Academically prepared, biblically rooted, globally minded and equipped to serve: The “Core 4” drive the curriculum programming at California Baptist University and compose the outcomes intended for all
graduates.
While we have heard these outcomes mentioned and have seen them posted around campus, the structure of many courses does not easily lend itself to the implementation of all four core principles. “Equipped to serve” seems to be the outcome hardest to implement.
Experimental Foods, a nutrition and food science course, has partnered with Path of Life Ministries to create the Angel Wings Project, which they have been working on all semester. Students enrolled in this class are developing new, healthier recipes for Path of Life’s Angel Wings Bakery products.
Path of Life and Angel Wings serve the homeless community in Riverside by providing a way to transition out of homelessness through temporary housing and employment training.
This class has embraced the concept of being “equipped to serve.”
Not only is this being taught in the classroom, but students are seeing what this looks like firsthand. By having the students go out and serve the community with their projects, this outcome has become a driving force behind the course.
After looking at the way this class is structured, we believe that more CBU classes could be conducted in a similar fashion.
Dr. Margaret Barth, professor and program director of Nutrition and Food Sciences at CBU, has structured her class in a unique way that other professors could try to implement into their teaching plans.
The Advanced Art class at CBU recently gave back to the Riverside community after they completed their collaborative installation project, “Accentuating Impermanence.”
The criss-crossed wooden planks represent a tree in the wind, inspired by the Santa Ana winds, officially debuted at the Riverside Plaza on April 1, as part of the Riverside Art Museum’s citywide project, ArtMake.
ArtMake is a community-wide effort to create art in four districts of Riverside. Through the Riverside Arts Museum, participants are creating art that is able to engage the community and allow art to reach people who normally wouldn’t experience it.
Marketing students at CBU also put their classroom-learned skills to use and hosted an event for local families and their children at the Galleria at Tyler on April 5.
The Spring Eggstravaganza consisted of kid-friendly activities such as arts and crafts and an obstacle course that attracted more than 200
participants. By working outside the classroom, students were able to gain real-life experience in managing and running an event.
Rather than assigning projects with the sole purpose of instruction, these efforts give students assignments that will benefit the community simultaneously as they teach the content.
As there are probably more classes like these on campus we feel this style of learning could be better utilized across all disciplines.
We understand that obviously, not all courses can be taught in this way. General education courses don’t necessarily lend themselves to coursework that is community-service driven. But smaller, major-specific classes could organize assignments to help the Riverside community through research and outreach.
While the way our classes are structured falls on the teaching style of the professors, students must take it upon themselves to get the most out of their classes.
Rather than just doing the work as quickly and easily as possible, students can help those around them through their class assignments.
Let’s not make the “Core 4” simply a motto in student handbooks. Let’s integrate the classroom and the community, making our time at CBU more intentional.
