Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 73.41
Liaison Jillian Leach
Submission Date Feb. 28, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

California State University, Chico
AC-5: Immersive Experience

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Thia Wolf
Director of First Year Experience
Undergraduate Education
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution offer at least one immersive, sustainability-focused educational study program that is one week or more in length?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability-focused immersive program(s) offered by the institution, including how each program addresses the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of sustainability:

The First-Year Experience Program collaborates with others in the development of civic engagement education. We work to contribute to students’ development and address the needs of our campus and community by taking John Dewey’s vision of public education to heart. This is accomplished through the use of Public Sphere Pedagogy and public events in first-year courses.

"I appeal to teachers . . . to remember that they above all others are the consecrated servants of the democratic ideas in which alone this country is truly a distinctive nation—ideas of friendly and helpful intercourse between all and the equipment of every individual to serve the community by his own best powers in his own best way." -John Dewey

Public Sphere Pedagogy

Public Sphere Pedagogy (PSP) embeds a "public sphere" in first-year courses, moving students from a typical classroom setting to a dialogue-rich environment. It focuses students' course reading, class discussion, and research efforts on contemporary public issues and places students in dialogue with diverse campus and community members. These public events provide students with opportunities to behave as adult participants in processes of dialogue and debate vital to the health of a democracy. PSP aims to increase students' sense of civic efficacy and personal responsibility. PSP students are more likely to persist to graduation than non-PSP students.

Chico Town Hall Meeting

Embedded in the first-year Political Science course on American Government, the bi-annual CSU, Chico Town Hall Meeting provides students with a public arena for discussing current policy issues with other students, faculty, administrators, and community members.

After the opening remarks and welcome take place in the Bell Memorial Union Auditorium, participants move to various locations on campus for "breakout sessions". During these sessions moderators encourage students to share their research with other students and interested participants.

Students conclude the evening in an Action Symposium with members of the campus and community serving as consultants to assist with next steps in research and the development of a plan for civic action.

Chico Great Debate

The purpose of the Chico Great Debate is to bring together members of the campus and community to investigate and engage in dialogue around a “hot topic” that has the potential to divide us. The entire day of presentations and debates stresses active listening, respectful exchange, and collaborative civic learning through civil discourse.

Throughout the day, students from various Communication Studies classes give presentations and conduct debates focused on a chosen "hot topic." In the evening, at 6:30, there is a formal debate by CSU, Chico Debate Team members and stakeholder Community Members.


The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

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