Running head: ASSIGNMENT CREATION AND REFLECTION 1

Assignment Creation and Reflection

Sabrina Peters

CAHA 759

1 April 2017
ASSIGNMENT CREATION AND REFLECTION 2

Northern Illinois University Due Date: April 27, 2017

Office of Precollegiate Programs
Upward Bound Program

End of the Year Banquet Project

Student Name:
___________________________________________________________________________
As an Upward Bound participant, you are required to complete a project that explore one aspect of
college. Below are the instructions for the project.

Part I: Project Social justice is the view that everyone deserves equal rights and opportunities. To
study social justice is to learn about the problems that impact quality of life for certain populations, and
how people have worked to solve those problems.

This year for the Upward Bound project students will explore issues that effect students on college
campuses from a social justice point of view. Your projects could include why these ideas/issues were
first established, what has happened in the past, who was effected, who is leading the movement or
addressing the issue, and the aftermath/how this continues to affect the population. Lastly, you can
explore larger scale effects that this movement/issues sheds light on. Below are topics that have been
approved by the Upward Bound staff:

Admissions Decisions: If you choose to explore admissions decisions from a social justice point of view,
you will explore how historically admissions decisions have effected different populations (different
genders, race, ethnicities, social classes). The following questions are some questions that you could
respond to when approaching this assignment: Who has been admitted to college in the past? Who has
not been admitted to college in the past? What are current trends? How does this effect certain
populations ability to take care of their families? To find jobs? To Succeed?

Gender Roles and Career Choices: If you choose to explore gender roles and career choices from a
social justice point of view, you can explore the following topics: How gender roles effect student career
choices. The following questions are some questions that you could respond to when completing this
assignment. What genders typically seem to be led to certain careers? What are current trends? Are there
any barriers that keep certain populations out of certain careers?

Academic Preparedness: If you choose to explore academic preparedness from a social justice point of
view, you can explore any of the following questions or topics: who historically is prepared for college
and who is historically unprepared. What does it mean to be academically prepared, college bound,
college ready? What are current trends of academic preparedness? Who is typically prepared? Who is
underprepared? What effects students academic preparedness?

Integration on College Campuses: If you choose to explore integration on college campuses from a
social justice point of view, you can explore the following questions or topics: What populations are
typically attended certain colleges (Private, HBCU, PWI, Public)? How integrated are campuses
currently? How integrated have college campuses been historically? How does the integration of a
campus effect the student population? How does this effect a student opportunity to attend the university?

Resources on Campus: If you choose to explore resources on college campuses from a social justice
point of view, you can explore the following questions or topics: what different types of resources are
offered on a college campus (counseling, ethnic based centers, gender specific centers, academic help)
what resources are available for different type of people on the campus? (Women, Men, different
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ethnicities) How does these resources enhance academic performance? How can not having these
resources effect students? What students benefit the most from these resources?

Student Employment: If you choose to explore student employment on college campuses from a social
justice point of view, you can explore the following questions or topics: What are the typical populations
that work in student employment? How important is student employment on a college campus? What are
the benefits of students employment? What are the negative effects of student employment?

Police Presence on College Campuses: If you choose to explore police presence on college campuses
from a social justice point of view, you can explore the following questions or topics: How can having
police specifically for college be an asset for students? What student do you think benefits most from on
campus police? Are campus police known to be more or less helpful to the students they serve?

Banquet Project Winners: Students will be graded on their presentation (How does it look? Is
the design creative?), presentation of the information (How did you present the information? Is
the information organized? Does the reader have an understanding of the issue after your
presentation?), and the way the information is presented (Was the information given in a manner
that is clear and did you information align with issue?). Students presentations should be 4-10
slides long.

Part II: Are you attending the banquet?

Yes
No

You must RSVP

In addition to completing the banquet project, we would like for the seniors submit a message to students
who will continue in the program.

