College, Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning (Canada), Middle Tennessee State University (USA), University of Cape Coast (Ghana), and University of Nairobi (Kenya).

Panel Presentation Abstract.
Submitted July 25, 2020
If accepted: Virtual Presentation October 7, 2020
https://festival.hfd.digital/de/call-for-participation/sessioncall/.I .

Each panelist will present 5 min on their country/institutional situation. We create slides for this online session minimum 500 words each of written text for the journal article.

Regina Brautlacht
Kristi Julian
Wendi Hulme
Lurdes Martin
Daniel Agyapong
Joseph Owino

Kristi Julian

Professor Dr. Kristi Julian