MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University’s Engage program is celebrating its 10th anniversary with some changes — a new name and logo — but the mission remains the same: creating a culture of active learning.
Engage, formerly MT Engage, is MTSU’s signature initiative focused on enhancing student learning through integrated and reflective educational experiences.
“This milestone is possible because of great partnerships we have on campus with faculty and staff who have supported us all these years and who help students have these meaningful learning experiences,” said Julie Myatt, director of Engage.
Originally launched in 2015 as part of the university’s second Quality Enhancement Plan, the goal of Engage is to foster a culture of engaged learning by supporting students’ growth as integrative, reflective thinkers.
“The way Engage does that is by helping students explore connections and reflect on them so they leave MTSU fully aware of what they learned, know, and can do,” said Myatt, a professor of English who took the helm of Engage in 2019. “We often have students tell us how much they appreciated that opportunity to slow down and make sense of what they were learning.”
Engage is education that goes beyond the classroom so students “learn something different than they would learn in a brick-and-mortar setting.”
“They are learning in community with others,” Myatt explained, “and they’re learning how one class is relevant to another class. We’re breaking down silos to see different campus units and organizations come together. We also prioritize interdisciplinary collaboration.”
Engage courses must meet certain criteria. They must include high-impact educational practices proven to benefit all students (like collaborative and problem-based learning); a co-curricular experience that helps students gain new perspectives on course content; and a signature assignment that prompts integrative thinking and reflection that is assessed using a rubric.
Students also develop an ePortfolio presentation to curate a collection of the work they’ve created so they can “look back on it and see how they’ve grown, see what knowledge, skills and abilities they’ve gained, and then articulate that to the prospective employers or graduate programs,” Myatt said.
Not only are students encouraged to get involved in Engage courses, but there are incentives for faculty to build out-of-the-box learning experiences — many of which culminate in Engage Week, coming up Sept. 22-26.
“Faculty and staff apply for grant money to support events showcasing the excellent working happening in their areas. These events are open to all students,” Myatt explained.
Engage Week starts early with a Career Fair Ready! Workshop presented by the Career Development Center and the Department of Communication Studies on Monday, Sept. 22, from 12:40-2:05 in KUC 324. Students will learn to formulate and deliver an elevator pitch, get their resume reviewed, and have a professional headshot taken after visiting the Career Closet, which provides professional attire for students at no cost.
Other events during the week include an old-fashioned field day, Engage Fest student music festival and trivia nights. Visit https://www.mtsu.edu/engage/get_involved/ for a full lineup of events.
“To help celebrate our 10th anniversary, we also have Engage events planned for every month this year,” Myatt said.
One of the monthly events Myatt is looking forward to is Hot Tips with Engage, featuring campus “celebrities” offering tips for success as they eat progressively hotter chicken wings, set for 3-4 p.m. Oct. 23. There will also be giveaways.
“We’ve really grown beyond what the expectations were in terms of the number of classes and faculty participating,” Myatt said, “and I think that speaks to how our program serves a need on campus and makes a difference for our students and faculty.”
— Nancy DeGennaro (Nancy.DeGennaro@mtsu.edu)
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