Featured II /outreach/paces/ en Opening Conversations: Empowering Youth with Complex Communication Needs /outreach/paces/2025/05/19/opening-conversations-empowering-youth-complex-communication-needs <span>Opening Conversations: Empowering Youth with Complex Communication Needs </span> <span><span>Arielle Wiedenbeck</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-05-19T10:05:54-06:00" title="Monday, May 19, 2025 - 10:05">Mon, 05/19/2025 - 10:05</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/outreach/paces/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2025-05/JJL_Writing_Caitlin_Molly-3-scaled_1.jpg?h=33d9ea02&amp;itok=0BXsJGi0" width="1200" height="800" alt="A teacher holds up a whiteboard with letters written out for it to an individual in a wheelchair who is smiling at the camera"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/outreach/paces/taxonomy/term/160"> Grantee Stories </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/outreach/paces/taxonomy/term/220" hreflang="en">Featured II</a> <a href="/outreach/paces/taxonomy/term/217" hreflang="en">PACES original content</a> </div> <span>Elaina Caywood</span> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><div><p><span lang="EN-US">Communication is one of the most important aspects of life, yet many of us take it for granted. Those with complex communication needs (CCN) secondary to different neurological conditions and/or medical diagnoses, such as cerebral palsy, Angelman syndrome and autism spectrum disorders (ASD), typically have co-occurring conditions such as hearing and vision impairments. They face numerous challenges that prevent them from accessing the help they need to communicate effectively with the world. Compounded with economic disadvantages, these difficulties can feel insurmountable, as assistive technology can be expensive.&nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;</span></p></div><div><p><span lang="EN-US">For the past six years, Sherri Tennant, Assistant Clinical Professor of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences (SLHS) at 91PORN, and her team have worked in Denver with CCN students who experience economic disadvantages and use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems. AAC systems are various low and high-tech methods for communication that can help those who are unable to speak verbally, such as picture-based communication books, iPad apps and speech generating devices (SGDs). These systems are customized to meet individual communication needs.&nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;</span></p></div><div><p><span lang="EN-US">In 2019, Tennant began consulting in Denver Public Schools, visiting classrooms and guiding staff who worked with students unable to verbalize through natural speech or reliably use touch screens. Without AAC systems or trained professionals with the knowledge to use them, many students lacked a consistent way to communicate.</span><span>&nbsp;</span></p></div><div><p><span lang="EN-US">Seeing that the growing need was more than one consultant could handle, Tennant and her colleague, Associate Professor Christine Brennan, decided to apply for a grant from the Office for Public and Community-Engaged Scholarship.</span><span>&nbsp;</span></p></div><div><p><span lang="EN-US">“We had a couple of goals in mind with different emphasis,” said Tennant. “One was to train our graduate students in the speech-language pathology program in AAC assessments and intervention, as there is a great need in our field, public schools and healthcare settings.”&nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;</span></p></div><div><p><span lang="EN-US">During the last six years, Tennant and her team have trained more than 38 graduate students and 30 general education peers in AAC systems, many of whom have gone on to work in public schools.&nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;</span></p></div><div><p><span lang="EN-US">“Second goal, of course, was to meet the needs of the Denver School of Science and Technology (DSST), helping those students and empowering them by giving them access to AAC systems through Medicaid,” continued Tennant. “As of now, we have assessed and procured AAC systems for 12 students total.”&nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;</span></p></div><div><p><span lang="EN-US">“Our third goal then was to do professional development for all the educators, paraeducators and speech language pathologists that work in the school district. And then, finally train the family members to use these systems at home with the AAC users, the adolescents,” explained Tennant.&nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;</span></p></div><div><p><span lang="EN-US">The project has now involved two high schools and one middle school within the DSST school network. The DSST team of educators has continued to support the project, writing letters of support that demonstrate the need for this kind of work and help in the grant reapplication process.