EDA 6302 Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

EDA 6302 Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

Educational Administration

Spring 2012

Course Description:

This course challenges doctoral students to learn about faculty work in higher education, particularly teaching and learning in college and university contexts. After a brief overview of the history and philosophy of higher education, with a focus on faculty roles, students will have an opportunity to demonstrate their teaching skills for college contexts, including lectures and discussion sessions. They will also design a syllabus for an actual course that they hope to teach and assemble a teaching portfolio suitable for faculty roles. Students will reflect on a variety of theories and models to develop their personal philosophies of teaching in higher education contexts.

Courses Goals:

In this course, students and the instructor will pursue together the following:

1. To explore the nature of the professoriate and higher education.
2. To identify and assess university-level teaching methods that facilitate an open, creative atmosphere that promotes learning.
3. To articulate a philosophy of teaching and learning.
4. To create assignments for significant learning and document them in an original syllabus for a course you are likely to teach.
5. To develop and enhance teaching methods used in higher education such as lecture, discussion leading, written assignments, case method teaching, and others of your choosing.
6. To observe and analyze the practices of college or university teachers to identify, in Ken Bain’s words, “what the best college teachers do.”
7. To work with peers while practicing principles of effective grading and providing useful feedback.
8. To participate meaningfully in a community of learners.

Readings:

Required

1. Bain, K. (2004). What the best college teachers do, Cambridge, Harvard University Press. ISBN: 978-0674013254
2. Palmer, P. (2007). The courage to teach: Exploring the inner landscape of a teacher’s life, San Francisco, Jossey Bass. ISBN: 978-0787996864
3. Selected articles, handouts, chapters and websites as assigned and posted on Blackboard (BB).

Recommended – We will read portions of the following books from BB, but if you are interested you may wish to purchase these.

1. Brookfield, S S. and Preskill S. (2005). Discussion as a way of teaching: Tools and techniques for democratic classrooms, San Francisco, Jossey Bass. ISBN: 978-0787978082
2. Sullivan, W. & Rosin, M. (2008) A new agenda for higher education: Shaping a life of the mind for practice. San Francisco, Jossey Bass (selections). ISBN: 978-0470257579

Course Requirements

Students will be evaluated rigorously by themselves, by their peers, and by instructors on the following written, oral, and experiential assignments, as well as class participation:

Engagement in Online Discussion

The purpose of this requirement is to ensure that students are prepared and present to engage in the learning experience. Additionally, there will be weekly discussion topics facilitated on BlackBoard which will prepare the student to engage in the classroom setting. Students are expected to respond to the prompt, but are encouraged to respond to each other’s comments as well. There will be a topic each week related to the readings for the coming week. Students are expected to engage in the online discussion for thirteen of the fifteen weeks throughout the semester.

Course Syllabus (Due date: February 23) The purpose of this assignment is for you to create a useful tool to organize a plan for a course you would like to teach. Imagine as your audience a class of college-level students you are likely to teach in your discipline, specifying class size, level, and preparedness of students. Develop a syllabus, including course objectives, readings, assignments, policies, for the course. Syllabi will be assessed by peers and by instructors. (I encourage you to invite additional assessment by someone in your discipline.) If you are changing an existing syllabus, include a copy of both syllabi along with a narrative of your changes.

Observation of Teaching and Learning in your Discipline (Due date: March 16) The purpose of this assignment is to provide an opportunity for you to analyze the unique practices of teachers in your discipline. (While you have certainly attended classes in your discipline, this experience allows you to analyze the teacher’s behaviors from a particular perspective and integrate theoretical material from our readings.) Observe two course sessions. At least one of these sessions should be in your discipline. These may be classes at Baylor or any other college or university, but each session must have a different instructor. Reflect on your observations as well as class readings and your own experience. Then, prepare a written analysis (approx. 5 pages) of both observation sessions together.

Statement of Teaching Philosophy for the Higher Education Context (Due date: April 13)

Many colleges and universities ask applicants for faculty positions to provide a statement of teaching philosophy. The purpose of this assignment is for you to articulate your statement as you integrate your experience, reading, and your observations of the cultures of your own discipline. Prepare a one- to two-page personal statement of teaching philosophy. Imagine as your audience teacher/scholars in your discipline that are considering hiring you as a faculty member. Meet with Dr. Scales between February 23 and April 8 for feedback on your best draft.

Leading Discussion or Lecturing (Due date: Varies with student input) Each student will choose one of the following assignments with half of the class choosing lecture and the other half choosing discussion-leading. Using feedback from the class, your DVD, & your own critique, prepare a 2-3 page reflection of the experience.

