1. Nicola Davis Bivens, EdD Anita Bledsoe-Gardner, PhD Johnson C. Smith University 16 th Annual Emergency Management Higher Education Symposium Thursday, June 5, 2014 Emmitsburg, Maryland

2.  Constructivist learning environment involves problem-solving activities (Roblyer, Edwards, & Havriluk, 1997)  Rich learning environments that involve cooperative and collaborative group learning and learning through exploration.  Knowledge is constructed and made meaningful through an individual's interactions and analyses of the environment; knowledge is constructed in the mind of the individual.

3. Students must actively participate in a process of exploring, analyzing, evaluating, and synthesizing knowledge into a frame of reference that they then use and build on prior knowledge (Jadallah, 2000).

4. Few incentives for faculty to faculty to encourage student involvement in community engagement, public affairs issues, and issues of social justice that is not research oriented and there is a reluctance among faculty to engage in this research (Cortes, 1998; Delemos, 2006).

5.  Long history in social science, especially sociology.  University of Chicago sociologists including Robert Park and Ernest Burgess conducted ecological studies of Chicago neighborhoods beginning in the 1920s (e.g., Park, Burgess & McKenzie, 1925).  Park et al. believed that social science knowledge could be used to solve social problems.  Later, many former social activists from the 1960s, now in academia, sought to use social science knowledge to address problems of poverty and inequality in their communities.

6. (1) engage in reciprocal research that is mutually beneficial to researchers and communities (2) develop culturally competent and appropriate methods, (3) clarify expectations and roles of community members and researchers (4) honor research product as much as process (Delemos, 2006).

7. CBPR also affords opportunity to work with underserved, marginalized communities (Shiu- Thorton, as cited in Delemos).

8.  Initial research was for the local housing authority  On occasion, United Way  Mecklenburg County Courts  Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department  15+ Community Associations

9.  Grant funded – Council on Independent Colleges  Effective teaching and pedagogy

10. Surveys were conducted as class research projects in research methods classes. Students gained experience in conducting survey research. Some instances of grant funding for student salaries the Council of Independent Colleges Current grant funding Smith Institute Applied Research

11. Duke Endowment gift Full time, dedicated faculty in the Metropolitan College Criminology – one of three disciplines

12.  Malcolm Knowles - Androgogy  The need to know why they must learn something before they begin that process  Readiness to learn to apply in a real life situation

13.  Malcolm Knowles - Androgogy Adults are task centered or problem centered when it comes to learning.

14.  Introduction to Emergency Management  (traditional students)  Research Methods  (adult learners; traditional students)  Spanish for Social Services  (adult learners)

16.  Learning environment with adults and “traditional students”  Interdisciplinary focus  Sense of accomplishment  Sense of contribution  Real experience in survey development, data collection, and data analysis  Development of knowledge, skills, and abilities

17.  Inexpensive data collection  Opportunity for collaboration  Student assessment  Innovative Pedagogy  Publication and Presentation Opportunity

18.  Public relations  Expanding our gates  Opportunity for collaboration  Further University objective to be a good neighbor

19.  Data set for public safety, emergency managers  Included in planning  Awareness of disaster preparedness

20.  Foreign language barriers  Transportation to the Community  Student safety