Students in Hagan's HIST 1301 playing Puritan and Native American games.
Victoria College students enrolled in Dr. Karen Hagan’s United States History I (HIST 1301) course are experiencing a unique and engaging approach to learning American history.
Hagan recently began incorporating more hands-on activities in her face-to-face history class to enhance understanding and retention.
“To make class more engaging, I’ve incorporated art,” said Hagan. “Students create an artifact of the day using clay. This can help them more easily remember lectures while having fun.”
Students from Yoakum High School who participate in the class via ITV (interactive television) also receive clay so they can create historical artifacts along with their classmates at VC’s Main Campus.
Hagan moved class outdoors to the quad one day so students could play historical games that were popular among Puritans and Native Americans. She traveled to Yoakum the following day to provide the same experience for her dual credit students.
Hagan’s innovative teaching methods have proven beneficial for her students.
“She is very enthusiastic and makes the lectures interesting,” said Hannah Barrett. “I’m a hands-on learner, so it helps me retain it better. I can put my hands on it and see how things were in those times and retain it.”
Hagan’s face-to-face HIST 1301 course will be offered as a condensed eight-week course from Oct. 21-Dec. 20. The class will feature the same engaging activities and will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9-10:50 a.m.
“We realize this is a shorter time period than traditional 16-week semester classes, but I believe it may work well for students who have the time to focus on a specific subject in a shorter timeframe,” said Hagan.
The deadline to register for VC’s Fall 2024 second eight-week courses is noon on Friday, Oct. 18. For more information, visit VictoriaCollege.edu/ClassSchedule, call (361) 573-3291, or chat live at VictoriaCollege.edu.