Erin Blanchette Transitions to Another Office

Posted on June 10, 2020June 15, 2020 by Carissa Rutkauskas

By Brian A. Boecherer

The office is experiencing another transition – Erin Blanchette – our long-time colleague has transitioned to another job at the University in the accounting division. We are sad to see Erin go, and her departure has left a noticeable hole in the office. We are, however, so happy for her, as this is clearly a good progression and a new exciting adventure for her. Erin joined the office in 2006 and has filled many positions over the years. Some may remember her as the registration coordinator and also assistant to the previous director. In more recent times Erin has led our financial area – modernizing student billing, collections, and developing a billing customer service presence for the office. Erin is also responsible for deepening our relationship with the Avery Point Campus and working with the leadership on that campus to host a UConn ECE Cardboard Boat Race in conjunction with Avery Point’s boat race. Erin created the UConn ECE store and has been a big part of our student outreach and UConn ECE marketing and branding. Not only has Erin accomplished much, she has created relationships that will last. Erin has been an important team builder in the office, instigating office lunches, holiday parties, birthday parties, and being one of the “special ingredients” that have made the office fun and familial. Erin leaves a lasting mark on the program and with whom she has worked. Thank you, Erin, for all that you have done to support the program and the people who make the program.

Registration 2020-2021

Posted on June 10, 2020June 16, 2020 by Carissa Rutkauskas

By Todd Blodgett

As colleges, universities, and K-12 education moved to distance learning due to school closures, UConn proved to be no different. With the conclusion of the 2019-2020 academic year, UConn Early College Experience (ECE) moves into the new registration year. Our program has made some adjustments to our application in order to better accommodate students who are applying while physically away from their high schools.

1. Students do not need to obtain a Site Representative or school counselor signature on their consent form. High schools will confirm student enrollment in the Fall.

2. There will be no additional $25 administrative fee for students who cannot apply before June 30th and need to apply in the Fall.

While the Spring 2020 semester was not what our students expected, we are excited to get everyone back in classrooms and engaging in our UConn ECE courses soon. Please continue to monitor your e-mail, our website (ece.uconn. edu), and our social media platforms for registration news. Students should continue to engage with their school counselors about taking UConn courses through Early College Experience.

Have a great Summer and we look forward to collaborating with you this Fall as we begin a new academic year!

UConn First Summer: The Transition to UConn

Posted on June 10, 2020June 16, 2020 by Carissa Rutkauskas

By Melanie Banks

How do students prepare for the transition to a university after graduating high school? There are many different ways and approaches a student can take. At UConn, incoming first-year and transfer students are able to receive academic and social engagement support through the UConn First Summer (UCFS) program. We are delighted to share the adoption of UCFS to the Office of Early College Programs as part of our mission where students can explore the transition to collegiate life prior to their first semester at college.

Students participating in UCFS take two General Education courses during the 5-week residential program, with the goal of providing participating students a strong start to their academic, residential, and social experience at UConn. Available courses include ANTH 1000, COMM 1000, ECON 1202, HDFS 1060, MUSI 1003, PHIL 1104, PSYC 1100, and SOCI 1501. But college is not all about academics! Students reside on campus with a roommate, have meals at the dining halls, network with campus departments, explore interactive activities, attend social and career development workshops, and make long-lasting friendships.

As one chapter closes, another begins. The months prior to becoming a Husky can be overwhelming, but we are here to help! The staff at UCFS partners with campus departments to ensure students feel prepared and have resources available to take on their undergraduate career.

2019 UConn Avery Point Cardboard Boat Race

Posted on January 29, 2020February 7, 2020 by

By Jessica Dunn

UConn Avery Point hosted their 9th Annual Avery Point Cardboard Boat Race on September 18, 2019. With just about 350 UConn Early College Experience Students in attendance, and many UConn Avery Point Students, the event was one for the books! As in years past, undergraduate students, UConn ECE Students, faculty, and staff prepared for the event by spending many hours constructing boats out of cardboard and duct tape with the hope to stay afloat on race day. Participants gathered at Eastern Point Beach in Groton, Connecticut and were tasked with paddling their boat (by hand or actual paddle) around the marked course and crossing the finish line to qualify for an award.