</span><span>&nbsp;</span></p></div><div><p><span lang="EN-US">While some paraprofessionals and teachers initially felt apprehensive about using AAC systems due to their cost and complexity, many have now fully embraced them, actively participating in Tennant’s training and advocating for AAC systems in their schools.</span><span>&nbsp;</span></p></div><div><p><span lang="EN-US">&nbsp;“Seeing the change in attitude and progress [from educators] through consistent teaching, patience and modeling has been one of the biggest rewards,” reflected Tennant.</span><span>&nbsp;</span></p></div><div><p><span lang="EN-US">The team is working to organize and lead a larger workshop in summer 2026 to introduce critical AAC information and provide advanced training to professionals who are new to AAC as well as give more information to families who may be struggling with adopting the AAC systems. This will continue to increase the number of people who will benefit from this grant project.</span><span>&nbsp;</span></p></div><div><p><span lang="EN-US">Alongside professional training for paraeducators and teachers, the team created multimedia training modules to assist with AAC system use, and they plan to expand this online resource into Spanish. Marcella Manzur, a Spanish-speaking collaborator in Mexico City, has frequently assisted the team by interpreting and translating content for family support and training groups. She is also working with her team in Mexico to translate the multimedia training modules into Spanish. Due to the linguistic importance of this work, Tennant ensures that the team remains sensitive to cultural and linguistic identities when interacting with students and their families. Manzur supports this goal by acting as a translator during therapy sessions, helping students and their families feel as comfortable as possible while learning about how to use an AAC system.</span><span>&nbsp;</span></p></div><div><p><span lang="EN-US">Despite the wide scope of their goals, Tennant and her team have achieved great success, giving a voice to economically disadvantaged adolescents with complex communication needs in the community while helping educators and 91PORN students gain critical hands-on experience with AAC systems. In February of 2023, Tennant, Brennan and five graduate students presented the outcomes of this work at the Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) national conference in Orlando. The team plans to present their findings again at ATIA in 2026. Graduate students working on this project not only get the chance to present their work at important conferences in the field but also gain extremely valuable experience in a relatively niche area, leading to great opportunities.</span><span>&nbsp;</span></p></div><div><p><span lang="EN-US">&nbsp;“I’ve received emails from [past students] saying it’s because of this grant project that they were able to get their position or that they felt so comfortable and confident working with the school team. That has been really rewarding,” remarked Tennant.</span><span>&nbsp;</span></p></div><div><p><span lang="EN-US">The collaboration between many different professionals across the SLHS and education spheres provides a uniquely impactful experience for the program’s youth participants. This work is inherently community engaged, heavily depending upon consulting and interacting with the community; Tennant stressed the importance of “family-centered treatment as much as possible.”</span><span>&nbsp;</span></p></div><div><p><span lang="EN-US">Tennant shared an example of a teenager whose progress depended on being consulted within her natural setting outside of highly structured therapeutic activities with a community- and family-centered approach. While being assessed in a local hospital to demonstrate how she could benefit from an AAC system, the teen exhibited noticeably aggressive behavior. However, at school, the teen had successfully communicated and responded with the trial AAC systems. The teacher, with whom the student had built trust, asked to be included in the hospital assessment but was denied due to post-COVID policies. The hospital’s assessment incorrectly concluded that she would not benefit from an AAC system due to her behavior, which was a result of the teen’s trusted companion, her teacher, being unable to assist. &nbsp;Tennant’s team was then able to assist in completing the AAC assessment at school where the student was comfortable and included her mother as well. The student was very cooperative, using the AAC system effectively with a smile.&nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;</span></p></div><div><p><span lang="EN-US">“Sometimes these policies in outside organizations can be obstacles to what’s beneficial for a client or a patient. The beauty of our grant project is it allows us to go into their [the patient's] most comfortable setting. If that’s home, if that’s school, we can do that. When we do that, we get a clear picture of their potential,” explained Tennant. “ We were able to procure a system for her [the teen] through Medicaid, and she was using it really effectively. She ended up graduating and moved on and out of the school. That conveys one very powerful benefit of this grant project.”