{"id":8154,"date":"2023-05-15T16:15:49","date_gmt":"2023-05-15T20:15:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/?p=8154"},"modified":"2023-06-08T20:51:06","modified_gmt":"2023-06-09T00:51:06","slug":"demo-day-experiential-learning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/2023\/05\/15\/demo-day-experiential-learning\/","title":{"rendered":"Demo Day, Experiential Learning Expo Reaches New Heights"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"max-width: 608px; margin: auto;\">\n<div style=\"position: relative; padding-bottom: 66.1184%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"608\" height=\"402\" style=\"position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; text-align: center; width: 100%; height: 100%;\" id=\"kaltura_player\" src=\"https:\/\/cdnapisec.kaltura.com\/p\/2159741\/embedPlaykitJs\/uiconf_id\/54272102?iframeembed=true&#038;entry_id=1_eifpeng0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" webkitallowfullscreen=\"webkitallowfullscreen\" mozallowfullscreen=\"mozallowfullscreen\" allow=\"autoplay *; fullscreen *; encrypted-media *\" sandbox=\"allow-downloads allow-forms allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-top-navigation allow-pointer-lock allow-popups allow-modals allow-orientation-lock allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox allow-presentation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation\" frameborder=\"0\" title=\"ELE General Spring 2023\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The Spring 2023 Experiential Learning Expo (ELE) was designed with a specific mission in mind: to create an interactive, end-of-semester showcase of student work, to partner with Boston University and industry experts as mentors, and to host the semi-annual event in a dynamic, state-of-the-art location. Check. Check. Check.<\/p>\n<p>Presented by Boston University\u2019s Undergraduate Affairs, the student showcase welcomed nearly 100 student teams from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/spark\/\">BU Spark!<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/hub\/\">BU Hub<\/a>\u2019s Cross-College Challenge (XCC), and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/laprogram\/\">Learning Assistant Program<\/a> to the May 5 event with more than 300 BU supporters \u2014 students, faculty, project sponsors, mentors, and staff, in attendance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c\u200b\u200bThe event was wildly successful,\u201d said <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/provost\/people\/deans-and-senior-administration\/amie-grills\/\">Amie Grills<\/a>, associate provost of BU Undergraduate Affairs. \u201cExperiential learning continues to grow as a hallmark of a Boston University education, and the inaugural Experiential Learning Expo provided an opportunity to combine our end-of-year events under one umbrella to showcase the impact it has on student learning, through hundreds of exceptional and varied student projects.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Located in BU&#8217;s new Center for Computing &amp; Data Sciences (CCDS) building, the Friday evening showcase comfortably consumed the first and second floors with the waterfall staircase serving as a connector. Digital signs illuminated the spaces with a consistent stream of conversation as students presented their semester-long projects. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/profile\/azer-bestavros\/\">Azer Bestavros<\/a>, associate provost of BU Computing &amp; Data Sciences, was thrilled with the turnout and said CCDS was the perfect location to celebrate student-driven innovation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Center for Computing &amp; Data Sciences embodies community, collaboration, and cutting-edge technology,\u201d he said. \u201cThe Experiential Learning Expo brought together student innovators, industry leaders, and the greater BU community and this building was designed precisely for this kind of learning experience.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Expanding the Learning Experience<\/h2>\n<p>The Expo, historically serving XCC courses offered through the BU Hub, has been collaborating with the Faculty of Computing &amp; Data Sciences (CDS) since 2020 through its BU Spark! Program \u2014 a computing and data sciences incubator and experiential learning lab within CDS. This collaboration has steadily increased its roster of XCC courses over the past few years, and has hosted its signature Demo Day alongside the XCC showcase. This spring, the Learning Assistant Program (LA) joined ranks as an Experiential Learning Expo partner.<\/p>\n<h2>Addressing Real-World Issues<\/h2>\n<p>This year\u2019s Spark! Demo Day projects ranged from web applications designed to improve constituent engagement and transparency in Boston&#8217;s City Council District 7 to data driven investigative journalism pieces published in national media outlets. Throughout the showcase, expo-goers had one-on-one opportunities to explore student works, visit demo stations, and vote on their favorite project. In addition to the wealth of impressive projects, Demo Day called on a prestigious list of judges composed of industry experts from Meta, Google, Microsoft, Red Hat, Intel, and more.