PRTM EDGE Coordinator
Teresa Tucker
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Why EDGE is powerful:
Faculty Members
Denise Anderson
Associate Professor
Community Recreation, Sport and Camp Management
Favorite EDGE memory: My favorite memory is the field trip with 30+ students. There really is nothing more powerful than spending 3 days and 2 nights with students who not only start to bond with each other but who also start “getting” the immensity of what our field is all about. Whether it was touring the Panthers locker room, visiting the U.S. Whitewater Center, or watching “Boy Meets World” on the bus (yes, you read that correctly) the experience sealed, for me, the mood of the rest of the semester…and darn if I can’t get that song out of my head “when boy meets worrrrlllddd.”
Why EDGE is powerful: “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” Steve Jobs
Because of an experience that can be described as so far out of the box the box is no longer in sight, our students are the leaders of tomorrow. EDGE is powerful because rules were thrown out the window when it comes to teaching and learning – this freedom is a powerful tool. EDGE has been described in many ways – confusing, exciting, cutting edge, and nerve wracking, but innovative is the constant descriptor. This innovation allows our students to become more prepared for the ever changing “real world” than any students before them.
Elizabeth (Betty) D. Baldwin
PRTM Assistant Professor
Parks and Conservation Area Management
Favorite EDGE memory: It is too hard to think of only one favorite memory, but a common feature of every memory I would deem a favorite are the ones where we were not in a building. My favorite moments have been walking through the Clemson Forest with students, building campsites in cold windy weather, then having someone feed us pizza and hot cider, riding on a flat bed trailer with 35 EDGE students in a big natural areas near Chattanooga, and any time I am with a group volunteering in the local community.
Why EDGE is powerful: EDGE gives students the tools to integrate their learning from all the core areas of the curriculum and link this with professionals in the field as well as through projects. These projects are also real and already groups from the first EDGE group are making meaningful contributions through their projects to Clemson and beyond. This type of learning environment provides a new relationship between professor and student; where deeper relationships are built that support the learning process for both.
Bob Brookover
Title: Lecturer/Executive Director/Undergraduate Curriculum Coordinator
Concentration: Community Recreation, Sport and Camp Management/Travel & Tourism
Favorite EDGE memory:
Why EDGE is powerful: 1) Most regular classes are boring and EDGE classes are not; 2) I get to work with, argue with, and yell at Fran on a regular basis; and 3) Students and faculty really get to know each other well.
Fran McGuire
Title: Alumni Distinguished Professor
Concentration: Not bad for an older person
Favorite EDGE memory: Listening to our students during the oral component of the final exam and being extremely impressed with how knowledgeable and articulate they were.
Why EDGE is powerful: EDGE brings together multiple resources and techniques based on optimizing student learning. Our focus is on student learning rather than information dissemination. As a result our students are participants in the EDGE experienec rather than spectators.
Gradute Students
Young-joo ‘Joanna’ Ahn
Title: Ph.D. Student
Concentration: Travel & Tourism
Favorite EDGE memory:I was surprised that undergraduate students actively involved in their own project with a faculty member as they tried to connect to both academic and practical sources. The students had meeting with invited practitioner and faculties from other departments, conducted several focus groups, and participated in field trips. I was pleased in class because I have also learned how to develop a business plan and integrate various opinions from the community, Clemson university students, and governance for their project goals.
Lan Lan Chang
Title: Ph.D. Student
Concentration: Travel & Tourism
Favorite EDGE memory: It is a valuable and very good experience to work with a group which is so friendly and united. We face the challenge and solve questions together. This makes me realize the meaning of the sentence, “the unity is strength.”
Why EDGE is powerful: EDGE which provides a wide variety of leaching formats is more than just a kind of learning experience for students. It is a new and creative way for student to learn not only academic knowledge from books but also critical thinking and practical experience from EDGE. This helps students to prepare themselves for future career.
Kate Evans
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Cindy Hartman
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Lorraine Lobascio
Title: Ph.D. Student
Concentration: Travel & Tourism
Why EDGE is powerful: The best classes that I took as an undergraduate student were the ones that extended the learning beyond the books. The EDGE semester acknowledges that simply memorizing definitions is not an effective way to prepare the PRTM students for success in the future. Group projects that attempt to solve practical problems are far more likely to reflect the challenges that the students will encounter in the field. This learning style allows students the opportunity to navigate group dynamics while they strive to reach the balance between operational productivity and financial boundaries.
Tracy Mainieri
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Brian Malcarne
Title: Ph.D. Student
Concentration: Community Recreation
Favorite EDGE memory: My favorite EDGE memory was spending time with faculty and other PRTM students on our EDGE semester trip. It's a rare opportunity to spend that much time (a 3 day trip) with a professor and a bunch of other students. The experience was a powerful way to learn about the professional world of PRTM. It also provided an opportunity to create a network of friends in the PRTM major.
Why EDGE is powerful: I think EDGE offers students the opportunity to become more actively engage in learning and more connected with PRTM faculty and students. The semester is structured in a way that immerses students in core PRTM content, using activities and assignments designed to promote a productive learning atmosphere. In one semester, students can establish a firm foundation of PRTM knowledge and productive connections with PRTM faculty and students that will start them on a successful path both as a student and as a future PRTM professional entering a competitive job market.
Jen Thomsen
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