Mara B. Huber, PhD
Catalyzing Humanitarian Impacts through Experiential Learning and Digital Badges
Category: Global NGO Collaboration
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From Project-Based Learning to Project Challenges: a Shared Investment in the SDGs
In 2015 I began co-leading our study abroad trip to Tanzania, determined to make some tangible impact through our engagement. I loaded my bags with donations and gifts- but that was the easy part. It was the promise of collaboration that beckoned my interest. The idea that as a university, we had valuable resources to…
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Harvesting Talent and connecting it with the World: An Emerging Role for Higher Education
In a 2013 TEDx talk, “Emerging from the Middle”, I suggested that our education pipeline is insensitive to the diverse talents of our students, and the needs of communities and ecosystems they stand to touch. Rather than cultivating and harvesting potential in its most diverse and abundant forms, we constrain its development, making students compete…
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Students Design EcoFlush Toilet for Rural Tanzania
I recently worked with a group of Engineering students designing an eco-flush latrine for a community in rural Tanzania through a yearlong intramural project. Through background readings and Zoom conversations, they learned about health and education problems associated with poor sanitation. Namely, due to lack of functioning latrines in schools and homes, and waste run-off…
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Traveling WAY beyond Global Learning
With less than three months into our new Project Portal, I am excited on so many levels. Student interest is high and new projects are coming in from all directions. Our digital badges are yielding important data and the resulting stories are already compelling. While there is much to dig into and explore as we…
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Why Modeling is More Powerful than Strategic Planning
Although traditional planning exercises can be useful, they’re inherently limited and flat, and of little use as we try to navigate the challenges and changes that swirl around our work, lives, and efforts to add value. In this video I make the case for “modeling” as a dynamic and powerful tool to support all stages…
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Flipping the Privilege Continuum through Project-Based Collaboration
Photo by Doug Levere When I consider the promise of project-based collaboration, I get very excited. I have already seen its benefits for traditional college students. Challenged assumptions, deepened learning and clarified career goals, accompanied by fascinating cultural interactions and stories to share. It is not at all surprising that students are seeking more of…
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Experiential Learning Calls: Join UB in Tanzania this Summer
(photos by Doug Levere) As we deepen our commitment to high-impact experiential learning and collaborative innovation, we recognize that everyone has something of value to contribute. We find that the closer we get to places, people and problems, the more we can leverage our talents, resources and connections. This is the promise of high-impact experiential…
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Our new Tanzania Book: completely free and accessible from any computer or digital device
Book PDF I’m so excited to share our new book, “On Tanzania Time: Celebrating 10 Years of Friendship, Engagement and Discovery in the Mara Region” This book is as personal as it gets. It shares the early stages of our partnership when I first met members of the Immaculate Heart Sisters of Africa who were…
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Transforming Global Partnerships into Pedagogical Impacts
Register for GPS Institute On Monday October 1st we will welcome partners from Ghana, Jamaica, Tanzania and Zimbabwe for our inaugural week of sharing, capacity building and networking toward the goal of creating new collaborations, projects and experiential learning offerings. What will come from this exciting week of presentations, studio sessions and innovation modules? Our…
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Catalyzing Global Development through Higher Education Engagement
Research universities are often viewed as engines for economic development, touting impacts related to start-ups, tech transfer and regional labor markets. This identity, when viewed within the knowledge economy paradigm, positions universities and colleges as critical assets and catalysts for regional growth and vibrancy. But similar expectations could hold within the space of global development.…
Mara B. Huber, PhD 