The jump from high school to college is a mix of nerves, excitement, and possibilities, and so Elon 1010 focuses on creating a space for community that supports students in navigating, together, all the transitions they experience during their first semester.

This fall, the honors section of the course experimented with an activity brainstormed during a class session at the Maker Hub. The goal was to expand the enjoyment students were having to something more, something that encouraged them to be creative throughout the semester, connect with classmates in ways that felt comfortable for them, explore what amazing resources that campus has to offer, and most importantly, show appreciation to those who have experienced their first semester at college together.

Each student makes a small, personalized gift for someone they randomly select in the class using whatever they can find at the Maker Hub and with their own creative powers. It encouraged students to think about who their classmates are and what they might appreciate. Throughout the semester, the course built in activities that focused on students building connections and getting to know each other. They completed the ropes course at Danieley, hung outside and talked about the importance of education, played Beyond the Books (a board game all about the first year) and centered on moments of getting to know each other.

Partnering with the Maker Hub made the whole thing work. By tying it into the curriculum, students were introduced to 3D printers, laser cutters, design software, embroidering, sewing and crafting supplies they could experiment with. They learned new skills while making something tangible for someone else and were encouraged to get to know their classmates in order to make something thoughtful for them. It showed how a class can reach beyond the syllabus through meaningful partnerships with campus resources and facilitate relationship-rich moments.

On the final day of class, the energy in the room was contagious. ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈ showed up excited to share their wrapped gifts with their peers. After decorating holiday cookies and enjoying in a bespoke hot chocolate bar, the students sat in a circle to share their creations. There was laughter, surprise and genuine pride in what they had made. ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈ told stories about how their gift was made with an appreciation of their peer, from special moments outside the class, inside jokes, to favourite sports teams, the gifts were a representation of the friendships formed over the semester.

More than anything, the Elf Exchange helped students feel connected, gave them a reason to be creative and thoughtful, and introduced them to resources and people that made campus feel less overwhelming and more like home.

Hollingsworth is spending the summer working at the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning (CATL), and continuing the project through an independent study. During the spring 2025 semester, Hollingsworth began a 4999 research credit with Jill McSweeney, assistant director of the CATL and assistant professor of wellness, on a project centered around creating a board game that assists first-year students with their transition into university.

First-year ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈ students experience social (e.g. making friends), academic (e.g. harder subject material), and/or emotional (e.g. loneliness) challenges transitioning to university, which can impact student mental health and lead to a reduction in student success and retention. The project uses game-based learning, which offers a dynamic, interactive and self-directed way to engage first-year students while equipping them with essential skills for navigating social, academic and emotional transitional challenges.

This project was developed in collaboration with faculty members at the , a large public research university.

“Their perspective of the first-year experience is slightly different from Elon’s, which allows us to test our research in a broader environment,” said Hollingsworth. “For example, the University of Iceland is not a residential university and therefore scenarios regarding living on campus or having a roommate are not applicable. Similarly, a lot of students are not entering their first year right from high school, many having full-time jobs, families, or previous degrees when they come in.”

The game is inspired by games such as “The Game of Life,” where students move around a board representing their first year at university, encountering scenarios depicting common dilemmas or events that they might encounter at real life university.

For example, players may experience an event around completing a roommate agreement, just like students do at Elon; or have to choose between studying or going to a campus event with friends the night before a midterm. By completing dilemmas and events, students are presented with decisions that they will have to make throughout their first year, often around things that they may not have thought about.

These decisions have consequences, sometimes it might be negative and they might increase their stress (a natural response they will have to learn to balance through their first year, and in our game something that students will want to manage through engaging with pathways like taking a yoga class with Elon’s ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈ Recreation and Health Promotion), and/or develop a skill (either academic, social, or emotional) allowing them to decide how they might like to personally develop over their first year.

“The game encourages students to reflect on the importance of their first year being much more than just their academic experience,” said Hollingsworth. “Engaging in activities and being accountable for their decisions allows them to grow and complete the goals that they have chosen for themselves, and of course, completing goals allows them to get victory points to win the game. Through the exposure to issues that students might face by playing this game, we hope that they will become more prepared for their transition into university.”

This summer, Hollingswoth has continued the project, spending time refining mechanics and creating a physical version for playtesting. Playtesting is important in game design because it allows the designer to receive important feedback to improve the game. Hollingsworth and her collaborators did an initial playtest with three Elon faculty and staff ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈ Elon 1010 in the fall, and from their feedback, they continued to adjust and refine the game in order to have a full prototype to test with our international collaborators from Iceland.

With the help of funding from the Center for Research on Global Engagement (CRGE), Hollingsworth was also able to travel to Iceland to work with her collaborators from the University of Iceland, where they did three rounds of playtesting. First, they playtested with two students, and others from the university then with two groups of four, combining faculty and staff from the university.

“The trip to Iceland was a wonderful experience to improve our research and model international research collaboration, but also to explore Iceland,” said Hollingsworth.

Hollingsworth will continue to edit the game based on feedback and will collect data from having Elon 1010 classes play this game next fall. Similarly, collaborators in Iceland intend to collect data during one of their introductory university courses in the fall.

Building upon the Certificate of Inclusive Teaching, this community of practice brought together certificate graduates from across disciplines to implement, reflect on and refine inclusive pedagogical strategies in their ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈ practices. Participants met throughout the year to engage in discussions on evidence-based practices and action planning focused on fostering meaningful and lasting change at both individual and departmental levels.

Through shared readings, classroom observations, peer support and feedback, and a commitment to student success, the group cultivated a space where all members could grow in their ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈ and contribute to a broader culture of inclusion. Emphasizing continuous professional development, the Community of Practice provided an opportunity for faculty to pursue scholarly inquiries, including collaborative research and conference presentations related to inclusive education.

This initiative exemplifies Elon’s dedication to inclusive excellence and the ongoing pursuit of equitable ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈ practices that support all learners. In the fall, the community of practice will continue and will welcome new faculty members from the most recent cohort of the Certificate of Inclusive Teaching.

Over three days, more than 500 faculty and students engaged in deep discussion about topics that centered student learning in the face of an evolving higher education landscape.

McSweeney started the second day of the event with her keynote, “Igniting Innovative Teaching: ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈ’s Blueprint for Transforming Undergraduate Education.” The session focused on how ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈ innovation is not always about dramatic shifts in our practice, but it can emerge through deliberate, intentional, and even disruptive approaches from an institution that collectively nurtures a culture of ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈ excellence.

Framing innovation through the lens of Elon’s teacher-scholar-mentor ethos, she talked about the institution’s deep investment in faculty development, and the recognition that ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈ excellence thrives when faculty are supported, valued and empowered to take risks and experiment in their classrooms. The session offered actionable strategies for institutions seeking to embed and sustain a culture of ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈ excellence, through leveraging existing strengths, and intentionally investing in faculty leadership and the growth of ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈ and learning centers, like Elon’s own Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning.

Across the three days of BPTLC, McSweeney participated in three panel discussions with faculty and deans and spoke to the impact of AI on pedagogical assessments, the impact of AI in STEM, and how institutions and faculty can reimage the future of learning through a lens of wellness.