INSIDE GGC

The EXperiential Learning And Critical Thinking (EXACT) Plan team is finishing its first year with several successes. During fall 2024, 14 sections of HIST 1112 and 57 sections of ITEC 1001 participated in the initiative. Among these, the following student participants completed critical thinking reflections: 

• 225 from HIST 1112 (56% of students within participating sections)
• 560 from ITEC 1001 (40% of students within participating sections)

In addition, 1,066 ITEC 1001 students (77% within participating sections) completed the ePortfolio project, which served as the experiential learning activity for the course.

Student perspectives of EXACT

A total of 386 ITEC students participated in a fall 2024 end-of-semester survey, which indicated positive student perceptions of EXACT courses. The results show: 

• 46.5% of ITEC students found the experiential learning assignment engaging.
• 47.3% felt it enabled deeper learning of the content.
• 48.4% believed it allowed them to apply course content to real-world problems.
• 47.8% reported they could draw conclusions from the knowledge gained. 
• Less than 12% of ITEC students responded negatively to any of the questions.

Faculty participation

Faculty involvement was strong, with 14 HIST 1112 section faculty (100%) and 26 ITEC 1001 section faculty (90%) participating during fall 2024. EXACT Plan faculty presented data from various surveys at eight conferences and symposia during spring 2025, totaling 13 presentations.

Any faculty work created for the EXACT Plan is accessible to the public via the Daniel J. Kaufman Library & Learning Center General Space digital archive.

“This initiative has succeeded thanks to the dedication of our dynamic faculty and the strong commitment of our students,” said Dr. Karen Perell-Gerson, professor of exercise science and Quality Enhancement Plan director.

She appreciates the following course coordinators and Faculty Fellows for ensuring the program's effectiveness during the 2025 academic year:

•    Dr. Ihor Pidhainy, lecturer, history
•    Dr. Patrick Ludolph, associate professor of history
•    Dr. Kathryn Deeley, assistant professor of anthropology
•    Dr. David Kerven, professor of information technology
•    Dr. Cindy Robertson, associate professor of information technology
•    Dr. Ying Guo, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry
•    Dr. Kristie Walsdorf, assistant professor of physical education

Starting fall 2025, HIST 1112 and ITEC 1001 courses will reflect the “Exper Learn & Critic Think” attribute in Grizzly Den within Banner.

The EXACT team also looks forward to working with the following new course coordinators during academic year 2026 for an additional six courses: 
•    Dr. Marvin Bontrager, associate professor of management (BUSA 2105)
•    Mandi Sena, instructor of English (ENGL 1102)
•    Stephanie Denny, lecturer of English (ENGL 1102)
•    Dr. Rebecca Flynn, professor of English (ENGL 1102)
•    Dr. Joshua Wludyga, associate professor of exercise science (EXSC 2000)
•    Veronica Sublett Breeden, lecturer of chemistry (CHEM 1211K)
•    Dr. Misael Romero-Reyes, assistant professor of chemistry (CHEM 1211K)
•    Dr. Patrick Ludolph, associate professor of history (HIST 2250)
•    Dr. George Darden, assistant professor of educational foundations (EDUC 2120), and Faculty Fellows (School of Education)
•    Dr. Tracy Schaller, associate professor of marketing (School of Business)