As the semester comes to an end, general education students at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh are preparing for their first-ever Quest Talks.
These presentations—a showcase of sorts—are modeled after the successful TED Talks series and will be held from 6 until 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 9 in UW Oshkosh’s Reeve Memorial Union ballroom.
The talks will feature transformative stories that capture experiences from Quest III, which is part of the UW Oshkosh general education program—the University Studies Program (USP). The courses are aimed at extending the campus into the community by providing each student with a meaningful experience with a community partner, said Michael Lueder, civic engagement coordinator for the USP.
During the 2014-2015 academic year at UW Oshkosh, there were 35 Quest III courses that connected students to 61 community partners. There were 1,332 students who took Quest III courses; on average, those students spent at least 16 hours participating in engagement experiences—locally and beyond. In total, UW Oshkosh students completed 21,322 hours of community engagement, Lueder said.
“UW Oshkosh students are learning a great deal from their community experiences—and we’re excited to showcase those learnings through the Quest Talks,” Lueder said. “Connecting community engagement to an academic course allows the opportunity to extend the classroom and create learning opportunities that would not otherwise be present.”
Quest Talks feature courses and community partners UW Oshkosh students have engaged with including Christine Ann Domestic Services, the Oshkosh Area School District, Wisconsin farms and Historic Graves of Ireland.
The inaugural Quest Talk titles include: “Why do Teachers Teach?,” “Preserving Wisconsin Farmer Stories,” “Domestic Violence and You: Civic Engagement in Action” and “Literature Through Travel: From Oshkosh to Dublin.”
USP fully implemented at UW Oshkosh
Now in its third full year, USP is UW Oshkosh’s innovative way of delivering general education—through courses that ask big questions, encourage academic exploration and create connections.
The USP program is UW Oshkosh’s innovative way of delivering general education. It’s made up of Explore courses that encourage students to “try on” many different disciplines, and special Quest courses that introduce them to campus life, college expectations and community engagement.
“Our job as educators is to give students strategies and resources to be successful on campus, and that is a huge part of what we’re doing with USP,” said Tracy Slagter, USP director and political science professor at UW Oshkosh. “Every class within the program is intentional. I think our students now understand within their gen ed courses why they are doing it, what they should be learning and how the classes are preparing them to be better students during their undergraduate years in college.”
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