Spring Teaching Conference 2024 Schedule
Community-Engaged Teaching and Learning
Sign language interpretation will be provided for in-person sessions and captioning for virtual (Zoom) sessions.
Wednesday, April 3 rd
Registration/Check-In
8:30 a.m. - ongoing throughout the day at the Conference Welcome Desk, Navajo Lounge (SUB, 3rd Floor)
Welcome to Spring Conference 2024
9:15 to 9:45 a.m. in Lobo A/B
Welcome To Spring Conference 2024: Community-Engaged Teaching And Learning.
Welcome: Aeron Haynie, Executive Director, Center for Teaching and Learning; Associate Professor of English.
Remarks: President Garnett S. Stokes.
Introduction to the Conference: Maria Lane, Interim Dean, Graduate Studies; Founding Director, R.H. Mallory Center for Community Engaged Geography; Professor, Geography & Environmental Studies; Presidential Teaching Fellow.
Morning Sessions
10-11 AM Concurrent Sessions
Option 1
Panel: What Does “The Community” Think About Community Engagement? Community Partners Share their Perspectives on Working with UNM Students and Classes
Panelists: Jorge Garcia, Executive Director, Center for Social Sustainable Systems; Mari Simbaña, Bernalillo County Open Space Manager; Guy McClellan, Historian, National Park Service—National Trails Office; Victoria Vicente, Social Studies Department Chair, Rio Grande High School; Sergio Schwartz, Lead Navigator, Student Success Planning, Del Norte High School. Moderator: Maria Lane, Professor of Geography and Founding Director of the R.H. Mallory Center for Community Geography, Presidential Teaching Fellow.
Description: In this panel session, we invite community partners to share their experiences working with UNM students and professors on projects across a range of geography topics and learning modalities. Discussion topics will include agreeing on project goals, making scheduling decisions, managing communications, setting expectations, and handling ethical considerations. All panelists have worked with students on projects supported by the R.H. Mallory Center for Community Geography, which since 2020 has supported professors (in geography and related disciplines) with the incorporation of community engagement in the classroom.
Location: SUB Santa Ana A/B [Rm 3012]
Option 2
Panel: The Ripple Effect of Community Engagement in Student Support Services
Panelists: Aine McCarthy, Women’s Resource Center; Farah Nousheen, Asian American Pacific Islander Resource Center; J. Gourdin, African American Student Services; Jorge Garcia, El Centro de la Raza; Jose Villar, College Enrichment & Outreach Programs; and Sidney Kabotie, Community Engagement Center. Moderator: Kiran Katira, Director, Community Engagement Center.
Description: Student support services view community engagement as a holistic approach to student success and wellbeing. The history of these centers is grounded in community engagement and continues to be a driving force for their co-curricular programming. Examples will be shared by African American Student Services, American Indian Student Services, El Centro de La Raza, the Asian American Pacific Islander Resource Center, College Enrichment Outreach Programs, Women’s Resource Center, and the Community Engagement Center.
Location: SUB Acoma A/B [Rm 3006]
11:15-12:15 AM Concurrent Sessions
Option 1
Workshop: Community-Centered Decolonization Pedagogy: Collaborative Curriculum Tools from Native College Professors, Students, and Graduates
Facilitators: Leola Paquin, Assistant Professor, Native American Studies; Janessa Bowekaty, Alicia Gallegos, Nathan Jopek, Lea Aguino
Description: In this workshop, educators and graduates of Native American Studies (NAS) will provide curriculum tools for educators to draw from in developing approaches to community-centered teaching and decolonization. The presenters will share approaches, samples of lessons, a decolonization rubric, and how the project is positioned within sustainable community wellbeing. Through this workshop, those in attendance will be able to take away examples of educational sovereignty and community-centered pedagogy. The stories, activities, and curriculum tools will serve as an inspiration for building models of community-centered teaching strategies in other education contexts.
Location: SUB Santa Ana A/B [Rm 3012]
Option 2
Panel: Zuni High School and UNM Collaborative Solar Energy Project
Panelists: Tito Busani, Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, UNM; Robert Cushman, Science Teacher, Zuni High School; Deena Gould, Assistant Professor, Teacher Education and Educational Leadership & Policy; Silvana Ovaitt, National Renewable Energy Laboratory; one student from Zuni High School, and one student from UNM Photovoltaic class.
Description: We present a collaborative teaching and learning project between students and faculty at UNM and at Zuni High School. The project involved technical, social, and leadership skills for designing a photovoltaic solar farm capable of sustaining a small community. Together, students learned technical skills and analyzed economic and environmental issues related to solar energy and tribal energy independence. In this discussion, a UNM student, Zuni high student, UNM professor, and Zuni high school teacher discuss what they learned from each other, the successes and challenges of the project, and the value of the project for the communities.
Location: SUB Acoma A/B [Rm 3006]
12:30 TO 1:30 PM: Keynote Address & Luncheon
Remarks: Pamela Cheek, Associate Provost for Student Success, Professor of French; Tim Castillo, Director, Community Engagement Initiatives, Professor of Architecture.
