Learning Beyond the Classroom

Eighteen freshmen in Watson’s Education Learning Community and Leadership Studies program traveled to Florida in December to participate in Disney workshops and explore the Kennedy Space Center. This spring, they will reflect on the experience by producing short films.

Led by Donyell Roseboro, Amy Garrett Dikkers, Keryn Vickers and Jelene Grace — in partnership with Nicola Li from film studies and with input from Princeton Parker of Disney — the inaugural Story Telling Project is designed to develop future educators’ and leaders’ curiosity, creativity and leadership by extending learning beyond the classroom.

In early December, students participated in a filming and storytelling workshop led by Li, who shared tips on interviewing, capturing activity shots, checking audio and, above all, using stories, images and voice to convey an authentic perspective.

During the trip, students took part in two workshops with Disney’s Imagination Campus team focused on leadership and design. They also toured the Kennedy Space Center, where they visited the Atlantis exhibit, learned about past and future NASA missions and explored the interdisciplinary nature of the space program. Students also saw the Vehicle Assembly Building, where space shuttles were assembled and where the Space Launch System for the Artemis II mission has been assembled.

Trip highlights included meeting former astronaut Barbara Morgan, interviewing a guest experiences team manager who supervises 640 employees and learning about Disney’s core values of safety, courtesy, inclusion, show and efficiency. Students were also surprised to learn that Morgan and all of their Disney workshop facilitators were former elementary and middle school teachers.

Roseboro and Garrett Dikkers said their decision to invite freshmen to participate in the project was intentional.

“It is important for first-year students to build community with each other, faculty and staff and see connections between their coursework and different professional spaces,” Garrett Dikkers said. “This interdisciplinary experience blended community building with learning about leadership, creativity and innovation, and we are excited to see how students apply what they learned to their academic work.”

During the spring semester, students will work in small teams to create short films to share on social media. Education Learning Community students will continue exploring how to create educational spaces that nurture curiosity and creativity, while Leadership Studies students will deepen their understanding of storytelling through conversation sessions with a Disney marketing specialist.

Roseboro said her personal goal in introducing the Story Telling Project was to invite students — especially future teachers — to “dream with courage, teach with creativity and lead for the greater good.”

“To respond to the world’s future possibilities and challenges, we need teachers and leaders who can think beyond the confines of our current knowledge,” she said. “We also want students to consistently dream big before an awareness of limited resources diminishes their curiosity and creativity.”

Roseboro is a professor in WCE’s Department of Instructional Technology, Foundations and Secondary Education. Garrett Dikkers is a professor in WCE’s Department of Educational Leadership and coordinator of the Leadership Studies program. Vickers is director of WCE’s Student Success Center. Grace is an academic advisor in the center and faculty advisor for Education Learning Community students. Li is an assistant professor in UNCW’s Department of Film Studies.

Funding for the inaugural project was provided by a Community Engagement Mini-Award from Watson’s Office of Partnerships and Engagement.

About the Education Learning Community

The Education Learning Community supports first-year education majors by fostering academic, social and professional development. Students attend seminars together, connect with Watson faculty and staff, engage with the WCE Student Success Center and participate in education field experiences prior to admission to the Watson College of Education.

For more information, visit the ELC website.

About WCE’s Leadership Studies Program

UNCW’s Leadership Studies minor is a multidisciplinary program that prepares students to develop leadership skills applicable to careers in all fields. Students engage in coursework and collaborative projects that combine academic study with hands-on learning.

For more information, visit the Leadership Studies webpage.