Midland College’s newly created DRIVE Symposium is giving college students the chance to be taught, analysis, and current their findings to an viewers.
The primary-ever DRIVE Symposium was held on Nov. twenty first, with greater than 100 college students collaborating, representing a wide range of courses.
For the previous 12 years, the Fall and Spring Analysis Festivals have been a method for college kids to showcase their analysis tasks. Dr. Megan Nielsen, Dean for the Luther Faculty of Arts & Sciences, mentioned the aim has been to discover a manner for extra college students to have alternatives to current their analysis, with out the stress of being judged.
“The DRIVE Symposium was created with the aim of offering a extra inclusive occasion for college kids throughout a spread of majors and tutorial ranges to focus on their work,” Nielsen mentioned. “The Analysis Truthful has actually grown, which has been nice, however it’s outgrown its house with the judges and the viewers. Thus, we talked about alternatives the place we may contain extra college students at extra ranges and with extra tasks. There are not any judges, so ideally, a few of these college students will get apply presenting after which can take part within the Analysis & Essential Pondering Truthful as a senior.”
The DRIVE framework is designed to develop abilities, create experiences, and put together college students to set their path to success. The DRIVE framework is constructed on 5 key attributes – Digital Fluency, Analysis & Essential Pondering, Innovation, Vocation & Management, and Engagement & Expression.
“The DRIVE Symposium permits for a extra intentional option to characterize all of the letters in DRIVE and present the way it’s being utilized in so a lot of our courses,” Nielsen mentioned. “It’s allowed all ranges of scholars to take part, and for a lot of of them, this shall be their first time presenting. It’s additionally allowed them to grow to be extra conscious of what DRIVE represents and the way their tasks are associated to DRIVE.”
Lily Falcone, a sophomore Psychology main, took half within the Analysis Truthful as a part of the Howard Hanson Honors Program her freshman yr and was a presenter throughout the DRIVE Symposium as properly. “I used to be excited to be a part of a brand new occasion,” she mentioned. “Having participated within the Analysis Truthful a yr in the past, I felt as if this was not as disturbing and felt far more ready this time round.”
The Symposium and the DRIVE framework purpose to assist college students develop important pondering abilities and put together them to speak with others, no matter their vocation.
“It doesn’t matter what job you might be concerned in, communication abilities and the power to articulate and share your concepts with an viewers is vital,” Nielsen mentioned. “Past that, it helps spotlight what they’ve discovered within the classroom. The scholars I listened to had been happy with what that they had discovered and located.”
With extra displays forward in her faculty and sometime skilled profession, Falcone believes the expertise gained from the DRIVE Symposium shall be invaluable. “I actually loved the subject and analysis facet of the symposium. This may assist my friends and me grow to be extra assured when researching extra subjects in our profession fields.”
Nielsen mentioned the aim is to host a symposium every semester, aiming for continued development. “We bought plenty of constructive suggestions from the primary symposium, and I believe the expertise went even higher than we may have guessed,” she mentioned. “Targets for down the street would come with having the ability to contain extra courses and get extra viewers participation.”
