Caroline Cresap is an S-STEM Scholar at Louisiana Tech University. In this S-STEM Scholar Spotlight, Caroline describes some positive experiences with effective classroom learning environments.
“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I may remember. Involve me and I learn.” This quote, attributed to Confucian philosopher Xun Kuang, encapsulates the main idea of my school’s engineering program: hands-on learning is crucial for information retention. Entering college as a prospective engineering student who had been homeschooled for the majority of my life, I knew that my preferred method of learning was through kinesthetic means. While being taught at home, I was given the ability to pursue my interests in active, creative experiments that allowed me to connect the topics I would learn about to real-life applications. I would look forward to school days because they meant I could continue building mini circuits on my dining room table or grow bean sprouts in my kitchen window.
Photos of Caroline Cresap taken for a feature story about Louisiana Tech University’s S-STEM program. Courtesy of Emerald McIntyre/Louisiana Tech University.
This sentiment was continued for me at Louisiana Tech University through their Living with the Lab and S-STEM SUCCESS Scholars programs. I would enter class, listen to a lecture, and would then be given the remainder of class time to work on projects that supplemented what we had gone over. Conservation of energy, efficiency, and linear regression are easier to grasp when you build and analyze the performance of a linear actuator or pump utilizing the concepts learned in class the week prior! At the end of my freshman year, I participated in the First-Year Engineering Projects Showcase, where two of my peers and I were challenged to, in seven weeks, build a fully functional prototype of a project that would solve an issue that we identified.
Caroline Cresap and her teammates at Louisiana Tech’s First-Year Engineering Projects Showcase. Courtesy of Louisiana Tech University.
My team and I created a motorized step that would attach to the underside of vehicles to assist those with mobility issues and won first place overall after many hours of redesigning, problem-solving, and researching. Thinking critically and creatively through these design projects allowed me to build my confidence in my work and prepare me for real-world applications once I enter the workforce.
This type of engaging environment has encouraged me to engage in on-campus research both related to and outside my major to stay actively involved in my education and the pursuit of knowledge. Through the S-STEM program and the continual effort of my parents and teachers to involve me in my education instead of simply telling or teaching me, I have developed a passion for the exploration of the unknown. I would encourage faculty and staff who are looking for a beneficial lecture style to explore projects that engage students, so they are not tempted to passively approach their education.
Connect with Caroline on LinkedIn.
The S-STEM Scholar Spotlight series shares stories, builds community, and highlights students and alumni and their S-STEM programs. Learn more and submit your spotlight today.
