Participation Type
Paper
Session Title
Session 5.03 Education
Presentation #1 Title
Hanging Out in The CAVE: Increasing Student Engagement Outside the Classroom
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
A growing body of education research has found that greater engagement between students and faculty is associated with improved academic outcomes in students. Encouraging this interaction is not always easy, especially at a community college bordered by cows and farms rather than settings that encourage informal interactions with professors over coffee or lunch. When the Survey of Entering Student Engagement (SENSE) results showed less than ideal levels of face-to-face engagement between students and faculty at Blue Ridge Community College, a team of faculty, staff, administrators, and students worked together to create a unique solution. The group created the Center for Academic Vision and Excellence, The CAVE, a technologically advanced space that promotes intentional interactions between students and faculty, staff, administrators, and other students. The initiative was funded by the Blue Ridge Community College Educational Foundation and a Chancellor’s Innovation Fund grant. Since its opening, this welcoming CAVE has been visited by thousands of students seeking to connect with professors, staff members, administrators, peer tutors, and other students. Blue Ridge Community College is located in Weyers Cave, Virginia. All of the counties within Blue Ridge Community College’s service area are Appalachian Regional Commission-designated Appalachian counties or border such counties.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Dr. Julia Lewis is an associate professor of sociology and serves as director of Blue Ridge Community College’s Center for Academic Vision and Excellence. Dr. Lewis earned her Ph.D. in sociology from The Ohio State University.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #2
Theresa Thomas teaches mathematics at Blue Ridge Community College in Weyers Cave, Virginia. She is a strong proponent of classroom re-design and was very active in the design of Blue Ridge Community College's Center for Academic Vision and Excellence.
Hanging Out in The CAVE: Increasing Student Engagement Outside the Classroom
Smith Music Hall 112
A growing body of education research has found that greater engagement between students and faculty is associated with improved academic outcomes in students. Encouraging this interaction is not always easy, especially at a community college bordered by cows and farms rather than settings that encourage informal interactions with professors over coffee or lunch. When the Survey of Entering Student Engagement (SENSE) results showed less than ideal levels of face-to-face engagement between students and faculty at Blue Ridge Community College, a team of faculty, staff, administrators, and students worked together to create a unique solution. The group created the Center for Academic Vision and Excellence, The CAVE, a technologically advanced space that promotes intentional interactions between students and faculty, staff, administrators, and other students. The initiative was funded by the Blue Ridge Community College Educational Foundation and a Chancellor’s Innovation Fund grant. Since its opening, this welcoming CAVE has been visited by thousands of students seeking to connect with professors, staff members, administrators, peer tutors, and other students. Blue Ridge Community College is located in Weyers Cave, Virginia. All of the counties within Blue Ridge Community College’s service area are Appalachian Regional Commission-designated Appalachian counties or border such counties.
