By Nella Quasnitschka
UConn Early College Experience is happy to announce the return of the Course Enhancement Awards for UConn courses taught in partner high schools. Eligible UConn ECE partners were invited to submit proposals for two types of projects: (1) Classroom Enhancement and (2) Community Development. Below is a list of proposals that have been funded for the 2023-24 academic year. We look forward to sharing results and outcomes with you next year.
Bullard Havens Technical High School
ECE Instructor: Bridget Wrabel
UConn Course: ENGL 1007: Seminar and Studio in Academic Writing and Multimodal Composition
Description: A class set of “Worn Stories” by Emily Spivack will be purchased to help build their classroom library.
Christian Heritage School
ECE Instructor: Jamie Cosgrove
UConn Course: BIOL 1107: Principles of Biology I
Description: Students will have hands on experience to new technology that they otherwise would not be exposed to because of Professor Cosgrove’s effort to secure funding for a new CRISPR lab set.
East Hampton High School
ECE Instructor: Kasey Tortora
UConn Course: HDFS 1070: Individual & Family Development
Description: A Reality Works Pregnancy Profile Simulator will be purchased to help students understand pregnancy’s impact on the body. The goal of these simulation experiences is to give students real hands-on exposure to pregnancy and stages of life.
Glastonbury High School
ECE Instructor: Laura Haddad
UConn Course: ENGL 1007: Seminar and Studio in Academic Writing and Multimodal Composition
Description: Microphones will be purchased to script and record informational podcasts. This multi-modal project allows students to have a voice and to practice putting their writing into real-world applications.
Hall High School
ECE Instructor: Connie Xu
UConn Course: CHIN 1114: Intermediate Chinese II
Description: Lanterns, dragons, mahjong, tea set, and calligraphy are great authentic materials that will be acquired for the classroom over the years. What was missing was a karaoke machine – a very popular form of entertainment among Chinese culture across age groups.
Lewis S. Mills High School
ECE Instructor: Laura Faga
UConn Course: FREN 3250: Global Culture I
Description: This award will allow students to attend the French Quiz bowl in the Fall of 2023. Students will return to their school and share the knowledge they have gained with younger students.
Middletown High School
ECE Instructor: UConn ECE team
UConn Course: HIST1300: Western Traditions Before 1500, HIST1400: Modern Western Traditions, ENGL 1007: Seminar and Studio in Academic Writing and Multimodal Composition, ANSC 1676: Introduction to Companion Animals, ANSC1602: Behavior and Training of Domestic Animals, SPSS 1110: Fundamentals of Horticulture, and HRTS 1007: Introduction to Human Rights
Description: This award will be used to support an all-day community event for Middletown High School students. Students will be able to network with community members and explore resources available to them. Middletown High School Pride Leaders, who are students that take UConn ECE courses, will lead events, direct students, and be positive role models. This event will benefit all involved parties.
Newington High School
ECE Instructor: Carla Toney
UConn Course: ILCS 3239 & ILCS 3240: Composition & Conversation I & II Description: With the goal of increasing opportunities for students to access authentic materials, funds have been provided to create a readers’ library in the classroom.
Ridgefield High School
ECE Instructor: JR Condosta
UConn Course: ERTH 1051: Earth’s Dynamic Environment
Description: Funding for this award will support the development and implementation of a self-guided geoscience walking trail on the Ridgefield High School campus. This educational walking trail will be a valuable resource for students in various high school courses and members of the community. It will provide an engaging way to learn about the geology and natural history of the area.
Trumbull High School
ECE Instructor: Gregg Basbagill
UConn Course: ECON 1201: Principles of Microeconomics
Description: One major deficiency in Mr. Basbagill’s course is the gap between the economic models being taught and the lived experience in the real world. To address this gap, microphones will be purchased so students can begin podcasting. This will allow students to develop a more empathic understanding of how inflation, unemployment, and output affect actual people.
University High School of Science and Engineering
ECE Instructor: Caryn Baseler UConn Course: MARN 1001E: The Sea Around Us
Description: Students in the UConn ECE Marine Sciences class will visit Meigs Point Nature Center and participate in their Three Shoreline Ecosystems program so students can visualize and apply what they have learned in class to the rocky shore, sandy beach and salt marsh ecosystems.
Waterbury Career Academy
ECE Instructor: Frank F. Marcucio, III
UConn Course: AH 4092: EMT Training
Description: Funds for this award will go towards the purchase of cardiopulmonary resuscitation mannequins that record their performance and interface with AEDs. This will provide immediate feedback to Mr. Marcucio’s students. The mannequins will allow students to develop and hone their skills and address inadequacies in a scientific method based on recorded performance.
The Woodstock Academy
ECE Instructor: Sharon Geyer
UConn Course: CHEM 1127Q & CHEM 1128Q: General Chemistry I & II
Description: This classroom enhancement award is for the acquisition of Go Direct sensors and probes that will allow the implementation of science experiments in UConn ECE courses. The sensors will be used throughout all UConn ECE Science courses, allowing approximately 160 students annually to benefit.
The Office of Early College Programs will award UConn ECE Course Enhancement Awards again next year.