Representations of the Holocaust – redesigning CENS 304 using research conducted by undergraduates (Go Global Witnessing Auschwitz) and making it more relevant to interests of current UBC students

Cohort April 2024: Faculty of Arts – Bozena Karwowska, Haren Howardson, Rachel Gore, Erika Laurence

Project background

CENS 304, “Representations of the Holocaust – Auschwitz,” is an undergraduate, elective course, offered since 2015. CENS 304 qualifies towards the Literature Requirement of a Bachelor of Arts degree. It attracts a large enrolment, 60 to 110 students, and is offered online. 

Many of the societal issues inherent in the Holocaust continue to challenge us. Insights into the Auschwitz experience can translate into a keener appreciation of current social justice issues and support current- Holocaust discourse. Therefore, it is important that CENS 304 course material remains relevant and readily accessible. The goals of this project are to update the course material, enhance student experience and increase student engagement. These goals align with the strategies of Inclusive Excellence, Student Research and Program Redesign as outlined in UBC’s current Strategic Plan.  

Project details

Update Course Material

Over the past 10 years, D section of CENS 304 has been offered, in partnership with GoGlobal, as an on-site seminar in Poland. Students participating in this seminar are conducting research and present their findings in various forms (power point, video clip, short essay etc). To make the work relevant to current interests of consecutive cohorts, students are solely responsible for identifying the focus of their research, which is usually a topic that has piqued their interest while at Auschwitz. We will incorporate some of this student- led research into the CENS 304 course materials. 

Student-led research includes topics that resonate with the issues and concerns relevant to current students. Likewise, UBC students are of diverse backgrounds resulting in diverse perspectives. Incorporating these diverse perspectives into course materials contributes to the ongoing decolonization of Holocaust studies. 

Student Experience

When this course was first offered online, delivery channel options were restricted to computer terminals. Since 2024, students gained multiple delivery channels (i.e, tablets and phones) and the digital proliferation has impacted user expectations regarding ease of navigation. Students’ feedback (course evaluation) indicates that the CENS 304 platform can be difficult to navigate. This is likely reflective of differing characteristics of the devices being used. We plan to make changes to the course sites to streamline navigation and better highlight important information. 

We plan to enhance student experience by delivering course material in formats other than written material or pre- recorded lectures. These alternate delivery formats will include student-made short videos and interactive mappings. These various modes of learning align with UDL (Universal Design for Learning) principles as having learning materials in various formats supports multiple means of representation. 

Student Engagement

A current challenge is the varying degree that students actively engage in online group discussions. This impacts engagement of all students as there cannot be fulsome group discussions if only a limited number of students participate. We intend to identify and test alternate methods for students to engage in the course. We will base proposed solutions upon the direct experiences of students within the team and beyond (as for instance focus groups). The intended result of these changes is greater levels of student engagement and a deeper understanding of course materials.