Graduation cap next to "Making College Worth It"

Making College “Worth It” examines engaged learning activities that contribute to a high-quality, equitable education and increase the value of college experiences. In each episode, we share research from Elon University’s Center for Engaged Learning and our international network of scholars. We explore engaged learning activities that recent college graduates associate with their financial and time commitment to college being worthwhile. Making College “Worth It” was created by Jessie L. Moore and is produced by the Center for Engaged Learning at Elon University.

Browse episodes and show notes below, or subscribe on your preferred podcast app. The Center releases new episodes on most 2nd and 4th Mondays.

Listen to the Current Episode and Access Show Notes

Two people sit across from each other, seemingly collaborating on a project. Text overlay reads, "CEL Podcasts. Making College Worth It. Fostering Partnership Projects in Higher Education."

Fostering Partnership Projects in Higher Education

Making College “Worth It” – Season 1, Episode 11 In this episode, we focus on student-faculty partnerships in higher education. We talk to Sophia Abbot, a doctoral candidate in the Higher Education Program at George Mason University and a long-time…

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Show Credits

Jessie L. Moore, PhD, hosts and produces Making College “Worth It” and 60-Second SoTL. Jessie is director of the Center for Engaged Learning and professor of English: Professional Writing & Rhetoric. She is the author of Key Practices for Fostering Engaged Learning: A Guide for Faculty and Staff and co-editor of five edited collections on engaged learning topics. In addition to coordinating the Center’s research seminars, Jessie produces the Center’s videos and other web resources and co-edits two book series: the Routledge/Center for Engaged Learning Series on Engaged Learning and Teaching and the Center for Engaged Learning Open Access Book Series. Jessie’s professional service to the scholarship of teaching and learning was recognized with the 2019 International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSOTL) Distinguished Service Award. In 2021, Jessie received Elon University’s Distinguished Scholar Award.

Picture of Nolan Schultheis, standing next to a poster highlighting the Center's initiatives.

Nolan Schultheis is a first-year student at Elon University studying Psychology with an interest in law. Eager to assist others in their learning and college process, Nolan adds his creative input into the podcasts. In addition to working in the Center for Engaged Learning as Podcast Producer, Nolan is also a legal professions scholar. The program provides mentoring and learning opportunities for students interested in legal education.

Headshot of Sydni Brown

Sydni Brown is a senior at Elon University studying Communications Design and Strategic Communications with minors in Poverty and Social Justice and Leadership Studies. As a co-host of Making College Worth It, she offers a student insight into what she feels she has getting out of her college experience so far. She is also a Leadership Fellow and works in both the Truitt Center and the Gender and LQBTQIA Center.  

Original show art was created by Jennie Goforth, managing editor for the Center for Engaged Learning.

Funky Percussions is by Denys Kyshchuk (@audiocoffeemusic) – https://www.audiocoffee.net/. Soft Beat is by ComaStudio.

Browse All Episodes

Two people sit across from each other, seemingly collaborating on a project. Text overlay reads, "CEL Podcasts. Making College Worth It. Fostering Partnership Projects in Higher Education."

Fostering Partnership Projects in Higher Education

Making College “Worth It” – Season 1, Episode 11 In this episode, we focus on student-faculty partnerships in higher education. We talk to Sophia Abbot, a doctoral candidate in the Higher Education Program at George Mason University and a long-time…

Cars approach a border crossing. Overlays read, "CEL Podcasts. Making College Worth It. Crossing Borders at Home."

Crossing Borders at Home

Making College “Worth It” – Season 1, Episode 10 In this episode, we visit with Amanda Sturgill, Associate Professor of Journalism at Elon University, who co-edited Mind the Gap: Global Learning at Home and Abroad. She shares strategies for facilitating global…

Students and a faculty member gather in a residence hall common room. Overlays read, "CEL Podcasts. Making College Worth It. The Faculty Factor in Living-Learning Communities."

The Faculty Factor in Living-Learning Communities

Making College “Worth It” – Season 1, Episode 9 In this episode, we visit with Jennifer Eidum, Associate Professor of English at Elon University, and Laura Lomicka, Professor of French and Applied Linguistics at the University of South Carolina, who…

Dozens of people sit in cap and gowns at a college graduation. Overlays read, "CEL Podcasts. Making College Worth It. Learning, Space, and Place in Higher Education."

Learning, Space, and Place in Higher Education

Making College “Worth It” – Season 1, Episode 8 In this episode, we visit with Susan Hrach, director of the Faculty Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning and professor of English at Columbus State University, and Ashley Holmes,…

A woman works at a laptop. Overlays read, "CEL Podcasts. Making College Worth It. ePortfolios as Capstone Experience."

ePortfolios as Capstone Experience

Making College “Worth It” – Season 1, Episode 7 In this episode, we visit with Carol Van Zile-Tamsen, associate vice provost for curriculum, assessment, and teaching transformation at the University at Buffalo, about UB’s ePortfolio capstone requirement for general education….

A person holds a lightbulb in their hands; twinkling lights are strung into the lightbulb. Overlays read, "CEL Podcast. Making College Worth It. Salient Practices of Mentoring Undergraduate Research."

Salient Practices of Mentoring Undergraduate Research

Making College “Worth It” – Season 1, Episode 6 In this episode, we visit with Helen Walkington, Professor of Higher Education at Oxford Brookes University, UK, and Eric Hall, professor of exercise science at Elon University, about the salient practices…

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The Data Mine

Making College “Worth It” – Season 1, Episode 5 In this episode, we focus on living-learning communities, which combine students’ on-campus housing experiences with academic experiences like linked courses, shared academic interests, or other learning opportunities. We talk to Professor…

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Capitalizing on Capstone Experiences

Making College “Worth It” – Season 1, Episode 4 Caroline Ketcham and Tony Weaver, co-editors of Cultivating Capstones: Designing High-Quality Culminating Experiences for Student Learning, share strategies for faculty and students to make the most of these high-impact opportunities for…

A person works at a table. A laptop is open to their left, and they're writing on a tablet to the right of the laptop. Overlays read, "CEL Podcasts. Making College Worth It. Lifewide Writing in College."

Lifewide Writing in College

Making College “Worth It” – Season 1, Episode 3 In a 2021 survey of recent U.S. college graduates, conducted by the Elon Poll and the Center for Engaged Learning, 94% of participants indicated that writing was somewhat or very important…

Four people look at a laptop together and smiling. Overlays read, "CEL Podcasts. Making College Worth It. Making Connections in College."

Making Connections in College

Making College “Worth It” – Season 1, Episode 2 In a 2021 survey conducted by the Elon University Poll and the Center for Engaged Learning, 54.5% of recent college graduates indicated that they’d encountered meaningful relationships with faculty or staff…