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe student projects spanned the full spectrum of computing and data science from computer vision to embedded systems to app development, requiring a diversity of expertise from our judges and mentors to support and evaluate these projects,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/profile\/zcranmer\/\">Ziba Cranmer<\/a>, BU Spark! executive director. \u201cWe are so fortunate to have a community of mentors and partners from BU and industry partners, including many Spark! alumni, who join us each semester to make this program possible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The recipient of the BU Spark! Demo Day Innovation Award was &#8220;Terrier Taste,\u201d an initiative project aimed to combat food waste among BU students in on-campus dining. Through advanced technology, it offered users a tool to make informed eating decisions by sharing menu ratings, reviews, and providing real-time feedback to BU dining for effective menu planning.<\/p>\n<p>The Demo Day Audience Choice Award was given to the &#8220;Missing Children&#8221; project. Utilizing machine learning-driven, age progression forensics, this endeavor applied the technique to images of missing children, contributing to enhanced efforts in locating them.<\/p>\n<p>Throughout the semester, the BU Cross-College Challenge and Learning Assistant Program engage students in team projects that address a real-world problem or an enduring human question. Dozens of student teams presented their final projects to an engaged and enthusiastic audience. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/hub\/profile\/sandra-deacon-carr\/\">Sandra Deacon Carr<\/a>, Faculty Director of BU Hub Curricular Initiatives, said experiences like the Experiential Learning Expo are a critically important part of the learning process.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe experiential learning approach of these programs requires students to engage with external stakeholders \u2013 community partners, faculty, students \u2013 to address a real-world question or challenge,\u201d she said. \u201cShowcasing that work publicly is an important part of the learning process as it provides an opportunity for students to discuss their projects with a larger audience, generating a greater impact. It also enables us to celebrate their accomplishments.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Learning Assistant Program is an initiative designed to improve undergraduate STEM education by employing motivated students to assist with teaching other undergraduates. LAs assist course instructors while being trained how to teach by Wheelock School of Education faculty. Through the guidance of weekly preparation sessions and a pedagogy course, LAs facilitate discussions among groups of students in a variety of classroom settings to encourage active engagement.<\/p>\n<p>Throughout the expo, 51 new learning assistants presented their final projects on redesigning one small aspect of the course in which they teach, combining the pedagogical theory they learned throughout the semester with their in-class, experiential practice of teaching.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBeing a part of the Experiential Learning Expo gave the Learning Assistants a broadened sense of community and a professional forum to present their work,\u201d said <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/laprogram\/about\/people\/\">Kathryn Spillios<\/a>, director of the Program. \u201cThey spent the semester immersed in their LA experience and then conversed with other XCC or Spark students about their experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Celebrating Student Innovations, Building Community<\/h2>\n<p>Students, faculty, industry and planning partners agree, the Spring 2023 event was not only an exciting opportunity to celebrate students and their innovations, it was a shining example of community.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Community events like the Experiential Learning Expo are opportunities for students, faculty, staff, and industry partners to come together, celebrate student success and innovation,&#8221; Bestavros said. &#8220;And our CDS home is a dynamic, state-of-the-art space to do just that.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h6>Posted May 15, 2023 | Maureen McCarthy<\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn about the Spring 2023 Experiential Learning Expo (ELE) showcasing student work.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18026,"featured_media":8157,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5,17,1],"tags":[27,343,345,344,346],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8154"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18026"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8154"}],"version-history":[{"count":38,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8154\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8423,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8154\/revisions\/8423"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8157"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8154"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8154"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}