City Tech PLAN Week, November 1 — 5, 2021

During PLAN week, we offer information to help you plan your next step —from choosing classes and learning how to register to finding out where to get support and make connections within the college. Don’t miss this opportunity to create a successful and personal PLAN. Also, by completing PLAN Week daily forms, you will be entered in a raffle pool for $50 MasterCard gift cards. If you participate all 5 PLAN Week questionnaires, you will be entered for a grand prize of $300.
We recommend that you set aside 20-30 minutes a day this week, and watch one video and follow it by answering the corresponding response form.
Monday, November 1: Start your PLAN with the Introduction to Academic Advising video and respond here.
Tuesday, November 2: PLAN your academic career by watching Understanding Your Degree Requirements and respond here.
Wednesday, November 3: PLAN your academic advising appointment by watching Creating a Semester-by-Semester Plan and respond here.
Thursday, November 4: PLAN to register by watching Introduction to Registration and respond here.
Friday, November 5: PLAN to get involved by watching How to Get Involved (video coming soon!) and respond here.
All of the videos and forms are available from now until Sunday, November 7 at https://www.citytech.cuny.edu/advisement/library.aspx. Any responses filled out by midnight on the seventh will be eligible for the raffle. Good luck, and start planning!

Wine Blending Reflection, Fall 2019

This entry was originaly posted in "WineoftheNewWorldF19" on October 7, 2019
I like the way the students expressed their struggles and reflected on what they accomplished. As this pair questioned their results they had a chance to look back on their notes in search of validation for their outcome.

Note taking is so important during the scientific process and palate fatigue can be exhausting. So, it is possible that you presented the wrong blend but it is also possible that after tasting so much wine that your palate was playing tricks on you. Either way, you conducted the process with academic integrity and teamwork. Well done.

Honor Scholars Project

How wonderful it was to work with an Honors Scholar Student, Banessa Espinal-Cruz on this City Tech Wines tech sheet.

Description of Honors Scholars Project, HMGT 2402

Students in the Wines of the New World course participate in a service project in which they learn about and make wine to be served in the Janet Lefler Dining Room, creating an opportunity for shared experiences between student across the department. To better prepare students in the Dining Room Operation Course to learn about the wine they will serve, learning materials were developed and shared with Dining Room Operation students. The purpose of the learning material is to assist students new to beverage service on the significance of the wine they present to guests. Specifically, the region the grapes are grown and the taste profile of the wine, while also emphasizing the student’s role in creating the wine for the college. The development of these materials will be designed to enhance the quality of service and expectations of students in the Dining Room Operation course.

Student Personal Reflection of Honors Scholars Project

At the beginning of this project, my level of knowledge of wine production and wine blending was minimal. As the project progressed, I was able to learn the details of wine making and how to communicate what I know. For example, I learned the terminology associated with wine regions, grapes, age, color, vinification, and how to describe wine. When I reflect upon this piece I see a challenge, one that I was able to face and learn from.  When I started I also did not know about the organizations that are part of the project or how they support and interact with their community. I appreciate that they value education.

Opening My Classroom To Industry Professionals

Open Pedagogy on the OpenLab has so many benefits. One of these benefits is making students work “real” and not just a class assignment. During the Spring 2017 Wine and Beverage Management course as student’s work was recognized as impactful by an industry professional. Malika Ikramova’s Retail Wine Assignment was conducted at Slope Cellars and impressed the company so much that they took the time to comment on her experiential learning blog post. Read about what she learned here: https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/hmgt2402s17/2017/03/15/slope-cellars/#comment-76

Place-based Learning, HMGT1101

Place-base learning is a central part of my teaching practice. In HMGT 1101, Perspectives in Hospitality Management, I take my students to visit the Carlyle Hotel. Here they meet a number of different hotel executives and receive a tour of the hotel.

Student reflections are of particular interest to the learning process and can be seen following this link. Thought the formal student learning outcomes of “Explore the roles and responsibilities of key executives and department heads in the hospitality industry.” and “Differentiate hotel classifications.” are met through this site visit the less tangible, more college ready outcomes often portray how a student is growing as a learner and future hospitality professional. Below is one reflection which shows personal growth and confidence, all reflections can be read here:

Normally I don’t wear suits, but we had to dress professional to visit the Carlyle. The trip over there in the train was different for me, I felt like people stared at me less, I also felt a bit more respected, some people said “excuse me sir” I have never been called sir in a train station, then being around a lot of men in suits or women dress professional I felt like I was one of them and also felt like I was important with a job title or with a good paying job. Overall it was a fantastic experience being to hotel rooms that I’ll probably never be able to afford and seeing the luxury people pay thousands of dollars for.”

Blending Community, Philanthropy and Education in the News

As the Co-principle Investigator of the Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts Grant with Lynda Dias, since 2012 we have been awarded $7000 annually ($5000 in 2012) to create learning opportunities that include place-based learning at an urban winery. This grant impacts between 130 to 170 students annually. It is estimated that 70% of the 2017 graduates were impacted by this grant funding.
The reach of this project has extended out of City Tech. The Bridge, whose “focus is on the breakthrough companies, entrepreneurs and trends that have made Brooklyn a worldwide brand and a growing economic center” has over 2000 twitter followers and 1500 Instagram followers. In 2017 they published an article about innovative teaching practices and included this project. The New York Daily News showcased the student wine making project in their 2016 college showcase edition.

About the assignment, in the Wines of the New World class we apply proven high-impact educational practices whereby students actively participate in the wine making process. They have the opportunity to punch down the cap, taste recently harvested grapes, evaluate stems and seeds for ripeness, taste active fermenters and barrel samples as well. Students then create two proprietary blends, both a red and white wine. The collaborative learning project we call “Blending Community, Philanthropy, and Education” impacts the learning of student in the department’s dining room operation course as well. The dining room students learn about and served the wines in the college’s Janet Lefler Dining Room.

o 2016: https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/new-world-wines-f16/
o 2015: https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/new-world-wines-f15/category/team-two/
o 2014: https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/new-world-wines-14/
o 2013: https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/new-world-wines-13/
o 2012: https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/wines-of-the-new-world/