Our Stories with Class Beyond the Classroom: Story Sharing as Outreach

• In Event: 269 - Section on Teaching and Learning in Sociology Paper Session. Challenges of Teaching the 21st Century Student Body

Abstract

Sociological research demonstrates that working class, first-generation, and financially insecure students face unique challenges in their matriculation through college. To address these challenges, students and faculty at college campuses all over the country have organized efforts to address these challenges. At Bridgewater State University (BSU), faculty and staff have developed one such program referred to as Class Beyond the Classroom (CBtC), which invites faculty, administration, and students to share their personal experiences of attending college as as a working class, first-generation, or financially insecure student with the goals of normalizing such experiences and supporting student success. Among other efforts, CBtC has held Our Stories events which involve faculty and staff members sharing their stories with students and small group discussion. At BSU, these efforts have broadened awareness of these issues, created opportunities for students to ask questions and find informal mentors, and normalized these kinds of experiences for the members of the campus community. In this paper, we will review research on outreach to first-generation students and story-sharing, delineate the processes and outcomes of the Our Stories events, and provide an overview of an initial pilot study documenting the efficacy this program at BSU.

Authors

• Colby R. King, Bridgewater State University

• Meghan Murphy, Bridgewater State University

• Jakari Griffith, Bridgewater State University