{"id":331,"date":"2014-09-23T16:33:23","date_gmt":"2014-09-23T16:33:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/currents.winonastateu.com\/?p=331"},"modified":"2014-09-23T16:33:23","modified_gmt":"2014-09-23T16:33:23","slug":"current-people-joan-francioni","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/alumni\/2014\/09\/23\/current-people-joan-francioni\/","title":{"rendered":"Current People: Joan Francioni"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Joan<\/a>

Joan Francioni builds connections between WSU students and the Winona Community.<\/p><\/div>\n

The Power of Learning Through Involvement<\/h3>\n

By Margaret Cox<\/strong><\/p>\n

When Computer Science Professor Joan Francioni arrived on campus in 1997, it didn\u2019t take long for her to build connections between Winona State University students and the larger Winona community. Soon after her arrival, she jumped at the chance to collaborate with faculty at Saint Mary\u2019s University on a federal grant to develop specialized software for visually impaired students.<\/p>\n

As Francioni and her students interacted with members of the blind community, she realized that both groups were learning from each other. The focus had shifted to the many things that the visually impaired students could do, just in a different way. \u201cMy feelings about education changed at that point,\u201d says Francioni. \u201cIt helped me recognize the power of learning through involvement in real-life, community-related projects.\u201d This dramatic change in thinking inspired Francioni to try engaging university students in tangible, civic-minded activities as a way to broaden their learning experiences.<\/p>\n

\u201cI discovered that by encouraging students to apply the knowledge and skills they are learning in the classroom toward projects that benefit the community, their motivation changes,\u201d she explains. \u201cRather than being solely concerned with their grades, they are focused on solving problems and challenges that benefit other members of the community. On their own, the students want to learn more for the sake of the cause\u2026 and they do!\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Francioni, it can be tricky to design a classroom project that is useful to the community, challenging to students, and able to be completed within a semester. Projects have ranged in scope from database and website development for the Women\u2019s Resource Center in Winona, to teaching basic computer skills through Project FINE, a local non-profit organization that helps newcomers integrate into the community. The work has paid off exponentially, and in some ways that Francioni did not expect. \u201cI have seen so many students grow by applying themselves to community projects,\u201d says Francioni. \u201cWhen they realize the sense of responsibility that comes with the privilege of education, it\u2019s amazing!\u201d
\nTo further foster a sense of responsibility, Francioni has reached outside of the classroom as well. In addition to teaching, she also serves as the Chair of Winona State University\u2019s Sustainability committee and is a faculty advisor for the Sustainability House student residence. The Sustainability House on Main Street was purchased and renovated for energy efficiency in 2011. It provides a home for students who wish to practice a sustainable lifestyle, promotes recycling and composting, and teaches sustainability to fellow classmates through campus-wide educational programs. \u201cThe house offers our greater community a visible structure that is both a testament to Winona State University\u2019s commitment to sustainability, and also an example of things that can be done right in the middle of the city,\u201d says Francioni.<\/p>\n

Although Francioni has already accomplished a great deal, she continues to exhaust every potential learning opportunity. Currently, she is working with other faculty members to create an interdisciplinary curriculum based on community engagement, culminating with a service trip to developing nations to give students first-hand knowledge of social issues and responsibility.<\/p>\n

Whether connecting people locally or internationally, Francioni is a firm believer that every individual has something to offer their community, and can learn by sharing their expertise. Francioni concluded, \u201cIt\u2019s not just the social work or nursing fields\u2026 people in all disciplines and fields can connect to their communities through the use of their unique skills. Everyone benefits, and that\u2019s really what creates a community!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Power of Learning Through Involvement By Margaret Cox When Computer Science Professor Joan Francioni arrived on campus in 1997, it didn\u2019t take long for her to build connections between Winona State University students and the larger Winona community. Soon after her arrival, she jumped at the chance to collaborate with faculty at Saint Mary\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":332,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[36,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-331","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-current-people","category-wsu-magazine"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2014\/09\/Currents_WSU_Joan_Francioni.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7PQMT-5l","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/331","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=331"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/331\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/332"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=331"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=331"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=331"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}