In a time of rampant misinformation and declining trust in governmental institutions, College of Education faculty are dedicating themselves to improving critical thinking, media literacy, civic participation and interest in public service.
Ph.D. faculty members Phillip Morris, Diane Stutey, Kimberly Severn, Grant Clayton, Patrick McGuire and Joe Wehrman received $1,134,860 for their vital two-year project, Digital Citizenship and Civics Leadership (DCCL) in the Pikes Peak Region. The comprehensive project aims to enhance civic engagement, knowledge, skills, resources and more through initiatives and outreach, and involves wide-scope collaboration and efforts to engage with and teach campus and the community about civics and digital citizenship. Cortny Stark, Ph.D., who recently left UCCS, also contributed to the project submission.
"This project is multifaceted and relies on partnerships across campus and throughout the community," noted Morris. "To address current challenges related to a lack of civic knowledge and governmental participation within our communities, DCCL project will focus on digital platforms and modelling of service for middle school, high school and college students in the region."
Initiatives include expansion of the Campus Connections capacity, the training of Civics Ambassadors, a "Significant Speaker Series" and participation by local youth in the Colorado Conference on Civic Discourse, hosted by the university. Existing programs, like Pre-Collegiate, GPS and Compass Curriculum will incorporate new content and information into their subject matter as well.
Morris and his fellow co-investigators will continue partnering with school districts and community organizations to increase and maintain participation. Through the project trainings offered to K-12 professionals, the impact from this grant will go beyond the two years as incoming students continue to learn the curriculum.
“We are excited to expand support for youth regarding digital citizenship and civic engagement!" said Joe Wehrman, Ph.D., Interim Dean of the College of Education. "Youth who participate in Campus Connections benefit from learning ways to use technology and social media in prosocial and healthy ways. The UCCS College of Education hopes to continue to support the Pikes Peak region and our local community with high quality education and civic engagement with our students and stakeholders. Our community and cities benefit greatly from our willingness to support civic engagement. Finally, as the Interim Dean of the College of Education, I am proud of our highly qualified faculty for the work they do for El Paso County. This project embodies the true meaning of innovative scholarship and community engagement.”
The award was granted from the National Defense Education Program (NDEP) within the Department of Defense. The NDEP's Civil Society awards aim to provide enhanced civics education in areas such as critical thinking, media literacy, and interest in public service. More information about the NDEP program and the awards can be found here.