Elizabeth Huston (Eastfield College) and Cindy Boeke (Southern Methodist University)
Faculty members at Eastfield College are exploring approaches to Digital Humanities (DH) as ways to engage community college students and enhance their learning experiences. In Spring 2016, Eastfield English Professor Elizabeth Huston piloted the use of DH strategies and tools in her English 1302: Composition 2 course, which focuses on writing academic arguments and learning to conduct research. Arguing how the past impacts the present and/or future, students were asked to find one or more pieces in SMU’s CUL Digital Collections, to interpret the digitized item, and to use it as evidence to support their arguments. The success of the project led to discussions between SMU and Eastfield about the potential for a community college DH Practicum, including its planned outcomes, potential pitfalls, and possible use as a scalable model for other community college-university based DH partnerships.
Elizabeth Huston received her BA in English from the University of Houston and her MA and PhD in English and Rhetoric from Texas Woman’s University. She has served as a Professor of English at Eastfield College since 2002. She has also taught at University of Mary Hardin Baylor, San Antonio College, and Austin Community College. In 2006—2007, Huston was honored with the Eastfield College Minnie Piper, Miles Production Award for Full-time Excellence in Teaching.