Activity Examples

Adult Education Courses

Course: ADP 301 Adult Degree Theory and Practice
EL Category: Workplace Learning
Activity: Students work to write up a petition for credit by reflecting on their experiences in the work place and describing the learning that took place through that experience.
Contact: Ms. Felicia Mucci

Art Courses

Course: AR 442 Special Topics in Art
EL Category: Hands-On, Community Engagement
Activity Description: Students were introduced to the processes of mural painting–from wall preparation to varnishing–while working on a 40′ mural at the Alabama Veterans Museum.  Students were acquainted with the unique materials and technical limitations of mural painting compared to other types of painting and worked towards the development of a maintenance plan for their work. In addition, students demonstrated their proficiency in a number of portrait painting techniques that included stenciling, direct grid transfers, and free-handed painting. Over the course of nine weeks, the students completed a collective 200 hours on the mural.
Contact: Prof. Jamie Adams

Course: AR 450 Art Internship
EL Category: Workplace Learning
Activity Description:  Students work directly with a supervisor conducting any activities in a business relative to the student’s area of expertise and career interest. In this example, Reagan worked at a printing company in the spring of 2021. She started with the most basic tasks like helping clients create their printing orders and designs. She also observed the printing press operations and the graphic design process. When the semester ended, she was hired by that company.
Contact: Prof. Pamela Keller

Biology Courses

Course: BI 301 Cell Structure and Function
EL Category: Research
Activity Description: Students investigate phenotypes of genetic SALK line variants in Arabidopsis using molecular techniques.
Contact: Dr. Sara Cline

Course: BI 302 Genetics
EL Category: Research
Activity Description: Students investigate genetic conservation across Drosophila species through the Genomics Education Partnership (GEP).
Contact: Dr. Sara Cline

Course: BI303/L General Ecology
EL Category: Expedition, Research
Activity Description: Students sample fish diversity in North Alabama creeks, Piney Creek, Athens, AL. Students sample forest floor diversity at Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge, Decatur, AL.
Contact: Dr. Shannon Pittman

Course: BI311/L Biodiversity of North Alabama
EL Category: Expedition, Research
Activity Description: Students travel to a Wildlife Management Area and work with state biologist to sample ephemeral ponds; this student found a snapping turtle overwintering in a pond, Freedom Hills and Lauderdale WMA, Jackson County, AL
Contact: Dr. Shannon Pittman

Course: BI 313 Bioinformatics
EL Category: Research
Activity Description: Students investigated genetic variants with unknown effects identified by clinicians in the CODE project through HudsonAlpha.
Contact: Dr. Sara Cline

Course: BI415 Microbial Diversity and Human Interactions
EL Category: Research
Activity Description: Students screen for antibiotics and other bioactive molecules produced by bacteria they characterize from local soil samples through the SmallWorld Initiative.
Contact: Dr. Sara Cline

Course: BI 444 Special Topics: Genomics
EL Category: Learning through Research
Activity Description: The Genomics Education Partnership: Pathways Project is a course-based undergraduate research experience that uses network analysis approaches to better understand the evolution and function of biological pathways. Students present their research in a selected public platform at the end of the semester. The current focus is on annotating genes within the insulin signaling pathway across the Drosophila genus. – thegep.org/projects/pathways
Contact: Dr. Sara Cline

Course: BI451/L Marine Biology
EL Category: Expedition
Activity Description: Students investigate coastal ecosystem ecology, Dauphin Island, AL. Students investigate the diversity of marine ecosystems through sampling in Mobile Bay and the Gulf of Mexico
Contact: Dr. Shannon Pittman

Course: BI453/L Plant Ecology
EL Category: Expedition
Activity Description: Students investigate how climate and elevation impact forest ecosystems in the eastern United States, Great Smoky Mountains; learn tree identification and point-transect sampling
Contact: Dr. Shannon Pittman

Course: BI471 Senior Research Thesis
EL Category: Research
Activity Description: Students who have completed at least 3 credit hours of biology research present on their findings to the general public.
Contact: Dr. Sara Cline

