CODES: Community-Oriented Digital Engagement Scholars
FAIN: AKB-279457-21
Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville (Edwardsville, IL 62026-0001)
Jessica DeSpain (Project Director: September 2020 to present)
Connie Frey Spurlock (Co Project Director: April 2021 to present)
Jessica Harris (Co Project Director: May 2021 to present)
A three-year project to implement a general education pathway introducing underserved students to digital community engagement.
The Community-Oriented Digital Engagement Scholars (CODES) program will provide a general education track for underserved students at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) and Lewis and Clark Community College (L&C). Blending community engagement, digital methods, collaborative research, and transdisciplinary pedagogy, CODES enables students to bring their experiences and creativity to bear upon critical issues facing their communities. Designed for underserved students, including those who are first-generation, African American, Latinx, and/or Pell-eligible, CODES help students at the earliest stages of their college career understand the integral role of the humanities in transdisciplinary problem solving. While there are several models of community-engaged teaching at the general education level, few meaningfully incorporate digital methods and ethics into pedagogical design to address the need for an informed twenty-first century citizenry and workforce.
Associated Products
Code 120 Research Team I (Course or Curricular Material)Title: Code 120 Research Team I
Author: Jessica DeSpain
Abstract: Syllabus for the first research team course in the CODES sequence
Year: 2021
Primary URL:
https://iris.siue.edu/codes/instructors/curriculum-resources/syllabi/Primary URL Description: Page containing all syllabi on the CODES resource website
Audience: Undergraduate
CODE 121 Transdisciplinary Communication (Course or Curricular Material)Title: CODE 121 Transdisciplinary Communication
Author: Jessica Despain
Abstract: Syllabus for the writing, oral communication, and critical thinking course in the CODES sequence
Year: 2021
Primary URL:
https://iris.siue.edu/codes/instructors/curriculum-resources/syllabi/Primary URL Description: Page containing all syllabi on the CODES resource website
Audience: Undergraduate
CODE122 Research Team II (Course or Curricular Material)Title: CODE122 Research Team II
Author: Jessica DeSpain
Abstract: Syllabus for the second research team in the CODES Sequence
Year: 2021
Primary URL:
https://iris.siue.edu/codes/instructors/curriculum-resources/syllabi/Primary URL Description: Page containing all syllabi on the CODES resource website
Audience: Undergraduate
CODE123: Research and Systems Thinking (Course or Curricular Material)Title: CODE123: Research and Systems Thinking
Author: Jen Cline
Abstract: Syllabus for the social science ethics and qualitative research course in the CODES sequence
Year: 2021
Primary URL:
https://iris.siue.edu/codes/instructors/curriculum-resources/syllabi/Primary URL Description: Page containing all syllabi on the CODES resource website
Audience: Undergraduate
CODE220 Community Engagement with Science (Course or Curricular Material)Title: CODE220 Community Engagement with Science
Author: Maurina Auranda
Abstract: Syllabus for the environmental and civically engaged science course in the CODES sequence
Year: 2021
Primary URL:
https://iris.siue.edu/codes/instructors/curriculum-resources/syllabi/Primary URL Description: Page containing all syllabi on the CODES resource website
Audience: Undergraduate
CODE 221: Research Team III (Course or Curricular Material)Title: CODE 221: Research Team III
Author: Jessica DeSpain
Abstract: Syllabus for the final research team course the CODES sequence
Year: 2021
Primary URL:
https://iris.siue.edu/codes/instructors/curriculum-resources/syllabi/Primary URL Description: Page containing all syllabi on the CODES resource website
Audience: Undergraduate
CODE 320 Digital Collaborations (Course or Curricular Material)Title: CODE 320 Digital Collaborations
Author: Jessica DeSpain
Abstract: Syllabus for the CODES culminating summer research experience
Year: 2021
Primary URL:
https://iris.siue.edu/codes/instructors/curriculum-resources/syllabi/Primary URL Description: Page containing all syllabi on the CODES resource website
Audience: K - 12
CODE 420: CODES Capstone (Course or Curricular Material)Title: CODE 420: CODES Capstone
Author: Jessica DeSpain
Abstract: Syllabus for the one-credit career preparation courses in CODE Scholars' senior year
Year: 2021
Primary URL:
https://iris.siue.edu/codes/instructors/curriculum-resources/syllabi/Primary URL Description: Page containing all syllabi on the CODES resource website
Audience: K - 12
Community-Oriented Digital Engagement Scholars (Public Lecture or Presentation)Title: Community-Oriented Digital Engagement Scholars
Abstract: A detailed presentation about the CODES program for high school students who participate in SIUE's pre-collegiate program through Upward Bound.