Although the boat race was the main attraction of the day, UConn ECE Students also spent time on the UConn Avery Point Campus. UConn ECE Students were given a warm welcome by Dr, Annemarie Seifert, the UConn Avery Point Campus Director; attended academic lectures with University facultyand staff; engaged in discussions with fellow UConn ECE Students; and explored a portion of the Connecticut Blue Heritage Trail, an interactive maritime heritage trail, all before indulging in lunch, and heading to the beach to race!

This year the boat race theme was Historic Boats, and many teams came prepared with creative boat names and original designs such as “Jolly Roger Penrose the (Pi)rate” from the UConn ECE Physics class at Emmett O’Brien Technical High School. We had a total of 25 boats compete, representing 15 different high schools across the state: Bridgeport Regional Aquaculture High School, East Lyme High School, Ellington High School, Emmett O’Brien Technical High School, Glastonbury High School, Ledyard High School, Lyman Hall High School, NFA, Science & Technical Magnet High School, Shelton High School, The Masters School, University High School, Waterford High School, and Wilby High School.

Teams were recognized for team spirit and best boat design, as well as placing in the races. For the second year in a row Westbrook High School’s UConn ECE Physics team brought home the trophy for first place in the UConn ECE Championship Race with their “Westbrook Turtle II”. Ledyard High School’s UConn ECE Marine Science team in the “Mayflower” brought home 2nd place, and Waterford High School’s UConn ECE Physics team in the “Exxon Valdez” brought home 3rd place.

WORKSHOP – Updates and Highlights

Posted on January 29, 2020February 11, 2020 by

By Stefanie Malinoski

Fall has been a busy time for UConn Early College Experience. This semester we held almost 20 different UConn ECE Professional Development Workshops for almost 500 UConn ECE Instructors. Many thanks to our UConn ECE Faculty Coordinators for their partnership and primary role in planning excellent professional development opportunities that support course instruction!

Fall 2019 Professional Development

September

6 Philosophy

12 Sustainable Plant and Soil Science

13 United States History

25 Natural Resources and the Environment, English

30 Physics

November

14 American Studies & Maritime Studies

20 Sociology

21 Music

October

3 Library Media Specialists

15 Political Science

16 European History

21 Human Rights & Educational Leadership

23 Marine Sciences

December

17 Math

Three of our workshops that were noted for their high quality and interest were our Political Science, Marine Sciences and American Studies and Maritime Studies Workshops.

American Studies and Maritime Studies
Certified American Studies Instructors and Maritime Studies Instructors enjoyed a visit to UConn’s Benton Museum of Art as a part of their professional development day. The theme for the workshop was learning how to integrate visual arts into the interdisciplinary classroom. Instructors and UConn Faculty and staff discussed Winslow Homer’s paintings and wood engravings and were able to view a painting by Martin Johnson Heade, Rye Beach (1863), which is apart of the Benton Museum of Art’s permanent collection. Many thanks to UConn ECE Faculty Coordinators for American Studies and Maritime Studies, Laurie Wolfley and Matthew McKenzie, Jeanne Ciravolo (adjunct faculty), Betsy Athens (Assistant Professor Art and Art History), and Amanda Douberley (Art Museum Registrar, Benton Museum of Art).

Details about all of our fall events can be referenced on the UConn ECE website under the “Instructor Benefits” section where our new “Professional Development Blog” is located. Information and pictures from each event are posted here regularly.

Looking ahead to the Spring, we will be planning another series of professional development events. They include events for Instructors who teach Italian, Allied Health, Biology, Classics, Chinese, Spanish, English, Medieval History, Animal Science, Art, French, Human Development and Family Sciences, Chemistry, Digital Media, Engineering, German, Latino and Latin American Studies, and Statistics. Please look to the UConn ECE website “Events” section to view upcoming dates.

