Page 46 - spaces4learning, Summer 2022

spaces4learning CAMPUS TECHNOLOGY
making them. The more that we can put in the hands of students, the better the experience is, because they are going to come up with infinitely better connections to the world in which they live. So that is one of my goals, hopefully for next year, to get a group of students to come in and build their own escape room. A good way to do that at the college level is to work through clubs. I want to partner with our Student Government Association, to have them maybe build a Halloween escape room, and then use it as a fundraiser. We’ll be there with them to help with the technology, but they get to make it and staff it and do what students do best, which is hang out and have fun. And they all get to see the technology in a non-threatening way.
CT: Do you have any advice for anyone who would want to recreate this concept on their own campus?
Ritter-Guth: Think big and bold and brave, always. I always have at the front of my mind, what are students going to need to know 20 years from now? We don't know what's coming 20 years from now, but we do know that the skills that students need are adaptability, thinking creatively and really being resilient to change because things change so rapid- ly in their world.
We're giving students opportunities to put hands on technolo- gy that they may not be able to afford. Our students can't afford a $4,000 fridge, so we have the opportunity to give all of these stu- dents access to that kind of technology, which is low-risk to them, but high-yield in skills. Elon Musk is going to need employees who know how to do this stuff. Virgin Galactic, they're going to need employees who know how to build, break and defend the things that go on these ships that take people out to outer space. And so, I'm so thankful that Northampton has allowed me to be a visionary. Not a lot of schools can afford to do that. I've been very thankful that Northampton has supported me.
Be bold and brave. People are going to think that you're nuts, and they're not always going to value your vision. But if
you're ethical, and you follow your heart, and you keep your student learning outcomes in mind all of the time, don't worry about that other stuff. Don't be afraid to be different.
Rhea Kelly is editor in chief of Campus Technology.
Listen
Hear the full interview with Beth Ritter-Guth in season 3, episode 7 of the Campus Technology Insider podcast: “How an Escape Room Is Building Students’ Digital Skills at Northampton Community College.” Find it at campustechnology.com/podcast or on all the major podcast platforms.
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