Teaching-Learning Academy Highlights, 12-13 January 2011
_58_ people (_20_faculty/staff/community and _38_students) participated across the four dialogue groups.
Ø What creative courses/programs/activities already exist at Western? What makes them creative?
Courses
§ Fairhaven courses Have physical environments which help students fill a better sense of comfort.
o 2 intro courses + petry 20-25 students
o Not lecture format > students feel more individual discussion, sit in a hole. No emphasis on heirachy
o Students design their own majors Community SVc Lrns. All 7 college
o Provides students real know, outside the classroom
o Center for service log
o Closer to professor + students
o Self-evaluation + preferal
o like Fairhaven, more self-assessment, maybe attached labs or some GURs or particular courses
o Organize around question
§ Communication Classes
o Hands on learning
o Long-term, the teaching helps understand material more so then just test
o Having the outside connection made it more of an interest
o Real life situations/ behind the scenes.
o different structure from most classes. Lecture once a week, Instructor Assistant who is a peer. Speeches in small groups then speech in front of large class. (comm 101)
o Has aspect of lecture with main professor that you final present to but students perform in small groups to fine tune skills. (comm 101)
o Independent Studies (comm 339)
o Encourage to people to be involved in the big speech but be open minded (comm 101)
o Comm. 339
§ Theatre Class and Design
o Learning about design in general
o They let your mind be free during class on occasions. Rather than stressing the whole time about taking notes.
· Art Classes
o Art classes needed for those who are not in the art department including art in classes that aren’t art related
o Closed courses due to majors very frustrating– can’t take art if not an art major
· Art Classes
o Art classes needed for those who are not in the art department including art in classes that aren’t art related
o Closed courses due to majors very frustrating– can’t take art if not an art major
· Music
o Creativity, lack of funding for music library impact
· GURs
o too many disconnects between requirements and no effort to connect the learning, risk of no connection is that students feel it’s a waste of time.
o FIG seminars, service learning—figs connect disciplines, service learning connects to community experience
Programs/Groups
· Advisors“Advisor’s Group”
o This group is comprised of staff from most departments on campus who got together informally (at first) to trade information and tips. It has, over the last few years, morphed into a wide ranging group, still mainly comprised of departmental staff, but also including persons from Academic Advising, Career Services Center, Tutoring Center, and, on an ad hoc basis, the Registrar’s Office, Financial Services, Alumni Association, Extended Ed, etc. This group gives all of the “front line troops” the immediate information to address whatever is at the forefront. Most importantly, it gives us a way to exchange ideas and methods and to learn from each other.
Events
o Back-to-Bellingham
1st time last year, organized by Chris Roselli (Alumni Office); an opportunity for students to meet and interact with alumni who had the same majors. Includes campus tours. A weekend long event.
· New Student Options
o Overnight program for perspective students for admission. Group events for perspective students e.g. Go to classes
o SOS Early Move in
§ Annual event about stereotypes – Undressing the Other – about challenging stereotypes; people first act out a stereotype, then come back later as themselves; talked with a student who participated in this in terms of her disability – would like to see more connections between classes and other things going on on campus
§ Rec center having their “woman only” rule for the gym on Sundays. Creative! They had food and seminars and good idea.
§ Vagina memoirs
Activities
§ Library
o Learning Commons, to expand connections to be made among people/students/teachers/staff exhibit space, events, One Card Program, Study Break, Open House
o Love the board games in the Library
§ Creative space. Lots of people. Space. Food. Relating. (Zoes Bagels)
§ Social space. Not for studying. Place to interact with people, teachers, colleagues. (Underground Coffeehouse)
§ TLA
o Connecting People
§ Viking Village
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Mentionable Extras
· Teacher Feedback
o Willingness to change
o Developing new ideas for a better learning stage
o Use creativity to find a way to make students more comfortable with responding to teacher evaluations.
· Different ways of teaching/learning
o Need to offer learning material in different shape/form/methods to be able to make sure your material gets across to all students and not just the ones who perform better with that ONE certain teaching method that is being apply
o Just because the student likes the teacher does not mean they are teaching well
o HOW do you grade creativity – HOW do you creatively grade.
o Different Extra Credit Options
o Creative experiments
o Many students have been educated out of the idea that they can be creative – get the idea that they can’t draw, or they aren’t artistic.
o Class where the teacher is there to guide you, but you learn on your own and you get a lot of space to create your own kind of educational system.
o Experiantial learning, role playing.