New Pilot Courses

Posted on January 29, 2020February 11, 2020 by

By Stefanie Malinoski

The growth of courses in UConn Early College Experience course offerings is an intentional one. We actively pursue diverse course offerings because we know there are diverse student interests. In 2005, there were only 20 different courses, and all courses were ones where students needed to be tracked into the courses (Ex. English, Math, and Chemistry). Now, we offer 74 different UConn courses that represent a wide variety of student interests and needs.

We are currently exploring three pilot course additions for the 2020-2021 school year. These courses are more varied, based on student interest, and open doors to all sorts of students. Should the interest be there from our high school partners, our current collaboration with 32 different University Departments may grow to include three additional courses from two new to UConn ECE UConn Departments. The pilot courses are:

	Anthropology (ANTH) 1000 - Introduction to Anthropology
	Geoscience (GSCI) 1051 - Earth's Dynamic Environment (Introduction to Geoscience)
	Sustainable Plant and Soil Sciences (SPSS) 1100 - Turfgrass Management

If you are you interested in these UConn courses, please contact the UConn ECE Program Office so we can work together to see if a pilot course may be possible. In addition, a representative from the UConn ECE Program Office may be available to schedule a school visit to help encourage the addition of any of the current UConn ECE course offerings in your high schools and as well as the recruitment of qualified instructors. Please contact the UConn ECE Program Office at ece@uconn.edu.

We look forward to hearing from you!

2019 Conference National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships

Posted on January 29, 2020March 25, 2020 by

The pre-conference started with Brian’s participation on the “Concurrent Enrollment 201” panel, geared towards programs that have built the foundation of their program and are looking to move it to the next level. The session focused on managing growth, advising, program improvement, professional development, sharing of best practices, and effects of accreditation. As a 20-year veteran of a 64-year old program, Brian had a lot to share! Meanwhile, I attended the Program Evaluation workshop where presenters covered methods and approaches to evaluate program effectiveness and student success and most importantly reviewed NACEP’s new E2 standard: Regular and On-Going Evaluation of Concurrent Enrollment Program (CEP). I then had the opportunity to meet with fellow peer reviewers to collectively offer our suggestions and guidance to representatives from a Midwestern community college who are working on their NACEP reaccreditation application.

On days one and two, Brian and I had the opportunity to attend the plenary sessions, each equally engaging. Keynote speaker, Dr. Jim Johnson, Distinguished Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship in the Kenan-Flagler Business School and Director of the Urban Investment Strategies Center in the Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, presented his research on the Six Disruptive Demographics that Will Change the U.S. Forever: (1) The South Rises – Again; (2) The Browning of America; (3) Marrying Out is “In”; (4) The Silver Tsunami is About to Hit; (5) The End of Men?; and (6) Cooling Water from Grandma’s Well… and Grandpa’s Too! Based in U.S. decennial census and American Community Survey data, Dr. Johnson’s charisma showed through as he discussed these demographic trends, challenges, and opportunities of our changing population and how that related to secondary and post-secondary education.

Day two’s plenary session was titled “A Tale of Two Utah’s,” a panel discussion that included an urban superintendent, two college concurrent enrollment (CE) faculty, and Utah’s Lt. Governor, Spencer Cox. The panel was impressive, but it was Utah’s Lt. Governor who captivated the audience. Lt. Governor Cox’s experience growing up in an extremely rural area (where he still lives and commutes 100 miles each way, (each day) spoke of how his CE experience shaped his life and how state-wide legislation benefits the students. It was evident that all 4 speakers appreciated each other, their work, and their passion for student success. Prior to the session, the day opened with a showing of “UConn ECE: The Video” projected on two large screens. We were honored that our animated program overview video was one of the top 3 finalists in the 2019 video marketing contest.