Part III: FOR SENIORS: Message to Students What advice do you have for students as they
continue to participate in our programming? What can students do to be successful in applying for
college/finding financial aid? How did Upward Bound help you with your college selection and choosing
a career?
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Critical pedagogy is important to incorporate in the classroom. When incorporating

critical pedagogy, it is essential that educators develop and ensure that the assignments given to

students are thoughtfully composed to empower students to challenge the dominant culture as

well as systems that are in place that often reinforce inequities and in inequality with in society.

These assignments should also allow students to question what can be done, examine solutions

as well as create social change, help them grow, and provide them space to learn. As an

educator, who creates assignments it is important to examine whether the assignments created

allow students autonomy to consider the implications of certain foundations. Thus, in this paper

I will examine whether or not the assignment I have created meets the goals of assignments that

incorporate critical pedagogy as mentioned above. This paper will outline the assignment

created, the outcome of the project, examine the effectiveness, and identify what can be changed

to increase effectiveness.

As an Upward Bound Program Counselor/Coordinator we assign a project for our

students to complete in the spring semester that highlights an intricate part of college life or

issues on college campus. In light of the current political climate, we have chosen to assign the

students a project where students will have the opportunity to pick an issue that is occurring on

college campuses and examine it from a social justice point of view. The students will then

present this information at our end of the year banquet. The project can and should include

information on what the issue is, how it is effecting college students, what college, faculty, staff,

or students are doing to highlight this issue, and solutions proposed or how students are

mobilizing the movement. Students will also discuss how this issue highlights a bigger issue

within society and discuss how this impacts their life. The students will be able to pick an issue
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they feel led to explore. The students are allowed to present the information using Power Point,

a poster board, or using a e-portfolio.

Additionally, the students will be graded on their presentation (How does it look?),

presentation of the information (How did you present the information?), and the way the

information is presented (Was the information given in a manner that is clear and did your

information align with issue you selected?). The presentation and display will be graded on the

students ability to present the information in a creative manner. The way the information is

presented will also be another way we will grade the presentation. Lastly, whether or not the

student detailed the issue fully will also impact the students scoring.

Before giving students an assignment, it is often helpful to do the assignment yourself to

ensure you get the results you would like and it also provides a great example for the students to

refer to when they get stuck. After completing the assignment, I believe it provides students with

the autonomy to examine something that interests them and also challenges them to research

issues from a social justice lens that they may not be exposed to on a daily basis. The project

also allows students to feel empowered by the work that has been done by former college

students. This project also develops students ability to think critically about issues that may not

have simple solutions. Lastly, when exploring these issues, it allows students to challenge the

systems that are creating these issues.

Furthermore, the way that the assignment is set up, I think that it allows students to

present in various ways and in whatever manner they feel comfortable. For example, some of

our students love public speaking so if they would like they can choose to have less on their

physical presentation and detail the issue verbally. However, if the students do not like public

speaking they will be allowed to display their presentation and talk about it in smaller groups.
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Allowing students this opportunity to complete the assignment in the way that they feel

comfortable exposes them to formal presentations in either small or larger group which is a

necessary skill for college. This project will also be completed during tutoring hours that way

our tutors and site supervisors will be able to help facilitate the students researching these issues.

We will also guide the younger students a lot more because this will be there first time

completing an assignment of this caliber. This project format has been successful in the past and

continues to support a multitude of different students.

After creating and completing this assignment, I hope my students gain a better

understanding of the issues surrounding higher education, historical backgrounds, current trends,

and different solutions that have been implemented or not utilized. I also hope for students to

have an understanding about the different barriers that are present within higher education.

Although these are my hopes I believe we will need to introduce a workshop that helps students

to get familiar with researching information, otherwise some students may struggle to complete

the assignment. After completing the assignment, with the exception of a research workshop, I

do believe the students will have all the necessary resources to complete the assignment

successfully.

This project will challenge our Upward Bound participants to look at issues from a social

justice perspective. After completing and examining the assignment this format will best support

our students. Lastly, the assignment will be effective with the original format, but a research

workshop will improve the assignment. This paper has outlined the assignment created, the

outcome of the project, lastly examine the effectiveness, and what can be changed to increase

effectiveness.