Feature
F
pandemic,” Gangeness says. “WSU gained a new appreciation for the time we spend together face-to-face and how to use that time most effectively. Students congregating in classrooms listening to a lecture is traditional, which we found can be done just as effectively online. We learned that when face-to-face, we should take into consideration the advantages of this learning style to make the most of our time together.” For the Mayo Clinic, the pandemic accelerated its path toward a model of education that is more digital, student-centric and responsive. Several faculty members shared specific examples of learning activities that turned out even better in the virtual delivery model. And, it wasn’t only in the curriculum, Mayo also found positive outcomes in areas such as its admission processes and in recruitment. “Working virtually provided equity and expanded our reach in ways that we hadn’t expected,” Tynsky says. “Having the hands-on experiences should always be an essential aspect of teaching and learning in the kind of clinical education we do, but the pandemic taught us that we can do more virtually than we previously thought.” And Dr. Carrell at UMR has learned that students coming of age in this time of multiple disruptions have a unique perspective to share and a deepened commitment to learning and leadership. “Over the coming years, we will witness a generation of difference-makers, solving problems related to the planet, to justice, and to health – contributing to their communities and leading us forward. At UMR specifically, we are thrilled to have grown enrollment 13% from fall 2019 to fall 2021 – noting that these are students still passionate to make a difference in the world through a career in health, in spite of the challenges they have witnessed among current healthcare professionals,” Dr. Carrell says. “Higher education is notoriously slow to change, but we’ve now demonstrated to ourselves that we are more adaptable and agile than we knew.”
Photo Credit: University of Minnesota - Rochester
University of Minnesota - Rochester designed a new student engagement platform and a new fast track into careers during the pandemic.
Partners in Progress The Rochester area business community and higher education partnerships have grown in the last few years, and the pandemic only slightly altered these partnerships. For example, WSU has been actively working with their Rochester partners throughout the past two years (actually 100+ years) in three key areas including the Wound, Ostomy & Continence Nursing Education program with Mayo Clinic; the Multicultural Education Certificate with multiple organizations in Rochester; and mental health first aid course, which is part of a suite of internationally acclaimed and evidence-based, accredited training programs that empower and equip individuals with the knowledge, skills and confidence
| Advantage Magazine 8
May 2022
Made with FlippingBook - PDF hosting