In addition to learning the subject matter, they\u2019re also getting a bit of a primer on what it\u2019s like to be an NC State student.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Louis Hunt, senior vice provost for enrollment management and services and one of the course visionaries, says it started as a way of creating community and staying connected with incoming first-year students during a global pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But he and his team quickly realized it could accomplish much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The course has multiple objectives: engage students in quality online education, provide guidance on their transition to the academic realities of higher education, help them view their college education through a multidisciplinary lens, and give them experience with the learning technologies they\u2019ll use in their classes this fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And the icing on the cake? After finishing the five-week program, students will earn two general education credit hours at no cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBottom line, we wanted to showcase some of our best faculty, show these students the breadth of NC State’s knowledge and expertise, and get them excited about becoming part of the NC State community,\u201d Hunt says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n DELTA Senior Instructional Designer Cathi Dunnagan, who, according to many involved in the course, is \u201cthe connection between all the moving parts,\u201d echoes Hunt\u2019s sentiment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEvery person on this team has been dedicated to creating an exceptional, engaging experience for our incoming first-year students,” she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Based on the participation numbers, it appears they\u2019ve succeeded in doing just that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Jane Lubischer, biological sciences associate department head, who serves as course co-coordinator with professor Melissa Ramirez, participation in the course is growing each week, with 3,478 incoming first-year students having accessed it to date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWith some 4,900 students invited to join in, this course is unlike anything we have done before at NC State,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Students navigate through the course Moodle site at their own pace, following a format that encourages them to explore, engage and apply. Each of the five weeks covers a different aspect of the pandemic, from examining the current crisis to brainstorming solutions for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019ve designed it to be a threaded story,\u201d says Christopher Beeson, a DELTA instructional technologist who also serves as a course designer and facilitator. \u201cWe want it to feel more like a conversation than a course.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The content for each week is unlocked every Monday at 8 a.m. Students who start late or fall behind must finish each week\u2019s tasks before they can advance in the course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Topics covered are drawn from a wide range of disciplines, from archaeology to systems engineering. And students engage with faculty presenters through videos, podcasts, livestream events and written assignments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Quizzes reinforce key points after each presentation. Students also complete reflection assignments, and they submit work on a course-long \u201ctask force\u201d project that encourages them to apply what they are learning. In one hands-on project during the third week, students received a citizen science kit in the mail inviting them to test the water quality in their homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhile the size of the course does limit some of what we can do, we are trying to share back with students the thoughts and concerns and ideas being expressed by the class as a whole,\u201d Lubischer says. \u201cThis reinforces their wide diversity of experiences and perspectives as well as their commonalities (e.g., being both excited and nervous about starting college).\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019d think, as complex as this course is, that it took months or even years to create.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nope. Try five weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And dozens of people are still working tirelessly behind the scenes to produce the final content elements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI can honestly say this has been the most incredible experience of my instructional design career,\u201d Dunnagan says. \u201cBy the calendar, we had five weeks to create a brand new course. By the hours, we pushed well beyond those five weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/news.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/wicked-problems-2-1024x576.jpg\")
How it Works<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/news.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/IPG-295-Course-Graphic-02-1024x576.jpg\")
\u2018Warp Speed\u2019<\/h3>\n\n\n\n