UC Links at Los Angeles In the Los Angeles area, there are three UC Links sites during the 2004-2005 academic year.  Approximately 550 children and 20 undergraduate students work on a variety of after-school learning activities during this period. UC Links principal investigators at UC Los Angeles are Robert Emerson (Sociology) and Kris Gutierrez (Education). The UC Links principal investigator at Whittier College is Don Bremme (Education and Child Development). Las Redes— Located in Lennox. A collaboration of Moffett Elementary School (Lennox Elementary School District) and the Graduate School of Education and Information Sciences, UC Los Angeles.  Whittier Fifth Dimension— Located in Whittier. A collaboration of the Boys and Girls Club of Whittier, the B.C. McCabe Foundation, and the Department of Education and Child Development, Whittier College.  Whittier Club Tech— Located in a Boys and Girls Club in Whittier, this site provides teens with advanced computer design opportunities and individual attention from undergraduates at Whittier College. Participants collaborate on a variety of projects that combine technology with reading, writing, and mathematics.

 

Las Redes: Located at an elementary school in an unincorporated area of Los Angeles east of the Los Angeles International Airport, this site attempts to increase basic literacy and math skills for participants.  Children collaborate with UC Los Angeles undergraduates on computer-based literacy and math activities, letter writing and digital storytelling.

 

 

Whittier Fifth Dimension: Located in a Boys and Girls Club in Whittier, this site provides children with individual attention from undergraduates at Whittier College. Together, the participants collaborate in the exploration of educational software and other off-computer activities.

 

Whittier Fifth Dimension Boys and Girls Club of Whittier Whittier, CA Principal Investigator: Professor Donald Bremme (Education and Child Development, Whittier College)
Participants	240 children	Aged 7-12 years	Predominantly Latino
Collaborators	Boys and Girls Club of Whittier B.C. McCabe Foundation Department of Education and Child Development, Whittier College
Activities	Collaborative exploration of educational software and Internet-based resources, including UC Links twiki Digital photography, digital video, digital music production, and web-page design Board games E-mail correspondence with other program participants
Goals	Increase computer, information, and basic literacy skills for participating youth Increase knowledge and improve attitudes and aspirations toward higher learning for participating youth Increase students' willingness to participate in academically related tasks during after-school hours
Evaluation Strategies	Analysis of participants’ attendance and program progress records to document children's voluntary choices to participate in academic activities after school

 

Whittier Club Tech: Located in a Boys and Girls Club in Whittier, this site provides teens with advanced computer design opportunities and individual attention from undergraduates at Whittier College. Participants collaborate on a variety of projects that combine technology with reading, writing, and mathematics.

 

Club Tech 2004-2005 Boys & Girls of Whittier, CA Principal Investigator: Professor Donald Bremme (Education and Child Development, Whittier College)
Participants	120 youth	Aged 13-16 years	Predominantly Latino
Collaborators	Boys and Girls Club of Whittier B.C. McCabe Foundation Department of Education and Child Development, Whittier College
Activities	Digital photography & video Digital music production, Computer animation Web page design
Goals	Increase computer, information, and basic literacy skills for participating youth Increase knowledge and improve attitudes and aspirations toward higher learning for participating youth
Evaluation Strategies

Undergraduate Course:

“Learning and Learners,” offered by the Department of Education and Child Development, combines classroom instruction in theories of learning with fieldwork experience in an after-school setting. Undergraduate students enrolled in this course participate in the Whittier Fifth Dimension UC Links program.

Learning and Learners Education 402 Department of Education and Child Development, Whittier College
Course Instructors	Donald Bremme, Professor (Education)
Participants	24 undergraduates	Most undergraduates are enrolled in a pre-service teaching program
Fieldwork	Undergraduates participated two or more hours per week in the Whittier Fifth Dimension program.
Course Goals	Improve undergraduate education for participating students by connecting theory to practice and improving conceptual and practical knowledge of course content Provide undergraduates with an opportunity to explore the possibility of teaching as a career, especially in under-resourced schools
Evaluation Strategies	Local adaptation of standard UC Links undergraduate pre-test/post-test survey Analysis of video tapes and undergraduate field notes to document development of conceptual understanding