Author: Jessica DeSpain
Date: 11/10/2021
Location: Zoom
Primary URL:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1dwuTSYKFFcDxgVq7_d-5HbuQ77uXGN0hj0qdzFuSjrI/edit?usp=sharingPrimary URL Description: Slides for presentation
CODES Resource Website (Web Resource)Title: CODES Resource Website
Author: Meg Smith, Jessica DeSpain
Abstract: A website for students, faculty, and community partners who participate in CODES as well as those at other institutions who might like to experiment with the curriculum
Year: 2022
Primary URL:
https://iris.siue.edu/codes/Primary URL Description: CODES Resource site
Community-Oriented Digital Engagement Scholars (Conference Paper/Presentation)Title: Community-Oriented Digital Engagement Scholars
Author: Jessica DeSpain
Abstract: The Community-Oriented Digital Engagement Scholars (CODES) program is a general education pathway for underserved students in all fields and majors at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) and Lewis and Clark Community College (L&C). Enrolled students work alongside community organizations to consider wicked problems and learn how to interact ethically and meaningfully in digital and face-to-face environments. Students take three skills-based courses designed to teach them how to approach a problem using transdisciplinary methods. These skills support their work in research team courses of 8-10 students facilitated by mentoring faculty and community partners. Research teams courses are intentionally organic, transforming each year based on student interest and community need. Teams analyze, visualize, and share their work with the broader public using skills central to the digital humanities, including data mining, mapping, storytelling, networking, and cultural analytics. The CODES sequence culminates with the completion of digital collaborative projects during a credit-bearing summer research experience before the third year.
Date: 08/06/2022
Conference Name: DHSI 2022: Open/Social/Digital Humanities Pedagogy Training and Mentorship
The IRIS Center at SIUE (Public Lecture or Presentation)Title: The IRIS Center at SIUE
Abstract: A presentation about the IRIS Center's role at the University, its services, and its major projects, including CODES
Author: Jessica DeSpain
Date: 04/28/2022
Location: Southern Illinois University Carbondale
CODE120-Revised Syllabus (Course or Curricular Material)Title: CODE120-Revised Syllabus
Author: Jessica DeSpain
Abstract: Revised version of CODE 120 based on teaching first version of course.
Year: 2023
Primary URL:
https://iris.siue.edu/codes/wp-content/uploads/sites/66/2023/08/Syllabus_CODE120_20230810.docxAudience: Undergraduate
CODE121-Revised Syllabus (Course or Curricular Material)Title: CODE121-Revised Syllabus
Author: Jessica DeSpain
Abstract: Syllabus for CODE121: Transdiscplinary Communication. The course uses digital humanities methods to teach system thinking, critical thinking, multimodal writing, and public speaking.
Year: 2023
Primary URL:
https://iris.siue.edu/codes/wp-content/uploads/sites/66/2022/07/Syllabus_CODE121.docxAudience: Undergraduate
CODES Resources Website (Web Resource)Title: CODES Resources Website
Author: Margaret Smith
Author: Jessica DeSpain
Abstract: Website providing resources for CODE Scholars and faculty with syllabi, assignment sheets, reading lists, and information about ePortfolios.
Year: 2023
Primary URL:
https://iris.siue.edu/codes/Primary URL Description: Link to CODES Resources Site
Integrating Community Engagement into a General Education Pathway (Conference Paper/Presentation)Title: Integrating Community Engagement into a General Education Pathway
Author: Jessica DeSpain
Abstract: The Community-Oriented Digital Engagement Scholars (CODES) program will provide a general education track for underserved students at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) and Lewis and Clark Community College (L&C). Blending community engagement, digital methods, collaborative research, and transdisciplinary pedagogy, CODES enables students to bring their experiences and creativity to bear upon critical issues facing their communities.
Designed for underserved students, including those who are first-generation, African American, Latinx, and/or Pell-eligible, CODES help students at the earliest stages of their college career understand the integral role of the humanities in transdisciplinary problem solving. While there are several models of community-engaged teaching at the general education level, few meaningfully incorporate digital methods and ethics into pedagogical design to address the need for an informed twenty-first century citizenry and workforce.
In each semester of the first two years, students will meet in skills-based courses comprised of 25 students and intensive research team courses comprised of 8-10 students, a faculty mentor, and a community partner. Teams will focus on one wicked or seemingly unsolvable problem such as nutrition and food access, the challenges of intergenerational communication, and poverty’s manifestations across rural and urban environments. The level of difficulty the research teams undertake will grow with students, and the curriculum will transform each year based on student and faculty interest and community need. Students and faculty will work together to structure a series of readings and other content from diverse fields such as history, literature, anthropology, biology, and sociology that supports their work. They will study their problem using critical thinking, writing, and qualitative research methods.
Date: 07/01/2023
“Community-Oriented Digital Engagement Scholars: A Model for Digital Environmental History in the Core Curriculum” (Conference Paper/Presentation)Title: “Community-Oriented Digital Engagement Scholars: A Model for Digital Environmental History in the Core Curriculum”
Author: Margaret Smith
Abstract: The Community-Oriented Digital Engagement Scholars (CODES) program at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) is an alternative general education pathway for underserved students that engages students in wicked problems in the local community, with a particular emphasis on entanglements between environmental issues, spatial justice, and racial justice. Each cohort of twenty-five CODE scholars partners for their four years at SIUE with community organizations in a specific municipality that fits under an umbrella theme. The current cohort is based in Alton, Illinois, with the theme “Resiliency and Spatial Justice in the Face of Climate Change.” As a Mississippi River town, Alton has a storied past. After the Missouri Compromise, Alton was a key stop for the Underground Railroad and a hub of activity for both abolitionists and hunters of people who escaped from slavery. The city was also the site of racial segregation throughout the twentieth century. Red-lining meant that black communities were relegated to parts of the city at the mercy of the river’s frequent flooding. Extreme flooding again hit Alton in spring 2019 leading to concerns about racial justice in the context of climate change. This poster will describe the foundations and initial outcomes of CODES during its first year of implementation and offer preliminary takeaways for integrating digital environmental history into core curricula.
Date: 03/25/2023
Conference Name: American Society for Environmental History