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 the first Monday of each month.

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Undergraduate Research and Implications for Life Development

Making College “Worth It” – Season 2, Episode 4 In this episode, we consider how undergraduate research impacts a student’s inquiry, sense of belonging, and long-term career. Drawing from in-depth interviews with alumni across the disciplines, Kristine Johnson and Michael…

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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

Undergraduate Research and Implications for Life Development

Making College “Worth It” – Season 2, Episode 4 In this episode, we consider how undergraduate research impacts a student’s inquiry, sense of belonging, and long-term career. Drawing from in-depth interviews with alumni across the disciplines, Kristine Johnson and Michael…

A student intern hands their boss sitting down at a desk a blue binder. Text overlays read, "CEL Podcasts. Making College Worth It. Exploring the Value of Work-Integrated Learning."

Exploring the Value of Work-Integrated Learning 

Making College “Worth It”- Season 2, Episode 3 This episode covers the complexities of a work-integrated learning experience, including both the benefits and the challenges. With guests, Dr. CJ Fleming, an associate professor of psychology, and Annelise Weaver, a senior…

Circuits form together to create a brain on a circuit background. Text on the image reads, “Perspectives on Using Generative AI in College Assignments”.

Perspectives on Using Generative AI in College Assignments 

Making College “Worth It” – Season 2, Episode 2 This episode explores what AI integration in college assignments can do for student learning. With guests Aaron Trocki, a math professor at Elon university, and Alyssa Collins, who is studying to…

Students stand on top of a mud hut in Ghana, learning from a local community member. Text overlays read, "CEL Podcasts. Making College Worth It. Mentoring Magic: Mentored Undergraduate Research in Global Contexts."

Mentoring Magic: Mentored Undergraduate Research in Global Contexts 

Making College “Worth It” – Season 2, Episode 1 Dawn Whitehead and Maureen Vandermaas-Peeler, two of the co-editors of Mentored Undergraduate Research in Global Contexts: Integrated High-Impact Practices for Student Success, join our podcast to talk about the intersection of…

Two women having a conversation, sitting at a table in front of a computer. Text overlays read, “Center for Engaged Learning. Making College Worth It. Student-Faculty Partnerships for Co-Constructing Learning.”

Student-Faculty Partnerships for Co-Constructing Learning

Making College “Worth It” – Season 1, Episode 12 In this episode of “Making College Worth It,” hosts Nolan Schultheis and Jessie Moore delve into student-faculty partnerships in higher education. They interview Olivia Choplin, an associate professor at Elon University,…

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….