Dr. Grace Odediran
Presentation Title: Changing the World Through CommUNITY Service and Social Innovation
Why Social Innovation Belongs in Online Learning
Attendees will understand the value of integrating community engagement into virtual environments, particularly for increasing student motivation, retention, and real-world readiness.
Designing Inclusive, Accessible Community-Focused Projects
Many faculty struggle to ensure equity in online assignments. This segment shows how community projects can be accessible to students regardless of location, bandwidth limitations, or background.
Models of Virtual Service-Learning Partnerships
Faculty often don’t know where to begin with virtual engagement. This section provides realistic partnership examples and low-barrier options that faculty can implement in any course.
Assignment Structures and Digital Tools That Support Engagement
Attendees receive concrete templates—discussion prompts, project designs, collaboration tools, and rubrics—so they leave with practical resources ready to use immediately.
The Role of Reflection in Deepening Learning
Reflection is the bridge between activity and academic learning. This part shows how journals, multimedia reflections, and guided prompts help students connect community work to course content.
Framework for Implementation Across Any Discipline
Participants gain a simple, scalable model they can adapt whether they teach humanities, business, STEM, or professional programs.
Incorporating Student Perspectives
The presentation will include:
- Short student quotes or video reflections from learners who completed community-focused online work.
- Student examples of successful online service projects (anonymized).
- Insights from student feedback on what motivated them, what challenges they faced, and how community engagement improved their learning.
Student voices help faculty understand impact, anticipate challenges, and design experiences that genuinely resonate with learners.
Bio
Dr. Grace B. Odediran is an educator, researcher, and higher-education leader with extensive experience in financial management, public sector accountability, and student success initiatives. She teaches finance, accounting, and public administration across several New Jersey universities and has previously served as a Partner CFO for a major CDBG-DR program, managing multimillion-dollar disaster recovery funds. Her work focuses on empowering students through practical financial literacy, inclusive online learning design, and community-centered engagement. Dr. Odediran is passionate about using digital education to build financial confidence, social impact, and real-world readiness in today’s learners.