Liberal Studies Commons^™

Leadership And Change From Within: An Honors College And Ctl Partnership, Connie M. Schroeder, Hilary K. Snow

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

Scaling sustainable change in teaching and learning is an institutional priority in higher education, yet often it is elusive, given the decentralized and siloed academic landscape. Most colleges and departments lack the necessary expertise to design and implement scaled change or the critical organizational structures to sustain change. Centers for Teaching and Learning (CTLs) seek to advance improvement in teaching and learning and highlight improving institutional culture as part of their mission. Reliance on traditional programming and consultations, however, primarily targets individual change versus scaled or sustainable change.

The successful process of change at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Honors College …

Reimagining An Honors Education: Building A Community Of 21st-Century Learners, Robyn M. Brighton, Rebecca J. Toole

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

Throughout the spring 2021 academic term and in response to a multiyear redesign of the long-established Seneff Honors College, faculty and staff from both the honors college and the Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation at Valencia College set out to develop a professional development certification that would provide faculty with the information and tools needed to develop an honors curriculum aligning with the newly designed honors college.

The Brief Life Of A Students-As-Partners Model For Improving General Education, Rick Fisher, Janel Seeley

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

A Students-as-Partners (SaP) model has significant potential for meaningful relationships between centers for teaching and learning (CTLs) and honors programs or colleges. Honors programs and colleges are excellent partners in that they often have flexibility in course offerings and students interested in non-traditional learning opportunities. Too often, education planning and assessment are done to students rather than with them. Having students conduct scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) on university-wide initiatives not only provides the institution with valuable information about its teaching and learning efforts but also offers applicable research experience for students that can meaningfully impact future programming.

A Comprhensive Honors College Faculty Certification Model, Magda J. Castineyra, Virginia Fuillerat, Marianne Maduro

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

Provides an overview of the Honors College (HC) at Miami Dade College (MDC) which uses a faculty certification process to introduce the honors college model and present classroom expectations.

Honors Civic Foundations Faculty Fellows Program, Lauren E. Davis, Kevin D. Egan

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

In 2022–2023, Drexel University’s Pennoni Honors College implemented the Honors Civic Foundations Faculty Fellows Program, a new initiative for faculty development and enrichment grounded in principles of civic education.

A Faculty Inquiry Group For The Scholarship Of Teaching And Learning In Honors, Kevin Sackreiter, Rebecca C. Bott-Knutson, Christine Larson, Evren Celik-Wiltse

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

This chapter details a collaboration between the Van D. and Barbara B. Fishback Honors College and the Center for Professional Enrichment and Teaching Excellence (CPETE), formerly known as the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL), at South Dakota State University (SDSU). This collaboration launched an Honors Faculty Inquiry Group (FIG) on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). Greater philosophical themes, such as the desire to normalize scholarly emphasis on teaching and learning and how honors faculty can serve as teaching leaders on campus, will be explored in addition to the practical details and outcomes of the collaboration.

From Classrooms To Communities: Integrating The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Into Honors Education, Megan Mcilreavy, Pamela L. Martin

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

Embracing the United National Education for Sustainable Development (SDG) framework empowers students to reflect on their actions and understand current and future social, cultural, economic, and environmental issues from local and global perspectives. Inherent in the concept of lifelong learning, these values should resonate with our next generation of students (Gen Z) who, studies show, are making career choices that contribute to making real changes on our planet. Leveraging different institutional strengths, honors programs and colleges can tailor their education within the framework that SDG provides to accommodate various needs that will benefit the institution itself.

Honors Capstones And Self-Authorship: A Case Study, Chelsea Mckeirnan

Honors in Practice Online Archive

While self-authorship theory posits that students who actively define and articulate their values and goals are better positioned for post-collegiate success, little has been done to examine curricular opportunities for self-authorship in the context of honors education. This case study explores the potential for self-authorship development within an honors capstone preparation course at a southwestern regional university. Author observes that such a course provides students with opportunities for self-authorship development and self-efficacy by offering provocative moments and granting autonomy for decision-making. Results suggest that the design and structure of honors capstones can support the growth and development of honors students …

Envisioning Honors As Complex Problem Solving, Pat Akos, Nathan Hicks

Honors in Practice Online Archive

Honors education can maximize student well-being and career-life readiness by integrating a range of wicked problems and design thinking. This approach fosters interdisciplinary learning, critical thinking, and the development of innovative problem solvers. The authors introduce student choice and design thinking throughout the first three courses of an honors interdisciplinary minor at a large, public R1 university and consider its pedagogical implications.

Campus Legends And Mysteries: Building Institutional Identity Through Campus Lore, Viktoria Basham

Honors in Practice Online Archive

This essay presents an honors course designed to help students develop a holistic understanding of institutional history and identity while engaging with university culture. Author describes how students conduct research on the history, traditions, and local lore of both their home institution and broader geographic region by using a variety of campus resources and archival collections. Strong and personal bonds with the university are the touchstone for creating projects (n = 17) that contribute to campus lore, thereby extending student narratives to add to, enrich, and preserve an evolving institutional identity. Author suggests that course offerings such as this can …

Applications Of Systems Thinking In Honors Education: The Justice Challenge, Rebecca C. Bott, Jonathan D. Kotinek, Timothy J. Nichols, Heidi Appel, Andrea Radasanu, Joy L. Hart