Keynote Speaker: Irene Vásquez, Chair and Professor, Chicana and Chicano Studies and Director of the Southwest Hispanic Research Institute.
Keynote Title: You know we've got to find a way, To bring some (community) lovin' here today , A Culture of Collective Community-Engaged Resurgence in the 21st Century University.
Location: LOBO A/B (for pre-registered attendees)
Virtual keynote: Zoom Connection
Afternoon Sessions
1:45-2:45 PM Concurrent Sessions
Option 1
Workshop: Connecting with Local Educational Agencies Through the Use of Restorative Practices
Facilitator: Layla Dehaiman, Program Coordinator, Special Education Teacher Training Program, College of Education & Human Sciences.
Description: In this session, participants will learn about restorative practices and how to use different approaches to relationship building with their classroom and other community members including local school systems. Key themes explored in this workshop include relationship building, conflict resolution, and community engagement. Implications of this work include forming strong relationships with community partners, engaging and working with youth, and learning conflict resolution strategies for when issues arise. Participants will engage in a connection circle process to better understand how to facilitate strategies discussed in this session.
Location: SUB Santa Ana A/B [Rm 3012]
Option 2
Panel: Woven ~ A Community-Engaged Planning & Design Practice: Approaches and Lessons from Weaving the Indigenous Design & Planning Institute (iD+Pi) within the UNM School of Architecture & Planning
Panelists: Theodore Jojola, PhD, Distinguished Professor and Director of the Indigenous Design + Planning Institute; Catherine Harris, Associate Professor, Landscape Architecture Department, UNM School of Architecture & Planning; Francisco Uviña, Assistant Professor, Landscape Architecture Department; Anthony Fettes, Assistant Professor, Landscape Architecture Department (moderator).
Description: In this session, attendees will learn about the Indigenous Design and Planning Institute (iD+Pi) at UNM and the on-going collaborations with professors in the School of Architecture and Planning. It will provide insight into the iD+Pi’s uniquely Indigenous philosophy and approach to community engagement and faculty will share how these guiding principles help lead curriculum and projects.
Location: SUB Acoma A/B [Rm 3006]
3-4 PM Concurrent Sessions
Option 1
Panel on Community-Engaged Methods & Experiences
Individual Presentation Details:
- Title: Community Engaged Research with Tribal Nations
Presenter: Jennifer Nez Denetdale, Professor and Chair of American Studies
Description: This session will demonstrate, through examples of on-going research projects in collaboration with the Navajo nation, what ethical and responsible practice looks like. The presenter draws upon thirty years of work as a researcher and educator who actively engages with a native nation and its leaders to use her education for the betterment of her communities. Specific examples of collaborative and community-based research and education will include museum exhibition design, an educational video, and a textbook project aimed at high school students. - Title: Community – Engagement, Creating Place & Space Experiences for Achievement & Success
Presenter: Rafael Chavez, Lecturer, University College
Description: Integrating the theory and applications of the Positive Psychology principles of the PERMA wellbeing theory and the VIA Strengths into the themes of community and engagement in student success led to the development of “Community – Engagement, Creating Place & Space Experiences, for Achievement & Success” as part of the Academic Communities Program at University of New Mexico – an initiative designed to provide the tools needed for student success in higher education. Academic Communities are community-based classes dedicated to helping first-year and transfer students develop academic and social community; a sense of engagement in their education; the skills necessary for academic success; an understanding of the culture of higher education; connections to UNM resources and support systems; and close relationships with university faculty and staff. This content was included in “The HERO Positive Psychology Mindsets for Student Success”, Liberal Arts & Integrative Studies (LAIS) class and the first class was delivered in Fall 2023. - Title: Promoting Academic Readiness using Digital Media
Presenters: Marisa Nodine and Kyle Castro, Center for Teaching & Learning
Description: The UNM Center for Teaching and Learning is focused on closing the academic readiness gap by leveraging faculty partnerships to improve the success of our students. This year, we developed a learning strategy module in partnership with faculty, using content focused on time management, study tips, note-taking, and exam preparation at the college level. The module gives students access to resources designed to help them persevere while working at their own pace, and faculty are provided a tool they can use to support students more effectively. Session participants will experience a walkthrough of the module and learn about its impact.
Option 2
Panel: Community Geography: In the Classroom and Beyond!
Panelists: Yolanda C. Lin, Assistant Professor, Department of Geography & Environmental Studies; Laurel Ladwig (Community Partner and Part-time UNM Instructor); Anna Marklin, Carolina Valderrama Hincapie, and Rae Bennu (UNM students).
Description: This session will feature student projects from community-engaged geography classes, as well as perspectives from the community partners and instructors who have designed these course experiences. The featured projects, from both lower division geography classes (GEOG 2115: Information Design) and upper/graduate level coursework (SUST 499: Sustainability Studies Capstone) and internships through the Center for Community Geography and the Sustainability Studies Program, were conducted in partnership with the Albuquerque City Nature Challenge and ABQ Backyard Refuge Program at Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge. This session is intended to support the development of a community of practice around interested students, faculty, and community partners who may be looking to work in or with community-engaged classrooms.
Location: SUB Acoma A/B [Rm 3006]