A collaborative spirit was apparent in the beehive state. Commissioners, peer-reviewers, and newly accredited colleges came together and celebrated the successful NACEP accreditation and re-accreditation of two dozen colleges and universities! There were also “state” lunches which provided the opportunity for those that share a governor to come together and discuss practices, courses, and opportunities. Most notably, there was positive interest shown during a session that Brian hosted, alongside administrators from Syracuse University’s Project Advance and Boise State University Concurrent Enrollment Program, to discuss the development of an independent, peer-reviewed, academic journal dedicated to research and scholarship in CE.

Brian stayed an extra day to attend the post-conference Accreditation Institute on strategies for implementing NACEP standards for UConn’s upcoming reaccreditation in 2020. Though reaccreditation is a lengthy and time-consuming process consisting of a one-year programmatic self-study review, application, peer-review, and interview, UConn ECE believes that NACEP’s work to ensure quality standards applicable to concurrent enrollment partnerships is one to follow. UConn ECE is a founding member of NACEP (2002) and has contributed to NACEP’s success and national standing through generous start-up support and through staff service. We will be working hard for the next few months to gather all our application materials and look forward to submitting it in July.

Congratulations to our 2019-2020 Course Enhancement Grant Winners!

Posted on January 29, 2020February 11, 2020 by

By Nella Quasnitschka

UConn Early College Experience continues to offer Course Enhancement Grants for courses taught in partner high schools. The purpose of these grants is to create opportunities for classroom and community development for UConn ECE courses. Instructors currently teaching courses at their high school are able to submit proposals for books, technology, equipment, or other materials that enhance the subject matter taught in the classroom. Community development applications solicit funds for projects that have a large impact on the surrounding community, including plans to eliminate an eyesore, make communities healthier, or to foster creativity and research. See below for our list of this year’s winners.

Bais Yaakov of Waterbury High School Instructor: Davita Rosenbloom Course: AH 4092, ENGL 1010, ENGL 1011 Description: Books and equipment will help ensure that students receive the most out of their UConn ECE courses. Supplies such as medical equipment and textbooks to supplement the instructor’s teaching will benefit the students in these courses.	Franklin Academy Instructor: Amy Bigelow Course: STAT 1100Q Description: With the purchase of TI-84 graphing calculators all students will have access to a calculator. Having a standard calculator for all students throughout the class allow for efficient instruction as well as time allows to focus on the important concepts and analyses found in these courses.
Central High School Instructor: Jill Vital Course: CHEM 1127Q, CHEM 1128Q Description: Funds will be used to acquire equipment and needed glassware such as hot plates, pipets, Buchner funnel kits, etc. This will greatly impact the effectiveness in both the accuracy of the experiments being run in the course as well as teach students the most efficient and foundational methods of using this equipment.	Jonathan Law High School Instructor: Tracy Turcotte Course: CHEM 1127Q, CHEM 1128Q Description: Vernier digital probes will allow students to work in smaller groups when conducting experiments which allows more hands-on experience for each student. Additional hardware will allow this equipment to connect to student’s Chromebooks allowing students to integrate their technology into learning.
Central High School Instructor: Ann Trapasso Course: ENGL 1010 Description: Funds will be used towards art supplies and transportation to fully engaged with the second text they study, “Untitled 2009,” a painting of a painter by Kerry James Marshall, which is exhibited at the Yale University Art Gallery.	Miss Porter’s School Instructor: Lisa-Brit Wahlberg Course: HRTS 1007, POLS 1402 Description: Students will use statistics from UNICEF along with other sources to learn about child marriage in Mexico and methods used to end it. They will examine current methods and how cultural understanding effects these efforts. They will then look at how ending poverty could address the issue of child marriage. Ultimately, the students will organize an awareness campaign, create an online petition, and design a fundraising venture to contribute to the eradication of child marriage in Mexico.
Cromwell High School Instructor: Christina Williams Course: SPAN 3179 Description: Purchase of the Voice Thread program will be used to enhance the learning environment. The program will help students gain proficiency and confidence in both auditory and verbal aspects of the Spanish language.	New Fairfield High School Instructor: Karon McGovern Course: AMST 1201 Description: A trip to New York City will allow students who have learned about 20th Century issues for five units to walk in the footsteps of those who experienced them first hand. Students will visit places such as Ellis Island, the African Burial Ground & Memorial and more to immerse themselves in the events of that time.
E.O. Smith High School Instructor: Suzanne DasJarlais Course: HRTS 1007 Description: A performance from Looking In Theatre will be available to students from multiple courses such as UConn ECE Human Rights, Creative Writing, Social Studies, etc. This performance will illustrate local and global social issues. Students will be exposed to this in hopes that it opens dialogue about the issues students face.	Waterford High School Instructor: Diane Herr Course: NRE 1000 Description: To gather authentic data, camera traps will be used to capture images of wildlife. Students will have to use these images to quantify and sort the animals to draw meaningful conclusions from their data. This data will also be used over the span of multiple years to look for trends over the years.
E.O. Smith High School Instructor: Amy Nocton Course: SPAN 3178, SPAN 3179 Description: Students will produce a monthly podcast about equity and social justice issues. The podcast will consist of stories from community members and students. This podcast will connect students with adults who have expertise in areas of interest as well as give a creative connection with others through storytelling.	Westbrook High School Instructor: Nancy Malafronte Course: ENGL 1011 Description: Books as well as author visits will be arranged through the bookstore RJ Julia to enhance student learning about diverse cultures. With the implementation of Literature Circles students will learn about cultures including Cuba, the Middle East, and the South Pacific.
Frank Scott Bunnell High School Instructor: Kristen Record Course: PHYS 1201Q, PHYS 1202Q Description: To enhance teaching of wave phenomena, PASCO Ripple Generators and Light Sources will be purchased. This equipment will allow for better demonstration of phenomena across many inquiry labs. This equipment will also allow for small group work leading to more interactive labs.

