RESEARCH Plan & Article
Innovative Newark forms part of Dr. Puicón’s ongoing research that revolves around the following questions:
What are the potential benefits of an Engaged Liberal Arts & Sciences education for under-represented, first-generation students?
How does this type of education benefit the community at large?
How can Dr. Puicón, as an educator, engage with students’ lived experiences and harness that knowledge in the classroom?
Beginning in the Spring 2023 semester, students enrolled in the Innovative Newark course at Bard Early College - Newark agreed to the following:
At the beginning of the semester: (1) students will take an academic assessment to measure their prior knowledge and skills in writing and historical analysis; (2) students will take a survey to gauge their prior knowledge and familiarity with community-based groups in Newark.
By mid-semester: (1) students will take a mid-year academic assessment to measure their growth in writing and historical analysis; (2) students will partake in a short-term experiential learning opportunity with one of the three proposed community partners
By end of semester: (1) students will take a final academic assessment to measure their overall growth in writing and historical analysis; (2) students will present their final research projects related to their experiential learning opportunity with one of the three proposed community partners to a panel consisting of faculty, students, community members, and the City of Newark.
The goals of this research plan and course are to:
Research the potential benefits of an Engaged Liberal Arts & Sciences education for under- represented, first-generation students at Bard Early College - Newark through Dr. Puicon’s Innovative Newark college elective.
Create long-term partnerships with the proposed community partners as sites for future experiential learning opportunities.
Provide an avenue for students to combine historical analytical skills learned in the course with their lived experience through successful completion of a final social innovation project.
In conclusion, the goal of the course and this research project is to engage students to develop and polish their critical thinking, problem-solving, and social skills so they can become Innovative Citizens in their greater city of Newark. Innovative Newark is a course that requires students to engage with the larger Newark community. The goal is to unlock the potential benefits of an Engaged Liberal Arts & Sciences education through this course beyond the classroom at Bard Early College-Newark. The community will benefit by having the students involved in community building projects that solve an issue students feel passionate about.
Impacts will be measured by the following:
Student academic assessments to measure their growth in writing and historical analysis
Student daily attendance rates
Student surveys (pre and post course completion)
In the Spring of 2024, Dr. Puicon published an article, “Innovative Newark: Creating Engaged Citizens in the Global City,” based on the research plan mentioned above, through the Intitute for Writing and Thinking’s Center for Liberal Arts and Sciences Pedagogy’s (IWT CLASP) Journal, Studies in Student-Centered Teaching and Learning Around the Globe.
The Spring 2024 issue of this new annual publication features the work of the 2023 cohort of CLASP Fellows, of which Dr. Puicon was a part of, reflecting on student-centered, writing-based teaching and learning at sites around the world. Most of the classroom research and scholarship detailed in the journal was conducted on campuses outside the US and was part of the Fellows’ capstone projects. The journal features 14 articles from faculty at 13 different institutions.
Read Dr. Puicon’s article, “Innovative Newark: Creating Engaged Citizens in the Global City.”