SUSTAINING A COMMUNITY OF SCHOLARS AT A TRANSNATIONAL UNIVERSITY: A SELF-STUDY

In this article we report on a self-study at a transnational researchintensive university in Qatar. We trace the shared perceptions of four emerging scholars, from two disciplines, coming together to build a sustainable community of scholars as an interdisciplinary team. We explore our initial thoughts in developing our group and illustrate the themes of collegiality, mentorship and conflict in sustaining a successful community of scholars. We conclude with lessons learned illustrating how the concept of support played a significant factor in sustaining our community and adjusting to both a transnational education setting and expatriate life. The findings may serve useful to others working in such a setting, and most expressively, provide an opportunity to broaden the continued scholarly discourses of scholarship, community of scholars, and interdisciplinary teams within the context of transnational education

SUSTAINING A COMMUNITY OF SCHOLARS AT A TRANSNATIONAL UNIVERSITY: A SELF-STUDY

In this article we report on a self-study at a transnational researchintensive university in Qatar. We trace the shared perceptions of four emerging scholars, from two disciplines, coming together to build a sustainable community of scholars as an interdisciplinary team. We explore our initial thoughts in developing our group and illustrate the themes of collegiality, mentorship and conflict in sustaining a successful community of scholars. We conclude with lessons learned illustrating how the concept of support played a significant factor in sustaining our community and adjusting to both a transnational education setting and expatriate life. The findings may serve useful to others working in such a setting, and most expressively, provide an opportunity to broaden the continued scholarly discourses of scholarship, community of scholars, and interdisciplinary teams within the context of transnational education

Unprecedented Disruption: COVID-19 Impact on San Diego Nonprofits

Nonprofit organizations are often on the frontlines of crisis, serving as a critical partner to government in sustaining our community safety net and quality of life. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many local nonprofits are experiencing increased demands for services, yet have been hindered or completely cut off from responding due to stay at home orders, revenue loss, and physical distancing. In an effort to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on local nonprofits’ ability to meet their communities’ needs, The University of San Diego’s Nonprofit Institute has been surveying nonprofit leaders since March 2020. This report documents findings from the second survey of nonprofit leaders administered between April 21-27, 2020. A total of 381 nonprofit leaders representing both small and large nonprofits from a variety of subsectors responded to the second survey. While the survey was a convenience sample, the results are similar to the actual composition of the nonprofit sector except for an overrepresentation of arts and culture and environment and an underrepresentation of education. In terms of budget size, the smallest nonprofits (revenue under $50K) were underrepresented and the largest nonprofits (revenue$5 Million+) were overrepresented.https://digital.sandiego.edu/npi-npissues/1004/thumbnail.jp

When is an Owl More Than an Owl? An Interaction Analysis of a Computer Science Co-design Conversation on Cultural Relevance

The learning sciences community is currently exploring new ways to enact productive and equitable co-design research-practice partnerships that are sensitive to all the concerns and needs of stakeholders. The paper contributes to that still-growing literature through an interaction analysis of a co-design discussion involving school district partners that unfolded about cultural relevance and sensitivity in relation to the use of a specific image in an elementary school coding lesson. The episode involved looking moment-by-moment at how district educators recognized and acknowledged that a specific design decision could be harmful for a minoritized population of students enrolled in the district. However, once a key change was made to be more culturally responsive and considerate, new and unexpected pedagogical challenges appeared. This case serves to illustrate some of the unexpected tensions that can appear in real-time when unanticipated questions about cultural relevance are foregrounded during lesson and materials co-design

Co-Designing Elementary-Level Computer Science and Mathematics Lessons: An Expansive Framing Approach

This study examines how a rural-serving school district aimed to provide elementary-level computer science (CS) by offering instruction during students’ computer lab time. As part of a research-practice partnership, cross-context mathematics and CS lessons were co-designed to expansively frame and highlight connections across – as opposed to integration within – the two subjects. Findings indicated that most students who engaged with the lessons across the lab and classroom contexts reported finding the lessons interesting, seeing connections to their mathematics classes, and understanding the programming. In contrast, a three-level logistic regression model showed that students who only learned about mathematics connections within the CS lessons (thus not in a cross-context way) reported statistically significant lower levels of interest, connections, and understanding

From Craftsmanship to Connectivity: Exploring Networked Learning in a Contemporary Corporate Apprenticeship Program in the United States

Apprenticeship is a long-valued form of workforce learning. Historical models of craft apprentices learning a trade from a master have prevailed for centuries. In more recent eras, apprenticeship programs have proliferated in industrial sectors and are now facing a revival in corporate settings (Fuller & Sigelman, 2017; Federal Reserve Bank, 2019). However, corporate programs today face different challenges than earlier renditions. Specifically, programs today must enable learning outcomes in a digital context, as professional work today increasingly involves digital or hybrid working environments. Much of the existing literature on apprenticeship focuses on the nature of the craft apprenticeship or the specific features of cognitive apprenticeship within a developmental relationship. Given the rapidly growing number of modern corporate apprenticeship programs, it is essential to understand how learning happens in these dynamic environments. This paper analyzes interview data and five participant case studies to examine a modern corporate apprenticeship program at a multinational consulting firm. The program is a full-time and fully paid learning and working experience for non-degree candidates. It operates in 40 cities across the United States and has enrolled over 2,000 apprentices. Apprentices have formal and informal learning experiences throughout the program, including on-the-job learning. They also work in geographically dispersed teams via a hybrid workplace that is predominantly virtual. Emic themes reveal that digital tools afford apprentices access to a broader networking environment, level up independently, engage in informal betterment with experienced others, and participate in shared discovery and problem-solving with peers. However, situated learning in a project context and strong relationships with various experienced others are equally essential to the digital tools. Drawing upon epistemic lenses of learning that consider how technologies enable learning across multiple activities, environments, and relationships, these findings paint a picture of how apprentices collaboratively engage in value-generating activities as mediated by technology and engage in networked learning

The Powerful Potential of Relationships and Community Writing

The following essay is a collective reflection in which the authors revisit the themes they raise in the edited volume Unsustainable, ask new questions, and suggest, again, that long-term sustainability might not be the most appropriate goal for every university-community partnership. Still, relationships, with all their variability, remain the lifeblood of community writing work. Just as the Conference on Community Writing (CCW) was a welcome opportunity to reconnect with old friends and learn new names, our programs are built on the strength of the relationships we build in the community and on our campuses