Engaging students in the classroom continues to be an essential part of undergraduate education. But what if we took our work outside the typical classroom? To reach a those students who may not have easy access to education, we must become creative and meet them where they are. Opportunities to explore meaning and purpose should be accessible to all.
NetVUE’s February 2024 Webinar focused on vocational elements of education and personal development outside of typical educational settings. On February 7, three invited speakers discussed experiences of and strategies for taking vocation beyond the traditional campus in our work with students from diverse backgrounds.
Jason Stevens (bottom left), Rachel Pickett (bottom right)
First, Jason Mahn discussed the Augustana Prison Education Program and his experiences teaching in it. Jason is a professor of religion at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, where he also directs the Presidential Center for Faith and Learning. He has authored several books, including Neighbor Love Through Fearful Days: Finding Purpose and Meaning in a Time of Crisis. He specializes in contemporary Christian theology and religious belief, suffering, vocation, secularism, and temptation and sin.
Next, a team from two collaborating universities—Jason Stevens and Martin Spence of Cornerstone University, and Shaquille Anthony and Abbie Lipsker of Calvin University—addressed college-credit Clemente Courses focused on vocation. Students who participate in this program are living below the poverty line, and the program provides them with access to college credits by reducing sociocultural barriers.
Finally, Heather Brady of Grand View University discussed community engagement with a focus on social justice. She is a professor of liberal arts who teaches global awareness courses, specifically topics related to immigration. She is also involved with local organizations that serve immigrant and refugee communities.
The concluding 30 minutes of the webinar were dedicated to questions from participants, including questions about specific approaches to integrating vocation in these programs. Additional related resources were also provided: podcast episodes on “Crisis, Hope, and Action” with Katharine Hayhoe and “Risks, Pivots, and Deep Courage” with Shirley Hoogstra; and blog posts on “Second Chances and Good Time(s): Transformations and Transactions in Prison,” “Finding a Way When Vocation is Denied,” and “The Danger of a Single Story: A Simple Idea for Revising Biases and Presuppositions.”
The webinar was recorded and can be accessed here. Please note that when you go to this link, it will prompt you to share your name and email address, but this is not a login; it simply allows NetVUE to keep track of interest. You are unlikely to receive any follow-up emails unless you are at a NetVUE member institution; however, if you do, you’ll have the opportunity to unsubscribe.
Rachel F. Pickett is the webinar coordinator for NetVUE.