Honors in Practice Online Archive

Honors education has long been praised for its potential as a test bed for curricular innovation. A wide variety of high-impact practices have been employed to prepare honors students to think critically and tackle complex problems. Examination of the use of systems thinking within pedagogical practices in honors education is, however, nearly nonexistent in the literature. The authors present a brief introduction to systems thinking; review its use within honors curricula; and examine how a nationwide collaborative of honors educators equips students with systems thinking tools to learn about and engage with complex interdisciplinary problems. The authors characterize systems thinking …

Honors Thesis Proposal Course Components, Lynn Stallings, Anete Vásquez

Honors in Practice Online Archive

Completion of an undergraduate thesis can be a transformational experience for honors students because they learn that they can contribute original intellectual thought to the record of scholarly knowledge. This essay considers how the misconceptions and challenges of an honors thesis can discourage students from undertaking the task. Authors describe the design, delivery, sequencing, resources, and administration of a junior-level thesis proposal course aimed at abating student anxiety over and supporting faculty engagement of thesis work. The Hopscotch Model, a tool to help novice researchers thoroughly design qualitative research studies while learning the philosophical underpinnings of a particular form of …

Development Of An Honors Leadership Academy Experience, Samantha Gregus, Chelsea Redger-Marquardt, Bobby Berry, Doug Stucky, Cindi Mason, Kimberly Engber

Honors in Practice Online Archive

This essay presents a leadership academy in honors, an interdisciplinary offering co-taught by a team of five faculty combining in-course curriculum with travel-based experiential learning. Authors describe the academy’s inception, development, and curricular objectives and outcomes, as well as the experiences of four student cohorts (2021–2024). Focusing on interdisciplinary approaches to community-based problem solving, students (n ≈ 8–14) learn the Social Change Model of Leadership Development framework; engage in self-reflective exercises relating to leadership values and attitudes; partner with a local nonprofit organization; use design thinking methodology to solve a specific organizational challenge; and collaboratively work in teams to …

Building Place-Based Experiential Learning Into The Honors Curriculum At Ohio University, Geoffrey L. Buckley, Nicole Finnicum, Michelle O'Malley, Jennifer Bowie, Yolonda Youngs

Honors in Practice Online Archive

Observing the demand for interdisciplinary experiential learning opportunities post-COVID, authors present a place-based curriculum in honors. Workshop-style special topics classes provide students with an immersive and flexible learning environment, energize faculty, and engage alumni and community partners. Coursework, fieldwork, internships, and study abroad opportunities all contribute to the development of an informed and engaged citizenry. Authors address challenges in funding, access, and equity, and they suggest ways these challenges might be met.

2024 Presidential Address, Eddie Weller

Honors in Practice Online Archive

The NCHC President recounts his history with the organization and challenges members to act with the values of justice, mercy, and humility. Organizational compassion, mutuality, and collaborative service are acknowledged and encouraged.

Includes a revised version of the 2024 National Collegiate Honors Council presidential address delivered on November 1, 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri.

Honors In Practice, Volume 21, 2025, Emily Allen

Honors in Practice Online Archive

CONTENTS

Editorial Policy, Deadline, and Submission Guidelines

Editor’s Introduction, Emily Allen

2024 NCHC CONFERENCE REMARKS 2024

Presidential Address, Eddie Weller

2024 Founders Award Remarks Elizabeth Cole Beck, John Zubizarreta

RESEARCH ESSAYS

Read Yourself In: Enhancing First-Year Student Belonging through Place as Text Pedagogy, John Andrews

Campus Legends and Mysteries: Building Institutional Identity through Campus Lore, Viktoria Basham

Building Place-based Experiential Learning into the Honors Curriculum at Ohio University, Geoffrey L. Buckley, Nicole Finnicum, Michelle O’Malley, Jennifer Bowie, and Yolonda Youngs

Why the Museum Matters to Honors, Mimi Killinger How to Create a Self-Sustaining Meditation Garden, Heather Salazar, Lydia Barrett-Miller, and …

2024 Founders Award Remarks, Elizabeth Cole Beck

Honors in Practice Online Archive

NCHC Founders Award recipient describes a three-decade career in honors education, highlights the immeasurable potential of honors programs for shaping student lives, and argues for the importance of conference attendance to honors educators.

Incudes

a revised version of remarks delivered at the 2024 National Collegiate Honors Council awards ceremony on November 1, 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri.

2024 Founders Award Remarks, John Zubizarreta

Honors in Practice Online Archive

The NCHC Founders Award recipient emphasizes the transformative power of honors education and the importance of community.

Includes a revised version of remarks delivered at the 2024 National Collegiate Honors Council awards ceremony on November 1, 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri.

How To Create A Self-Sustaining Meditation Garden, Heather Salazar, Lydia Barrett-Miller, Kaitlyn Parisan

Honors in Practice Online Archive

This essay presents the creation and maintenance of a campus meditation garden as an outgrowth of four successive philosophy classes in honors. The authors describe the garden’s inception, execution, curricular advantages, and administration, with specific examples of the impact on student health and well-being. The authors observe the ways in which honors students attained skills in transformational leadership by collaborating to develop projects and lead events, suggesting that a meditation garden may be appropriate for any learning environment emphasizing cooperation, creativity, mindfulness, and well-being.

Honors In Practice, Volume 21, 2025: About The Authors, National Collegiate Honors Council

Honors in Practice Online Archive

About the authors, Honors in Practice, volume 21 (2025).