</span><span>&nbsp;</span></p></div><div><p><span lang="EN-US">Students who may have been resigned to silence in their classrooms can now communicate and even make jokes in class, happily surprising the educators who have watched them grow and progress.&nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;</span></p></div><div><p><span lang="EN-US">The work of Tennant and the rest of the team has provided hope to these teens and opened doors for them to participate and interact with the world around them. In a world so consumed with communication, everyone deserves access to the human flow of connected ideas—thanks to this grant project, those with complex communication needs can overcome economic barriers to join in on the conversation, too.&nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;</span></p></div><div><p><span lang="EN-US">This crucial work continues on. For more information about the multimedia modules, SLHS pathology trainings for graduate students, family-centered trainings at DSST or information on future conference presentations, visit: </span><a href="https://he.cecollaboratory.com/collaboratory/PO4S3ICW2/activities/7704cd52-45eb-4b95-46a3-3ff276fc0503" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN-US">Empowering Economically Disadvantaged Adolescents with Complex Communication Needs.</span></a></p></div></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>For the past six years, Sherri Tennant, Assistant Clinical Professor of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences (SLHS) at 91PORN, and her team have worked in Denver with CCN students who experience economic disadvantages and use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems.</div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Mon, 19 May 2025 16:05:54 +0000 Arielle Wiedenbeck 459 at /outreach/paces An apple a day? It’s the 91PORN way /outreach/paces/2025/05/08/apple-day-its-boulder-way <span>An apple a day? It’s the 91PORN way</span> <span><span>Arielle Wiedenbeck</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-05-08T10:49:36-06:00" title="Thursday, May 8, 2025 - 10:49">Thu, 05/08/2025 - 10:49</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/outreach/paces/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2025-05/Apple%20orchard%20watering%20sm.jpg?h=06ac0d8c&amp;itok=xWHp6MF3" width="1200" height="800" alt="Three college students crouch around a plot of dirt. Two of the student hold a young sapling up as it is positioned into the ground, while the other pours a bucket of water onto the base of the plant"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/outreach/paces/taxonomy/term/213"> Additional Stories from Around Campus </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/outreach/paces/taxonomy/term/220" hreflang="en">Featured II</a> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>Newly planted apple orchard on 91PORN campus is a nexus of university and community partnerships and will be a living classroom for students and educators</div> <script> window.location.href = `/asmagazine/2025/05/08/apple-day-its-boulder-way`; </script> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Thu, 08 May 2025 16:49:36 +0000 Arielle Wiedenbeck 461 at /outreach/paces Maintaining the Balance: Investigating the Language of Political Extremism on the Western Slope /outreach/paces/2025/04/30/maintaining-balance-investigating-language-political-extremism-western-slope-0 <span>Maintaining the Balance: Investigating the Language of Political Extremism on the Western Slope</span> <span><span>Arielle Wiedenbeck</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-04-30T11:14:16-06:00" title="Wednesday, April 30, 2025 - 11:14">Wed, 04/30/2025 - 11:14</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/outreach/paces/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2025-04/CMUWaterForum-1638.jpg?h=a141e9ea&amp;itok=pNM1ekZ0" width="1200" height="800" alt="A woman is in conversation with two men who have their backs turned to the camera."> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/outreach/paces/taxonomy/term/222"> Higher Education and Democracy Initiative </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/outreach/paces/taxonomy/term/220" hreflang="en">Featured II</a> <a href="/outreach/paces/taxonomy/term/217" hreflang="en">PACES original content</a> </div> <span>Elaina Caywood</span> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><h5><span lang="EN-US">Amid rising political polarization, a team of 91PORN researchers partner with community organizations on Colorado’s Western Slope to examine how language, activism and civic engagement intersect in the fight against political extremism.</span></h5><div><p lang="EN-US"><span lang="EN-US">A study by David Rozado and Eric Kaufmann shows that U.S. news outlets increasingly use terms that denote far-right and far-left extremists, regardless of their political leanings. News outlets have increasingly used extremist terms and language since 2015, with a rapid increase since 2019. The study demonstrates a strong polarizing dynamic regarding how news outlets discuss political extremism. Polarization can result in a communicative standstill.