Applying Concepts, Knowledge and Skills in Academic Programs

Presenter Information

Alina BaltazarFollow
Curt VanderWaalFollow
Shannon TrecartinFollow
Doug TaylorFollow
Diane MyersFollow
Duane CovrigFollow
Anneris Coria-NaviaFollow
Randy SieboldFollow

Abstract

This session highlights three different strategies for having students apply concepts, knowledge and skills in the classroom. Participants will come away with ideas for incorporating these strategies into their own courses.

Alina Baltazar, Curt VanderWaal and Shannon Trecartin: "Community-Based Data Collection and Evaluation: Real World Applications"

Doug Taylor, Diane Myers: "Project-Based Learning and Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration in the Classroom"

Duane Covrig, Anneris Coria-Navia and Randy Siebold: "Portfolios—Will They Work in Your Program?"

Biography

Alina Baltazar is associate professor of social work, director of the MSW program in the Department of Social Work and director of the Center for Prevention Education at the Institute for the Prevention of Addictions at Andrews University, as well as a psychotherapist at Psychiatric and Psychological Specialties in St. Joseph, Michigan. Baltazar received her BA in psychology from Andrews University, Master of Social Work from University of Michigan and PhD in human development and family studies from Michigan State University. In the area of academics, Alina has worked as an adjunct faculty in social work, behavioral sciences and family studies and as a research scientist. Her research areas are in religiosity and parental influence on health risk behaviors, domestic violence and mental health. She has published textbook chapters, peer reviewed journal articles, and magazine articles and has presented at church and national conferences as well as given presentations in the community on these topics. She has been a social worker for over 17 years. As a social work clinician, Alina has worked in the areas of medical social work, outreach counseling, psychiatric social work, domestic violence program administration and psychotherapy.

Curtis VanderWaal is chair and professor of social work at Andrews University, where he has taught since 1990. He is also director of the Center for Community Impact Research at the Institute for Prevention of Addictions. He teaches classes in program evaluation, substance abuse treatment, group therapy and values & ethics. The majority of his research has focused on substance abuse treatment and prevention, social capital, faith-based ministries, agency program evaluations, and faith-based LGBT issues. He has been involved in over 30 funded research projects, including funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the National Institute of Justice, the DeVos Family Foundations, the United Way of Southwest Michigan, and the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. He has authored or co-authored over 30 peer reviewed journal articles or book chapters and participated in more than 90 peer reviewed research presentations and poster sessions. He currently serves on the editorial board of the journal "Social Work and Christianity." He is also a board member for Riverwood Center, the community mental health center for Berrien County.

Prior to coming to Andrews University, VanderWaal was a counselor at a community mental health center in Michigan. He received his Master of Social Work (MSW) in 1987 from the University of Michigan and his PhD in 1995 from Case Western Reserve University, in Cleveland, Ohio. Curt is a member of the National Association of Social Workers and the Council on Social Work Education. He has been inducted into the Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society and Phi Kappa Phi and Phi Alpha honor societies. He received the J.N. Andrews Medallion (2014), the Siegfried H. Horn Scholarly Research Award (2012), the Student Advising Award from Andrews University (1992), the Zapara Excellence in Teaching Award (1998) and the Andrews University Teacher of the Year award (1999).

Shannon Trecartin is originally from Tennessee and now calls Michigan home. She completed a PhD in social work from the University of Tennessee, a master’s degree in social work with an emphasis in marriage and families at Andrews University and a Bachelor of Social Work at Southern Adventist University. Her practice experience includes medical social work, public health, community counseling, and research and evaluation. She has provided case management, counseling and therapy to children, adults and families since 2005. Shannon has been teaching social work courses since 2008. Her research focus is on aging and disabilities with an emphasis on the social and built environment as contributors to well-being. Shannon and her husband enjoy traveling and anything related to the outdoors including camping, scuba-diving and gardening.

Doug Taylor has been teaching graphic design at Andrews University for the past eight and a half years and is the creator and creative director of Articulate, a design firm created to give students experiences with real clients and to generate revenue that will ultimately be used for student scholarships. Doug is always looking for ways to give students opportunities to collaborate with other disciplines and gain real world experiences that will help them get jobs in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

Before coming to teach at Andrews University, Doug gained diverse industry experience working as a creative director at several graphic design and web studios and has worked as a senior creative at a large ad agency. He has worked with clients both large and small all over the world including Kellogg Corporation, Yum! Brands (parent company of Taco Bell and KFC), Jeep, Yamaha and the Federal Department of Transportation, to name just a few.

Diane Myers teaches graphic design in the Department of Visual Art, Communication & Design. Before coming to Andrews, she worked in Toronto as an art director for a media and publishing company where she was responsible for over 50 titles a year. In her 20+ years working as a graphic designer, she has won many awards, specifically in magazine design. Early in her career she learned to collaborate with writers, editors, photographers, illustrators, sales teams, clients, printers and many others! In the classroom, she shares her experiences to educate her students in the “best practices” and replicate some of what students might expect in their future careers. She is the design editor for Envision magazine—a very collaborative project—and works with her team of students to create the layout for each issue. You can read all of the issues at issuu.com/envisionmagazine/docs or read about the latest topics at Envisionmag.com.

Duane Covrig, a native Californian, has taught at universities in California and in the Midwest. He teaches in both leadership and administration as well as religion and ethics. He has published on ethics and organizational research.

Anneris Coria-Navia is associate professor of curriculum and instruction. She teaches undergraduate courses in the teacher preparation program and graduate courses in the curriculum and instruction program. Anneris was recently appointed director of the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence. Her scholarly work focuses on the improvement of K–12 Adventist schools, student perceptions of pedagogical strategies, and the effectiveness of professional development as emergent practices in small higher education institutions.

Randy Siebold began teaching at Andrews University in 1991. He directs the MA in leadership program and conducts workshops in leadership, learning, and creativity and innovation. His research has focused on leadership and Adventist education.

Location

BUL150

Start Date

8-16-2018 2:00 PM

End Date

8-16-2018 4:20 PM