OHIO Place Initiative

Why Place?

The aspects of place that comprise Ohio University—Appalachian, mid-western; rural and urban—make us who and what we are; and there is no other university in the state or in the region that can claim this identity. Because of who and where we are, all Ohio University students are uniquely, geographically and opportunely, positioned to access and apply the lessons of this place. 

Learning experiences designed around place leverage ecology, history, economy, and culture while instructing participants in and about a physical space they are familiar with; may well have grown up in but might not know deeply or understand the historical antecedents of. 

Learners participating in OHIO Place-Based programming (e.g. students, faculty/staff, community) will progress along a continuum of engagement that reveals the richness of place right alongside their prescribed program content. Inherent in the methodology of Place-Based pedagogy is the development of leaders who understand a place, its people and its systems, natural and built, political and economic. At its core, this pedagogical approach enhances quality of life and efficacy of systems for all. The lessons learned in place contribute the foundation for our students’/graduates’/faculty’s/community’s motivations and how we all see and engage in the world. 

Deepening our roots in and developing a better understanding of place broadens our ability to connect to and make a difference in any locale as this kind of curriculum trains us to identify aspects of place that matter to a community while appropriately and productively integrating ourselves when and as appropriate. The deepening, extending, and incorporating of place-based education into OHIO’s DNA, across all of our campuses, in meaningful ways, contributes to the lives of all learners as well as to the members of all OHIO communities. 

The Continuum of Engagement (below), with the Place Initiative situated on the left, illustrates how we are building the knowledge base in the early stages. As the initiative grows and expands, we have the opportunity to guide students from knowledge of place to support of place – from a point of cognitive engagement to one of informed, intentional civic engagement.

Knowledge of place/cognitive engagement > Caring about place > Caring for place > Supporting place / civic engagement

Programs

Programs developed and administered by the OHIO Place Initiative (more info coming soon):