UTSA partners with DoSeum to showcase education research
Share this Story(March 23, 2016) -- The UTSA College of Education and Human Development’s Department of Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching (ILT) is bringing education research to the community through a partnership with the DoSeum, the children’s museum in San Antonio.
The partnership, which brings together local families, DoSeum staff, and ILT students and faculty, is part of the National Living Laboratory initiative that aims to make research accessible by educating the community about what education research is, how it is conducted, and why it is beneficial.
“Our partnership allows us to more powerfully live out our core competencies of being a resource, convener, and laboratory for kids, their caregivers, and local educators,” said Ryan Smith, vice president for education at the DoSeum and a UTSA alumnus. “The Living Laboratory partnership, in particular, allows us to provide resources to child caregivers by sharing research with them on early learning that they can apply to their work with their child or children.”
At the DoSeum, the Living Laboratory site is called Rowdy’s House. For four weeks this semester, ILT faculty and students will conduct two pilot studies concurrently in Rowdy’s House. The first of the two studies will focus on understanding how children work and play in pairs. The second study will look at gender and toy selection.
“The hope is that with this research, there is a constant connection between the college and the DoSeum,” said Zaid Haddad, UTSA assistant professor of interdisciplinary learning and teaching. “The DoSeum serves as a place where our students are able to learn and where the families are able to learn about research. It also serves as a tool for our doctoral students to get their hands dirty and answer their own questions through research.”
The results from the pilot studies will be shared with the DoSeum education staff, the college, and the community.
“At the end of this all, we are hoping to publish our research and bring our students into the publication process as coauthors,” said Haddad. “We really want to show others that the Department of Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching is doing important research.”
In the future, the department, Haddad said, hopes to continue to develop and conduct innovative research studies on early childhood education for Rowdy’s House through the DoSeum partnership.
“What excites me and us most, though, is the benefit our partnership will have to the local community’s kids, families, and educators,” said Smith. “The DoSeum aims to be, and are becoming, a premier educational resource in the local, state, and national learning landscape. With UTSA’s commitment to being a tier one university, and with the talent and thought leadership at the COEHD, we believe that we can offer truly essential resources for kids, families, and educators by engaging in work together.”
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Events
This event will acknowledge graduating seniors from the McNair Scholars program at UTSA before inducting the new cohort of scholars into the program.
North Paseo Building (NPB 5.140), Main CampusAt this memorable celebration, UTSA graduates will be introduced one-by-one to cross the stage and accept their doctoral degrees.
Arts Building Recital Hall, Main CampusRoadrunner Walk is an event for graduating students to have a memorable walk on campus to celebrate an important milestone and their achievements. Graduates will walk along the Paseo while being celebrated by the UTSA community, friends, and family members.
Student Union Paseo, Main CampusCelebrate the accomplishments of College of Education and Human Development, College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Sciences and University College.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.Celebrate the accomplishments of Alvarez College of Business, College of Liberal and Fine Arts and Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.
