For Cal Poly Pomona students who completed their interdisciplinary general education capstone project, it was time to do a little boasting.
Nearly 80 colorful and detailed projects paired with a written abstract and essay were on display at the Department of Interdisciplinary General Education’s (IGE) 13th Annual Projects Fair on March 8.
Enthusiastic students stood by their projects in the Bronco Student Center’s Ursa Major suite to discuss their displays and share their experiences in the IGE program at the College of Education & Integrative Studies. Members of the IGE faculty and staff and members of the campus community helped students celebrate their achievements.
Emily Padilla, who is majoring in hospitality management, said the fair was an opportunity to share her passion for culinary arts and bring out the issue of gender inequality in the industry. She also shared the impact the program has had on her learning experience.
“I’ve enjoyed interacting with different majors,” Padilla said. “The IGE program has allowed others to get to know me and more about my major. I’ve even made a good friend in engineering, which wouldn’t have happened if it were not for this program.”
Students from all of the colleges were represented in the 80 projects. Diversity was the reoccurring word used to describe the event.
In the last hour of the fair, IGE Chair Hend Gilli-Elewy and CEIS Dean Nancy Hurlbut congratulated the students and awarded certificates of completion.
During the ceremony, Hurlbut described the program as one-of-a-kind because of its teaching methods and cited that it is the only IGE program in the California State University system. She said there are three important objectives that students can take with them to their future careers: “content, skills and disposition.”
The projects fair was conceived to allow students to create a visual expression of their final essay in IGE 224 and share their work with the university community.
Professor Kenneth Stahl, the program’s coordinator and advisor, said the objective of the IGE program is to create an active learning environment.
“What makes this program special is the amount of collaboration that is involved,” he said. “During the program, our job as faculty is to provide interactive teaching, not just lecturing. Therefore, students do a lot of role-playing and work in small groups, which has allowed them to form a sense of community that provides a learning experience like no other.”
Visit the CEIS website for more photos of the event.