CTL Project Highlights: April 2018

by | Apr 9, 2018 | Announcements

Projects developed by the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) in collaboration with Columbia faculty and instructors feature unique media productions and software development. The past month’s milestones involved a new tool that helps social workers map clients’ social support networks, developed by faculty from the Columbia School of Social Work; a website that provides legal resources for New York judicial case decisions, developed by faculty at the Columbia Law School; the launch of two new MOOCs from ICAP at Columbia; and the relaunch of the popular Global Muckraking MOOC.

CTL Releases New Social Support Network Mapping Tool

The CTL has released the latest iteration of the Social Support Network Mapping Tool (SSNM) on GitHub. The SSNM is a simple web-based tool intended for use by social workers and other human service, health or mental health workers in support of clients or community members. The purpose of the tool is to identify and graphically illustrate the informal social supports in a person’s network either in general, or specifically related to an issue for work, like gaining employment, or housing, or getting into recovery, for example.

The tool was initially developed by Dr. Susan Witte and members of the investigative team at the Social Intervention Group at the Columbia University School of Social Work to test the implementation of a web-based HIV prevention intervention for couples called Connect (NIMH R01 MH080659). During this time it was also repurposed for teaching to advanced practice students in the Master of Science degree program in Social Work. Through a grant from the Office of the Provost, the tool is being updated for use in social work classrooms, social work fieldwork sites and in the community at large. The new stateless design and use of GitHub as a platform will allow the use of the tool to travel with students as they move intro professional settings and will help diffuse use of social support mapping as a practice.

The Office of the Provost provided support for this project through a Request for Proposals for Hybrid Learning Course Redesign and Delivery. The award provides instructors with access to the resources and support of the CTL.

New York State Collateral Consequences Calculator Cited in NY Judicial Case Decisions

The New York State Collateral Consequences Calculator, created by Professor Conrad Johnson and Columbia Law School in collaboration with the CTL, was cited in at least two judicial case decisions as part of the court’s analysis of whether the defendant’s attorney provided the “effective assistance of counsel.” The legal opinion for People v. Cristache (2010) described the Calculator as “an extraordinary resource for criminal defense attorneys.” The opinion for People v. Abdallah (2017) also cited the Calculator several times. 

The Collateral Consequences Calculator website was designed as an aid to legal research for judges, attorneys and legal academics by providing a preliminary overview of the collateral consequences associated with sections of the New York State Penal Law. The calculator allows authors, in this case students working with legal experts, to input information about crimes and then arrays potential housing and immigration consequences of a conviction across a spectrum. The calculator allows the comparison of consequences of various areas of the penal code, facilitating a fair and informed plea bargaining process.

Developers and learning designers at the CTL built the Collateral Consequences Calculator in collaboration with Conrad Johnson and  Lawyering in the Digital Age Clinic students at the Columbia Law School.

New MOOCs Provide Training for Healthcare Providers on HIV Treatment and Prevention

ICAP at Columbia University has developed two new self-paced MOOCs (massive open online courses) that launched on April 4, 2018, on the edX platform. Based on up-to-date guidelines from the World Health Organization, one course provides training for pediatric HIV nursing care and treatment while the other is focused on antiretroviral therapy for treating and preventing HIV. The MOOCs are led by Dr. Susan Michaels-Strasser, a professor of epidemiology (in ICAP) at the Columbia University Medical Center.

The Office of the Provost provided support for this project through a Request for Proposals for Massive Open Online Courses. The award provides instructors with extensive consultation services for their accepted course and access to the resources and support of the CTL.

Global Muckraking MOOC Launches on edX

Columbia University’s Global Muckraking: Investigative Journalism and Global Media MOOC (massive open online course), which received worldwide participation during its initial release, relaunched on the edX platform on April 4. The five-week MOOC explores investigative and crusading journalism, and is led by Anya Schiffrin, director of the Technology, Media, and Communications specialization at School of International and Public Affairs, and author of the book African Muckraking: 100 Years of African Investigative Journalism. The course highlights the vital role that journalism has played in fighting injustice and wrongdoing over the last 100 years and delves into the current trends reshaping investigative reporting in the digital age.

The Office of the Provost provided support for this project through a Request for Proposals for Massive Open Online Courses. The award provides instructors with extensive consultation services for their accepted course and access to the resources and support of the CTL.