Computer Science & Information Technology Courses

Course: CS 307 Foundations of Web Development
EL Category: Hands-On Learning
Activity Description: Students in this course learn how to create interactive webpages by learning HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and working with the Bootstrap CSS Framework. In the process, they build an electronic portfolio where they can share their URLs with anyone who would like to view their work during the semester.  Students also learn the guidelines for making their websites accessible in accordance with ADA laws.
Contact: Dr. Katia Maxwell

Course: UNV 400 Career Seminar CS/IT
EL Category: Workplace Learning
Activity Description: Students in Computer Science and Information Technology majors work through creating discipline-specific resumes, and cover letters, marketing themselves online, and creating a repository through GitHub to have their code on display. Lastly, at the end of the semester, students participate in virtual mock interviews with leads and hiring managers from industry in the Northern Alabama area.
Contact: Dr. Katia Maxwell

Course: ITE 450 Human-Computer Interaction
EL Category: Hands-On Learning
Activity Description: Students in the course work through the semester in a five-phase project that follows the process of identifying system users, creating a prototype, creating a questionnaire, and analyzing the feedback to evaluate the prototype before it would be considered ready to go into mass production.
Contact: Dr. Katia Maxwell

Course: CS/ITE 452 Senior Software Engineering Project
EL Category: Community Engagement
Activity Descriptions: In this class, students work with outside or inside project sponsors, projects will range from conducting research, to game development, to creating web applications (front end and backend database).
Contact: Dr. Katia Maxwell

Drama Courses

Course: DR 442 Special Topics in Theatre – Costume Construction
EL Category: Hands-On Learning
Activity Description: Students learn hand and machine sewing techniques, building their repertoire of sewing skills by working through increasingly difficult hands-on projects. Each student will complete a fabric manipulation project to transform or create a textile for use in costuming. Students will produce a minimum of 1 complete garment, beginning with the selection of a pattern and fabrics, and proceeding through cutting, stitching, and all finishing techniques. Students will also learn to alter a garment to fit a classmate or dress form.
Contact: Dr. Kimberly Jack

Psychology Courses

Course: PS 304 Drugs and Behavior
EL Category: Learning through Research
Activity Description: Students present a research poster in an academic style conference format. Students choose an appropriate topic within the field of drugs and behavior, providing information about the drug, the brain, the nervous system function, and the psychosocial effects. Topics are approved by the instructor and the poster presentation is scaffolded throughout the semester. Students present their work to the class in which they must walk the audience through the poster.
Contact: Dr. Vanessa Miller-Curtis

Course: PS 305 Human Sexuality
EL Category: Learning through Research, Hands-on Learning
Activity Description:  Students will have the opportunity to attend professional development opportunities through guest speakers and/or virtual conferences to be exposed to an aspect of Human Sexuality that they either may not have been exposed to before or have had some experience with but would like to examine on a deeper level.

Students will also have the opportunity to reflect on and critique media and research.  Students will be asked to provide feedback and reflections on selected films, and the opportunity to compare facts that are in the media versus facts that are found in published research.
Contact: Dr. Vanessa Miller-Curtis

Course: PS 352 Abnormal Psychology
EL Category: Hands-On Learning
Activity Description: Students work in groups to prepare and present an interactive, informative, and engaging presentation on one of four biography books. This activity puts students in the role of a team of mental health providers responsible for diagnosing, caring for, and treating the patient presented in the book. Students apply the knowledge they have learned about the causes, treatment, and maintenance of specific mental health disorders. Students are required to challenge their classmates, with each presentation having an active learning component, in which they engage the class.
Contact: Dr. Vanessa Miller-Curtis

Course: PS 420 Cognitive Psychology
EL Category: Hands-on learning
Activity Description: Students complete a literature review project in which they have an opportunity to delve further into a topic they find interesting in Cognitive Psychology. This project is scaffolded throughout the semester. Students present a critical, analytical summary and synthesis of the current knowledge of a topic in the field of Cognitive Psychology. Students collect the available literature on a topic, and then select the literature that is most relevant for that purpose. The written literature review summarizes and analyses the themes, topics, methods, and results of that literature in order to inform the reader about the history and current status of research on that topic.
Contact: Dr. Vanessa Miller-Curtis