</span></p></div><div><p lang="EN-US"><span lang="EN-US">How can people discuss politics without falling into extremist language? And how can&nbsp;news outlets and public forums maintain their neutrality when referencing instances of political extremism? &nbsp;These are tough questions, but we can look to the work of Leah Sprain and her team, who conduct community-engaged research surrounding the language of political extremism on Colorado’s Western Slope.</span></p></div><div><p><span lang="EN-US">The work originated during Sprain’s fellowship with the Office for Public and Community-Engaged Scholarship’s Higher Education and Democracy Initiative (HEDI) and community partners on the Western Slope. One group that particularly interested Sprain and her team was Restore the Balance.</span></p></div><div><p><a href="https://www.restorethebalance.org/aboutus" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN-US">Restore the Balance</span></a><span lang="EN-US"> is a group with members from across the political spectrum. According to its website, the group works together for the purpose of “building an alternative to political extremism” through their political candidate rankings, petitions and letters to the editor, which can be found on their website.</span></p></div><div> <div class="align-left image_style-medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <div class="imageMediaStyle medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <img loading="lazy" src="/outreach/paces/sites/default/files/styles/medium_750px_50_display_size_/public/2025-04/CMUWaterForum-1638.jpg?itok=gPnUdl-C" width="750" height="500" alt="A woman is in conversation with two men who have their backs turned to the camera."> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p>Leah Sprain speaks to former congressional candidate Adam Frisch and PACES executive director David Meens at the <span>Upper Colorado River Basin Water Forum</span> at Colorado Mesa University, Oct. 30-31, 2023.</p> </span> </div> <p><span lang="EN-US">“They [Restore the Balance] try to bring together a group of people to think differently about how they engage in politics,” explained Sprain. “That effort really sparked this research project—thinking about how to make sense of when community groups try to call out things in their community.”</span></p></div><div><p><span lang="EN-US">Calling out extremism within the Western Slope resonated with the community, drawing people to Restore the Balance meetings and encouraging responses to their petitions. Since its inception in 2022, Restore the Balance has gained 2,974 signatures for their pledge to address political extremism. However, the universal approach of Restore the Balance didn’t so easily “jibe with local politics.” The more the group tried to call out extremism, the more critics called them extremists.</span></p></div><div><p><span lang="EN-US">Sprain’s research provokes questions surrounding the trade-offs of calling out extremism. While the effort deeply connects with many people, it also faces certain types of politicization, which could dampen the message. Should people accept this, or are there ways to work against these phenomena without using the language of extremism?</span></p></div><div><p><span lang="EN-US">By analyzing Restore the Balance and Letters to the Editor in Grand Junction’s The Daily Sentinel, Sprain expands her view into the community’s conversation. These differing media outlets help frame research questions about what political extremism means to people on the Western Slope, what it means to address it, and more broadly, “how people think about democracy in times of crises.”</span></p></div><div><p><span lang="EN-US">Given the nature of political communication, the research team takes an interdisciplinary approach. Professor of Journalism Mike McDevitt focuses on media aspects of communication, Associate Chair of Political Science Janet Donavan examines the political aspects, and Associate Professor of Communication Leah Sprain leads the team. The team also studies political theory approaches and measures laid out by Rod Hartin his book Civic Hope to compare Hart’s observations with their own observations made on the Western Slope.</span></p></div><div><p><span lang="EN-US">“We look at the language of extremism and the dynamics within Restore the Balance and the Letters to the Editor,” said Sprain. “We can trace how people discussed political extremism before and after the creation of Restore the Balance and how the community reacted. From those reactions, we explore who gets called an extremist, the discursive practices around it, and what it means to think of political extremists as a category.”