Summer camps demonstrate GU's focus on experiential learning
Published: August 04, 2022
GU Esports Coach Christopher DuPlayee, right, discusses his esport strategies with camp participants.
When high school students attend a summer camp at Greenville University, it helps Victoria Clark do her job better.
As director of undergraduate admissions for GU, she likes it when prospective students have spent time on campus.
“It gives the students an opportunity to experience the University,” she said. “They can meet the faculty, become familiar with the campus layout, and begin to get a sense of whether they can see themselves going to school here.”
Furthermore, she gets to know the students and can then advise them on dual-credit classes they should take and scholarships that are available to them.
But for any of that to happen, job No. 1 is to get them on campus. Two recent day camps – one about forensics and another about esports – did just that.
Second forensics camp held at GU
“It’s true that this camp may serve to build a bridge between GU and potential students,” said Michael Laughlin, assistant professor of criminal justice. “However, we provide the camp because we find forensics interesting, and we know there are high school students who do as well.
We want the students to learn about forensic techniques, but we also want them to have fun while they’re here.”
This year’s forensics camp was the second one that he and Gene Dunkley, GU associate professor of biology, have conducted. At that event, about 15 students learned several crime scene techniques, including impression recovery (footprints and tire tracks), fingerprinting, and blood splatter evaluation (studying the spray formed when a watermelon is smashed with a sledgehammer).
Laughlin said that the proliferation of forensics in television programs and movies is the result of the viewing public’s interest in those topics. Unfortunately, he noted, many shows don’t accurately portray the profession.
“Most do a poor job of realistically portraying criminal justice and forensics,” he said. “As a result, the viewing public thinks it knows a lot about the field, when most of their knowledge is based on unrealistic portrayals that have been cut to fit within a TV time slot. Thankfully, most of our participants came in knowing what they had seen on TV was not real. And they were ready to learn the truth about what goes on in the real world of crime scene investigation and forensics.”
Others helping with the camp were Shawn Foles (GU director of campus safety, pictured at left), Tony Brooks (Bond County coroner), and Kori Kaiser (a representative of the St. Louis County Crime Lab).
GU esports coach trains young gamers
Though digital bullets were flying and obstacles confronted them at every turn, participants at this year’s GU esports camp were undaunted. They pressed on in their quest to master several Esport games.
During the daylong camp, GU Esports Coach Christopher DuPlayee worked with six high schoolers to improve their skills in three Battle Royale games – Fortnite, Apex Legends, and Call of Duty Warzone. “I feel like the camp went well,” he said. “The students showed a high aptitude for Battle Royale games coming into the camp, but they were eager to learn and apply concepts I shared with them to in-game play.” (Pictured at right: Coach DuPlayee and camper)
As with the forensics camp, a secondary goal is to establish a connection with the participating high schoolers.
“It’s important that we have camps like this so we can build relationships with high school students,” DuPlayee said. “When they participate in something like this, they begin to feel like they’re part of the GU family well before they step onto campus as incoming freshmen.”
DuPlayee has been the GU esports coach for the past year, but he has several years of experience as a player himself. His background helps him be a better coach, but it also impacts the campers. “My goal at the camp is to see where their skills are and then help them improve. Hopefully, they can develop a lifelong love of gaming like I’ve enjoyed.”
Camps demonstrate value of experiential learning
Both camps contribute to the admissions department’s goal of allowing prospective students get to know the University by experiencing it.
“Summer camps embody GU’s distinctive trademark of experiential learning,” said Clark, pictured at left. “Prospective students can come to campus and get a feel for the place. They can assess the vibe and decide if they can see themselves here. It helps students to see that experience really is the difference at GU.”
See GU’s 2022 Experiential Learning Impact Report to read about more.
