Immersive learning — one of Ball State's notable campus-wide initiatives — attracts students from all disciplines into collaborative classroom settings each year.
Suzanne Plesha, director of faculty support and assessment for the Office of Entrepreneurial Learning, said hundreds of immersive learning classes are taking place at Ball State this semester, but not all are registered with the office.
Several colleges and departments offer immersive learning classes in a wide variety of subjects.These are four projects currently working to benefit the Muncie community this semester.
Chase Charlie
The School of Kinesiology offers an immersive learning class each year that allows four different disciplines of students to put on the Chase Charlie races that take place during Family Weekend.
The sport administration program implements and markets the 5k, and athletic training organizes the medical staff, said professor Elizabeth Wanless. Also preparing for the event, physical education and teacher education students are engaging in physical activity promotion within the elementary schools, and exercise science students are holding a health fair at the Boys and Girls Club on Sept. 8.
When Wanless was a graduate student at Ball State, she helped with Chase Charlie by being a resource at the finish line to answer the public’s questions. Now, she coordinates the undergraduate program and the Chase Charlie immersive learning class.
“You could teach someone how to run an event in a day’s time. The material is not that complex, but what’s complex is all of these parts work together when an event is actually being run,” Wanless said. “Learning that planning by doing, this is a natural way to do it and a natural step for me.”
Riverside/Normal City: Portrait of a Middletown Neighborhood
Jennifer Erickson is leading an ethnography, or an approach to study, of the Riverside normal city neighborhood, which is east of campus and includes the Village. Her students will look at the history of the neighborhood and how it has transformed over time.
“We’ll be looking at things like home ownership and family living versus student rental housing in that neighborhood, what kind of businesses have come and gone, schools [and] parks,” Erickson said. “I’m modeling it off of a similar project in Indianapolis.”
Erickson and some of her students live in the neighborhood they’re studying. There are 17 total students in the class.
“We’ll be out doing participant observations … looking at the day-to-day activities that we can observe, doing some interviews, photography, things like that. The final product will be a book that will be also available online through the digital archives at Ball State University,” Erickson said. “Also, we want to print a copy of book and give it to the residents that are interested.”
Preventing Financial Exploitation of Older Adults
Ten students are trying to develop materials to present to older adults and their families in an attempt to prevent elder exploitation. Professor Ron Dolon, who is in charge of the class, has a friend whose mother was exploited for $60,000 in California. Bank tellers will be trained as part of the class.
“We’re thinking that the bank tellers should be aware of scams [and] what to look for,” Dolon said. “We’re gonna start contacting places at the end of the semester where elderly people and their families, and we’re gonna be presenting workshops.”
Dolon’s area of interest is elder abuse, and he’s hoping the students in his class take the resources created back to their own communities when the class is over.
“We have students going to agencies … it’s very gratifying [for me to see],” Dolon said.
Delaware County Historical Society - Cultural Heritage Planning
History professor Ronald Morris is currently overseeing four teams of students who are each working on a project for a different community partner. The teams are developing mobile apps for the Monon Railroad and Krider Garders, while the Canal Society of Indiana will be the benefactor of a website and newsletter designed by the class.The fourth group will look into how other historical museums in Indiana manage their collections and finances. After doing this research, they will then make recommendations to the Delaware County Historical Museum.
“The students are very definitely in charge … they certainly have taken leadership in doing that. My role is to help them navigate areas that they are unfamiliar with and to give them support anytime they hit a roadblock,” Morris said. “I’ve worked with local historical societies for a number of years … people are finding us [to do projects].
Five different majors are represented in the project groups.
“I’m always amazed at how many abilities Ball State students have … students come into classes well-prepared and they pitch in and they’re ready to work and get things done. I think many of these students are going to find that the contacts they make in this class will help them as they enter the world of work."
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