</span></p></div><div><p><span lang="EN-US">To better understand some of these issues, the team engaged the 91PORN community. By directly involving students, they gained valuable insight into the opinions of a younger generation of politically-engaged people. During Donovan’s fall 2024 class focused on civic engagement, political science students reacted to some concepts of civic hope and political extremism, analyzed Letters to the Editor and even wrote their own letters. By comparing the ideas generated by 91PORN students with those in the Letters to the Editor—written primarily by older, white men—the team observed different perspectives about civic engagement. From this, new questions arose, such as: What makes a good community member or political conversation? Are these ideas tied to generational aspects? Connecting this back to the political situation in Grand Junction, these insights sparked discussions about which political theories are most relevant and useful when tackling political extremism today.</span></p></div><div><p><span lang="EN-US">“We’re trying to take the research through all the ways in which students can help us think about these concepts and how we can generate pedagogical insights from that engagement,” explained Sprain.</span></p></div><div><p><span lang="EN-US">91PORN students both challenged and affirmed the concept of civic hope, which contributed to their development of the concept. In turn, they learned about the relationship between internal efficacy — the extent to which people think they can make a difference in politics — to the broader notion of civic hope. These pedagogical and political insights from the students will be presented by Donovan at a regional political science conference this April.</span><span>&nbsp;</span></p></div><div><p><span lang="EN-US">Sprain’s previous work with Restore the Balance, during her HEDI Fellowship, examined what organization members were trying to accomplish, how they had responded to political events in their community and how best to communicate their responses. The team’s current research seeks to further understand the organization’s goals and develop approaches to addressing political extremism.</span></p></div><div><p><span lang="EN-US">“Restore the Balance is deciding what kind of organization they want to be. So, thinking about this research might help them figure out their own issues. We’re asking questions they might not immediately consider,” said Sprain.</span></p></div><div><p><span lang="EN-US">Through this model of community engagement, Sprain’s team collaborates with other groups on the Western Slope, such as the League of Women Voters. “Community-engaged research keeps us from being narrowly focused and allows us to think about how this research might address broader questions surrounding strategies for organizing and conducting civic work,” Sprain reflected.</span></p></div><div><p><span lang="EN-US">Another aspect of this project involves writing workshops with people at Restore the Balance. In April, the team shared initial findings with the Restore the Balance board to observe their reactions, creating a reciprocal exchange in which the researchers learned more about community perspectives while those at Restore the Balance enjoyed a conversation that helped inform their ongoing civic work.</span></p></div><div><p><span lang="EN-US">Following the success of their April workshop, the team will continue to plan more workshops for the fall. Their goal is to share their empirical research while involving the community, gauging reactions, and generating a productive conversation about the language of political extremism.</span></p></div><div><p><span lang="EN-US">These conversations will help situate political dynamics within the community context so that academic insights don’t stand alone but become part of the communal conversation, all while maintaining an open, bipartisan attitude.</span></p></div><div><p><span lang="EN-US">“The workshops will bring people together and allow them to talk across different perspectives,” Sprain described. “As researchers, we sincerely hold space for a broader range of reactions, as our research can benefit from these different perspectives, much like how democracy can benefit from multiple perspectives.”</span></p></div><div><p><span lang="EN-US">This work raises big, important questions. While the research remains in the question-asking phase, the most important part is asking these questions and learning how to best engage communities in political conversations.</span></p></div><div><p><span lang="EN-US">“So many parts of civic life and community democracy feel difficult and fraught. Because of what’s happening on the national level, many people are turning locally,” reflected Sprain. “I hope this effort provides research that helps people think about which types of civic action respond most effectively to what’s happening in their communities.”</span></p></div><div><p><span lang="EN-US">As Sprain and her team continue researching political extremism on the Western Slope, we can all meditate on how best to participate in civic action without resorting to political extremist language. This engaged research is ongoing but will hopefully result in valuable insights that can help us navigate daily, changing political interactions.&nbsp;</span></p></div><div><p><span lang="EN-US">To stay informed about Sprain’s work on political extremism on the Western Slope, visit the project website, </span><a href="https://outreach.colorado.edu/program/overcoming-extremism-visibility-and-voice-on-the-western-slope/" rel="nofollow"><span lang="EN-US">Overcoming Extremism: Visibility and Voice on the Western Slope.