Whereas the common idea of learning is centered around being in a lecture hall and reading books for multiple hours on end, a common misconception is that this is the only way to learn and grasp concepts in the world around us. Seeing this as a problem that could be addressed, Alicia Rodriquez, Dean of the college of Arts and Humanities took it upon herself to broaden the horizon of both the students of CSUB and the campus itself with a program called “Beyond The Classroom.”
The program launched earlier this month on Feb. 1 when students were able to visit The Getty Museum in Los Angeles free of charge. Once there, they were treated to numerous tours provided by The Getty’s staff, such as a spotlight exhibit into the evolution of science showing off a microscope from the 18th century, and ample amounts of time to explore and appreciate the arts on the student’s own accord.
Now, all of this sounds like an enjoyable time, but it is very important to assess whether or not these kinds of outings are truly enriching the student experience here at CSUB. Acknowledging all of that, Rodriquez cited two major factors as being both beneficial and normally unattainable through normal instruction methods, with the most important above all being memorability.
“It’s the kind of thing where after students graduate from university, they will be able to remember that as one of their highlights at CSUB,” said Rodriquez.
Rodriquez also speaks highly of being able to take the concepts learned in the classroom, whether that be art or any subject, and see how those lessons manifest into real objects in the world.
The second benefit she noted was around the social benefits that come from taking students out of their routine and putting them into a new and unknown environment.
“I overheard exchanges of students who were in the same major and they said this was the first time they had ever exchanged more than a few words, so I do think this does enrich the student experience,” Rodriquez said.
Looking towards the future of the Beyond The Classroom program, the hope is for expansion in almost every single way. They are planning for at least one trip per semester and for more and more students to be able to attend the longer they keep the program running. As of now, the plan is for The Getty to continue to be the location as there is still so much to be seen and admired there as this last trip only saw a fraction of what The Getty has to offer. That does not mean however that they only plan to attend The Getty, as there are numerous other sites that they hope to one day visit, but the locations specifically are for Beyond The Classroom to announce once they have them settled.