Course: PS 498 Internship in Psychology
EL Category: Workplace Learning
Activity Description:  Students work on a project tailored and individualized to meet the needs of the internship site, engage students in the theoretical and applied aspects of the work.
Contact: Dr. Vanessa Miller-Curtis

Accounting Courses

Course: ACC 640 Accounting Analytics II
EL Category: Hands-On
Activity Description: Students complete a capstone project using data analytics skills and tools to analyze order-to-cash and procure-to-pay processes in a comprehensive, real-world dataset. Students analyze the data using Excel and Power BI, interpret the results, and communicate their findings through financial, managerial, and audit lenses.
Contact: Dr. Stacie Hughes

Course: ACC 552 Forensic Accounting II
EL Category: Hands-On
Activity Description: Students complete a forensic investigation to identify accounts payable fraud at a toy store. Students use investigative skills and technologies to identify how the fraud occurred, the amount of the fraud, and how to prevent this type of fraud in the future. The results of the investigation are presented in a written report to the toy store executives.
Contact: Dr. Stacie Hughes

Course: ACC 540 Accounting Analytics I
EL Category: Hands-On
Activity Description: Students complete a capstone project that combines all four steps of a data analytics process model and analytics software to answer a real-world question for a financial institution. Through the project, students define a question, prepare data and perform analysis to answer the question and present a written report identifying a recommended course of action for the financial institution based on the analysis.
Contact: Dr. Stacie Hughes

Management Courses

Course: MG 390 Operations Management
EL Category: Hands-On Learning
Activity Description: Operations Management students utilize a simulator through McGraw-Hill Connect called Practice Operations. Practice Operations puts players in the role of an operations decision-maker for a clothing manufacturing company.
Contact: Dr. Kim Roberts

Course: EL 420 Curriculum & Instruction: Science
EL Category: Workplace learning
Activity Description: Students meet on Cowart Elementary School campus for blended classes. Cowart is a designated STEM school (Spark Academy) where all subjects are taught through the lens of STEM. Preservice teachers have classes on the school campus and learn how to handle and organize real-world STEM materials, become involved in STEM lessons, tour the campus and see how classrooms are set up for STEM activities, and learn how STEM lessons are taught while integrating literature, math, and history. Preservice teachers are also allowed to watch K-3 students as they learn and collaborate during STEM lessons.
Contact: Dr. Marla Williams

Course: SC 362 Assessment & Evaluation in Secondary Education
EL Category: Hands-On Learning
Activity Description: Secondary teacher candidates authentically prepare for their culminating student teaching experience while also providing a much-needed resource to at-risk students in area schools. Secondary teacher candidates will tutor a student or students in either middle school or high school, that they have identified as needing extra help in a certain content area such as math, science, history, English, etc. The activity begins with teacher candidates reviewing the Quad-A tutoring method (LaFountaine, 2007) which focuses on the four stages of Assess, Assist, Allow autonomy, and Approach again. Teacher candidates then work with area classroom teachers and/or administrators to identify the secondary students that need and are willing to participate in tutoring. This hands-on learning experience is directly correlated to what teacher candidates must do during their student teaching internship as they complete the national edTPA portfolio assessment, which is required for teacher certification in Alabama. This tutoring experience demonstrates the impact on learning that these teacher candidates have on the at-risk students as well as improves the confidence of both the teacher candidates and secondary students simultaneously.
Contact: Dr. Leigh Hester

Course: SC 401 Practicum II (History, Social Studies)
EL Category: Workplace Learning
Activity Description: Students do 40 hours of observation in social studies or history classrooms.
Contact: Dr. Kris Erskine

Course: HY/SS 450 Methods and Materials in History and Social Science
EL Category: Community-Based Learning
Activity Description: Students sit with members of the community and do oral history interviews. These interviews are recorded and preserved on the Athens State Library database and are available for the public to access. This is a teaching methods class for future history and social science teachers. Students are creating primary source documents for permanent preservation. The hope is that they will take a project like this into their own classrooms in the future.
Contact: Dr. Kris Erskine