With the background of the 2018 midterms, TCC Connect professors from across various disciplines planned a Civic Engagement event program for the Fall 2018 semester. Rather than being presented as an online lecture, professors utilized Youtube Live and allowed students to actively participate in the discussions.

To encourage educators to include active learning programs to increase student engagement. To illustrate non-traditional approaches to increase student involvement in the political process. To showcase a synergistic approach to learning across a variety of disciplines.

This panel will focus on the concept of creating academically supported and inter-disciplinary online live events that encouraged online students to become engaged in their civic environment. We will discuss the mechanics of making live events work, the benefits of moving away from the online lecture, and why students are enthusiastic about this level of engagement in their online classes. With the background of the 2018 midterms, TCC Connect professors from across various disciplines planned a Civic Engagement event program for the Fall 2018 semester. Rather than being presented as an online lecture, professors utilized Youtube Live and allowed students to actively participate in the discussions. Part of the success of this program was the conscious choice to move away from online lectures to a more informal dialogues. Students were asked to consider how the material presented during these events would apply to them as voters, citizens, and community members. By inviting professors across disciplines, including History, Government, Economics, Speech, and English, students were able to make connections between their various courses. This inter-disciplinary dialogue re-enforced the concepts of each academic course and also allowed students to make connections to their “real lives.” The innovation in this platform appeals to students who find Collaborate or similar programs to be overly academic. Moving the conversation to YouTube encouraged participation; over 2,400 students participated in the Fall 2018 sessions and the student feedback was incredibly positive.