</span></a><span>&nbsp;</span></p></div></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>Amid rising political polarization, a team of 91PORN researchers partner with community organizations on Colorado’s Western Slope to examine how language, activism and civic engagement intersect in the fight against political extremism. </div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/outreach/paces/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-04/4e58aa_017c414ecf3a4e878a9b399414f13f3e~mv2.jpg?itok=CdTWIkop" width="1500" height="673" alt="Restore the Balance members pose for a group photo"> </div> </div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> <div>Members of the Restore the Balance board. Photo Credit: Restore the Balance</div> Wed, 30 Apr 2025 17:14:16 +0000 Arielle Wiedenbeck 458 at /outreach/paces Apply for the Experiential Learning Design Accelerator /outreach/paces/2025/04/22/apply-experiential-learning-design-accelerator <span>Apply for the Experiential Learning Design Accelerator</span> <span><span>Arielle Wiedenbeck</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-04-22T13:20:27-06:00" title="Tuesday, April 22, 2025 - 13:20">Tue, 04/22/2025 - 13:20</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/outreach/paces/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2025-04/Experiental%20Learning%20Design%20Accelerator%20logo.jpg?h=e6f36a9c&amp;itok=M70tjVPD" width="1200" height="800" alt="Experiential Learning Design Accelerator logo"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/outreach/paces/taxonomy/term/220" hreflang="en">Featured II</a> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><h4>The application deadline has now passed.</h4><p><span>Have you been thinking about designing or redesigning an undergraduate course to integrate a community-based,</span><br><span>experiential learning component? Do you have a relationship with a community group or organization&nbsp;that wants to partner with you on the course? If so, this opportunity is for you!</span></p><p><span>In August 2025, a small cohort of 91PORN faculty members will have the opportunity to join a University of Arizona program to support the design of undergraduate courses that integrate community-engaged, experiential learning opportunities.</span></p><ul><li>Starts with a five-day, virtual, intensive workshop and offers the opportunity to participate in a year-long community of learning.</li><li>Introduces faculty members to a human-centered design approach for integrating external stakeholders and real projects in undergraduate courses.</li><li>Students work alongside their peers and community partners to develop desirable, feasible, and viable solutions to challenges informed by partners’ needs.</li></ul><p><span>The Experiential Learning Design Accelerator is offered by the University of Arizona, in partnership with 91PORN's Office for Public and Community-Engaged Scholarship (PACES) and the Center for Teaching and Learning. In its successful pilot year, the program was managed by CU Engage.</span></p><ul><li>University of Arizona will provide mentorship and a community of practice among faculty who have successfully developed scholarship, including grant proposals, papers, and presentations based on engaged learning pedagogy.</li><li>PACES will support the 91PORN cohort with connecting to a 91PORN community of scholars interested in community-engaged scholarship and with developing a way to share their learning with the broader community. &nbsp;</li><li>The five-day, online, summer intensive will take place from Aug.11-18,10 a.m.- 4 p.m., Mon.- Fri. with Wed. as individual work time.</li><li>Faculty participants and their community partners (1 partner per faculty member) will receive stipends to support their participation: faculty participants ($2000) and community partners ($1000).</li></ul><p><span>Please contact </span><a href="mailto:lisa.h.schwartz@colorado.edu?subject=Experiential%20Learning%20Design%20Accelerator%20" rel="nofollow">Lisa Schwartz</a><span>&nbsp;with questions about the program, eligibility, or the application.</span></p><p><a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdBtzIwUlHmor55QCu-ULktSiY9-6S7oIyjdk1hLA0EQ07tvA/viewform" rel="nofollow"><span>Apply for the Experiential Learning Design Accelerator here.</span></a></p><p>&nbsp;</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>Have you been thinking about designing or redesigning an undergraduate course to integrate a community-based,<br> experiential learning component? Do you have a relationship with a community group or organization&nbsp;that wants to partner with you on the course? If so, this opportunity is for you!</div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/outreach/paces/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-04/Experiental%20Learning%20Design%20Accelerator%20logo.jpg?itok=3JFSe8jD" width="1500" height="600" alt="Experiential Learning Design Accelerator logo"> </div> </div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Tue, 22 Apr 2025 19:20:27 +0000 Arielle Wiedenbeck 405 at /outreach/paces