UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Instructors who need fresh and innovative ideas to design a new and authentic course assignment, or who have an old assignment that needs a revamp are invited to apply to the Classroom-to-Community (C2C) program. Sponsored by Teaching and Learning with Technology (TLT), C2C provides Penn State faculty the opportunity to critically evaluate their course assignments and transform traditional assignments into authentic, renewable experiences that foster digital fluency among students.
An authentic assignment experience immerses students in academic activities and tasks that require them to apply classroom concepts to practical, real-world contexts. In a C2C assignment, students achieve authentic experiences by identifying pressing issues within a community of interest and making a positive impact on those communities.
Renewable assignments have instructions and student artifacts that exist beyond the completion of the course. This could involve using open teaching methods when creating assignments or a more limited method of only sharing assignment materials with other instructors and students in the course.
Recognizing the dynamic nature of modern education and the growing importance of digital skills, the C2C program prepares students for success in the digital age. C2C assignments also promote digital fluency skills by requiring students to leverage one or more advanced digital technologies , such as Google Earth, Padlet or Spatial, to complete assignment objectives.
Through collaborating with learning designers from TLT, faculty will create innovative C2C assignments that extend their instruction beyond the traditional classroom and help guide students to make a lasting impact on the communities they serve.
C2C enrollment is ongoing throughout the semester, and the average time commitment depends on the assignment design. Anyone interested in participating will present their ideas and may propose a new C2C assignment or redesign an existing one.
Once applications are submitted, faculty will be notified with more details on how to proceed. C2C welcomes all Penn State faculty to apply. The application form is active and the C2C website includes more information. Individuals with questions are encouraged to email Helen Hu at huh162@psu.edu.