What Inspires You?

Posted on January 29, 2020May 26, 2020 by

By Jessica Dunn

We would like to congratulate Lenis Pereira-Ortiz, on his piece “Brainiac”, chosen as the winner of the first student artwork-featured UConn ECE Magazine cover. To Lenis and the judges, his piece represents inspiration. The theme –Inspiration– was chosen because we are continuously inspired by the UConn ECE Community, and the high quality education and dedication exhibited by all Students, Instructors, Site Representatives, high school administrators, and Faculty Coordinators. This unique opportunity for UConn ECE Students proved to be a challenge for them and encouraged creativity, out-of-the box thinking, and self-reflection. With over 15 entries submitted by UConn ECE Digital Media & Design (DMD 1000) and Drawing I (ART 1030) Students, from CREC Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts, Glastonbury High School, Immaculate High School, and Windsor High School, it was very difficult to choose a winner. A committee of UConn faculty and staff judged all entries, which included illustrations, pencil drawings, paintings, collages, photography, mixed media, and digital formats. Each piece revealed what inspiration meant to the student, and what inspired them as an individual.

The Winter 2020 magazine is our 4th edition of the magazine and is produced in both digital (magazine.ece.uconn.edu) format and hard copy. Congratulations to Lenis, Madison, and Jonathan. Your schools will be receiving a framed copy of your piece for their trophy

WINNER: Lenis M. Pereira-Ortiz

Description/Summary of the artwork: For my piece “Brainiac”, I wanted to convey a different perspective with my general interpretation of what inspiration is. Designing this involved taking elements associated with the theme and incorporating each of it’s attributes to create cohesive yet whimsical composition. With the reaction of the wind-up teeth being ‘powered’ up by the brain, resulting in the creation of ideas floating in a pool of imagination.

Madison Rayne Thomas

Description: Based on the prompt “Inspiration”, this is a digital drawing of the things that inspire me as an artist and aspiring animator. The items exploding out of the head are all the things that inspire me like Pixar, Disney, music, animals, writing, painting, and romance.

Jonathan Chester Pohorylo

Description: Several buildings are depicted in my drawing that are around the UCONN campus that are special to me because of their potential to inspire and create education and learning within the different departments. The buildings themselves were an interesting subject matter to draw. I photographed them while on campus and then did the drawing.