Jazmín Puicón, Assistant Professor of History, Bard Early College (United States)

Jazmín’s project revolves around the following research questions: What are the potential benefits of an Engaged Liberal Arts & Sciences education for under-represented, first-generation students? How does this type of education benefit the community at large?

Jazmín’s research plan is as follows: Beginning of semester: (1) students take an academic assessment to measure their prior knowledge and skills in writing and historical analysis; (2) students take a survey to gauge their prior knowledge and familiarity with community-based groups in Newark.
- By mid-semester: (1) students will take a mid-year academic assessment to measure their growth in writing and historical analysis; (2) students will partake in a short-term experiential learning opportunity with one of the three proposed community partners
- By end of semester: (1) students will take a final academic assessment to measure their overall growth in writing and historical analysis; (2) students will present their final research projects related to their experiential learning opportunity with one of the three proposed community partners to a panel consisting of faculty, students, community members, and the City of Newark.

The goals of this research plan and course are to:
(1) Research the potential benefits of an Engaged Liberal Arts & Sciences education for under- represented, first-generation students at BHSEC-Newark through Jazmín’s Innovative Newark college elective. (2) create long-term partnerships with the proposed community partners as sites for future experiential learning opportunities
(3) Innovative Newark is an interdisciplinary course that utilizes project-based learning, community engagement, and original research, leading to a social innovation that will solve a problem in the greater Newark community. Students are introduced to the importance and challenges of global problem solving in local contexts and to their roles as Innovative Citizens in Newark.

Innovative citizenship requires students to challenge the status-quo by identifying social problems, mobilizing resources, and building networks as they work towards the social good. This course is designed for students to integrate knowledge, techniques, and expertise from multiple fields to address the moral, social, and cultural questions and the scientific and economic challenges surrounding UN SDGs explored on a local Newark context. The goal of the course is to engage students to develop and polish their critical thinking, problem-solving, and social skills so they can become Innovative Citizens in their greater city of Newark.

Innovative Newark is a course that requires students to engage with the larger Newark community. The goal is to unlock the potential benefits of an Engaged Liberal Arts & Sciences education through this course beyond the classroom at BHSEC-Newark. Community will benefit by having the students involved in community building projects that solve an issue students feel passionate about.

Impacts will be measured by both the partnering organization and Jazmin. Jazmin will measure the impacts by: (1) time spent by students working in the community; (2) student academic assessment to measure their growth in writing and historical analysis; (3) student attendance rate.