Since Jo Ann Gora's arrival on campus five years ago, immersive learning has gone from a mostly unknown term to a staple of the way this university structures its learning environment.
Our current strategic plan even calls for each student to have the opportunity to participate in an immersive learning experience by 2012.
One program in particular stands out in the immersion it offers — and demands — of its students. It's an unheralded major, one that currently houses just 30 undergraduate students, and its coordinator has a remarkable story all to his self.
But chances are if you've heard of Ball State's athletic training program, you don't know all its students do for this campus or how well they are prepared for their chosen profession.
"The cornerstone of our program"
Most students have heard of the immersive learning opportunities offered by the telecommunications department, or the business school, or even the nursing program. But they seem to pale in comparison to what is offered through the athletic training program. Perhaps it's because they refer to it as ‘clinical' experience rather than immersion. But it's all the same — real-world application of skills learned in the classroom.
Each semester, every student in the athletic training program is assigned either a Ball State sports team or an off-campus practicum. The time commitment ranges anywhere from 10 hours at an off-campus location such as a high school or rehab clinic to a staggering 30 hours for in-season football. It's unpaid, and the athletic training students still maintain a full class load.
Thomas Weidner, professor of athletic training and coordinator of the program, called the clinical experience "the cornerstone of our program."
"Our students are exposed to a diverse field," Weidner said. "They learn a lot from the [semesters] spent with the teams, but the off-campus semester is a more realistic employment setting. They'll either fall in love or say ‘never again.'"
The students I spoke with in the athletic training program all confirmed their schedules are often demanding — junior Laney Pritchard said she had "basically no social life" during her semester with the men's basketball team. But they all acknowledged the clinical experience has already prepared them for the real world. Don't we all wish we could all say that about our majors?
"No regrets of resentment"
What started as a devastating career-ending ailment has become a blessing in disguise for Weidner. He was once clinically active in the athletic training field until a rare degenerative eye disease stole his sight and his livelihood.
Instead of seeking a new career path, Weidner pursued academia, returning to Southern Illinois University, his alma mater, and receiving his doctorate. He eventually made his way to Ball State, where he has built the athletic training program into one of the best in the region, despite his blindness.
"I have no regrets or resentment about it," he said. "It's been rewarding to be able to work at the academic level. The students help make it all worth it."
Weidner admitted he needs some help in the classroom and enlists the help of a doctoral assistant in running class. But he can still evaluate students.
"If it's a tape job, I can either feel whether it's good or not, or the students can tape me," he said. "There are multiple ways that I'm able to adapt in the classroom."
Where's the love Ball State?
For a program that epitomizes Ball State's infatuation with immersive learning and has a great story to boot, athletic training sure doesn't get a lot of credit.
A search for ‘athletic training' on Ball State's News Center search engine gets you about 10 relevant results since the university started archiving articles in 1997. A similar search for ‘architecture' or ‘telecommunications'? A few hundred more.
Ball State explicitly states in its strategic plan it will "recognize scholarship of discovery, integration, application and teaching with implementation defined at the university level." The athletic training program certainly seems to meet these requirements. It features a rigorous schedule, high academic standards and award-winning faculty. (Weidner was recently inducted into the Hall of Fame by the Indiana Athletic Trainer's Association.) Yet I don't see any billboards or TV ads touting Weidner's program and all it offers students.
I understand that a university can't possibly throw all its energy into every small program that is doing a good job. But when a university builds an entire marketing campaign around this idea of immersive learning, it makes sense to spotlight the ones that incorporate the idea into its regular curricula.
So let's show the little guys some love, Ball State. It is called Education: Redefined, right?
Write to Dillon at dekimmel@gmail.com.
Read More
IPR: Indiana Democrats discuss party’s future during Muncie town hall
By Indiana Public Radio / 21 minutes agoIndiana Democrats gathered at a town hall in Muncie Saturday to spotlight the long-term effects of state and federal Republican policies. As IPR’s Thomas Ouellette reports, Democrats discussed Indiana’s property tax overhaul and the future of the state’s party.
IPR: Advocacy groups, college student sue Indiana over new law banning student IDs at polling places
By Indiana Public Radio / 2 days agoTwo voter and civic advocacy groups and an Indiana University student are suing the state over a new law that bans the use of student IDs for voting. The suit alleges the SEA 10, signed into law last month, “severely burdens” young people’s ability to vote without any justification.
Public invited to update on The Village revitalization plan
By Ball State Daily / 3 days agoPresident Mearns will host a public update on Ball State's revitalization plan for The Village at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, June 4, at Cornerstone Center for the Arts in the Legacy Room on the third floor. Parking is available in Cornerstone’s lots off Washington Street. The event will offer the latest on Ball State’s plan to revitalize The Village.