Leading Discussion The purpose of this experiential assignment is to provide an opportunity for you to teach in a safe environment using the discussion method and incorporating principles suggested in our readings. Prepare a 40-minute discussion session on your assigned chapter from the Palmer book. Your session will be recorded so that you may critique your own performance. You will also receive feedback from peers and instructors.

Lecture The purpose of this experiential assignment is to provide an opportunity for you to use a lecture style to teach in a safe environment, critique your own recorded performance, and receive feedback from peers and instructors. Prepare a 20-minute mini-lesson that will incorporate the assigned article for the day and your own research about the topic. Lectures will be recorded and critiqued by you, by your peers and by the instructor, using selected methods of peer review.

Beginning Teaching Portfolio/Application Packet (Due date: April 27) UtilizingThe Chronicle of Higher Education, InsideHigherEd.com, or HigherEdJobs.com, find a faculty position that interests you. Create an application packet to include the items listed below. Your packet will be shared with all other class participants in electronic format.

a) A copy of the job advertisement.

b) A cover letter introducing yourself, your qualifications, and application packet (1-3 pages).

c) Your Curriculum Vitae (CV) (not factored into the final grade of this assignment, but feedback will be provided)

d) Your revised teaching philosophy statement regarding your own views on teaching college students.

e) A copy of your revised syllabus prepared for this class.

f) Include original drafts of your syllabus and philosophy statement as well as a ½ page reflection for each about why you think the version in this packet is more effective.

Final Reflection/Letter to our Learning Community (Due date: May 2) Write a letter to the class in which you reflect on the semester and application packet. Consider discussing what you have learned about yourself in relation to college teaching (thinking holistically, beyond just about your teaching methods) and the professorate. Include a few thoughts about areas of improvement and goals for moving forward with your higher education teaching career.

Assessment

Course observation and analysis 15%

Leading discussion or lecturing and reflection 20%

Teaching philosophy 10%

Syllabus 20%

Beginning teaching portfolio/Job application packet 20%

Preparation and engagement (online and in class) 10%

Final Letter to our Learning Community 5%

Grading Scale*

A+ / 98-100 / C+ / 77-80
A / 94-97 / C / 73-76
A- / 91-93 / C- / 71-72
B+ / 87-90 / D range / 60-70
B / 83-86 / F / Below 59
B- / 81-82

* The grading scale is the one recommended by the Baylor Graduate School.

Course Expectations and Policies:

A Community of Learners

In this class we will all be co-learners: each of us will be a learner and each of us will be a teacher. To establish and promote this kind of classroom environment requires that we all participate in this class in a variety of ways. We will share responsibility for conducting classes this semester. In other words, although the instructor has established the initial reading list and proposed an initial assignment sequence, each of us will be responsible regularly for conducting classes or parts of classes.

As Austin (2002) argues, the faculty role begins in graduate school while you are faculty-intraining. This seminar will provide a context similar to other faculty development programs. We will establish a small-group workshop environment and much of the work you do – formally and informally – will be done with others and with feedback from others. At times, we will invite guests into our community to share their expertise. Sharing our work is most useful when we all participate in the teaching and feedback seriously and fully. Students will have opportunity to provide full, useful, honest commentary to one another as appropriate.

Preparation, Attendance, and Participation

Students are expected to attend every class and to be prepared to participate meaningfully. Most of the work in this course requires your active participation as a responsible and professional member of this community of learners. Please contact all of us in the learning community by email if you plan to be absent. Absences will be excused only in case of student illness or death of a loved one. Absences due to work-related problems are not excused. Students who miss more than one class period without an official University excuse will be penalized two (2) points per missed session on their final course average. Students who miss more than 75% of the course meetings will not pass the course.

Written work expectations

Your capacity to communicate effectively in writing is paramount to your success in this course and to future academic endeavors. All formal, final assignments should be composed using APA Guidelines At a minimum, all materials you submit for evaluation should represent your best work: fully developed, clearly organized, and relatively free of distracting errors.

Work submission

Our work in this class is public, which means that most of our assignments will be shared with one another and other students will have input into the feedback and grades you receive. This simulates the university environment, in which your peers will evaluate your work, providing both formative and summative feedback. The deadline is 6 pm on the due date; after 6 pm the work is considered late. All written work will be submitted electronically through Blackboard and returned to you with feedback electronically. Late work will be discounted a half letter grade for each day late. If you have extraordinary circumstances please contact the instructor.

Laptop/ PDA statement

The graduate seminar format is highly interactive and not a lecture course. You are likely to learn a lot of information, but it will be through methods other than taking notes in class; primarily, reading, studying, and taking notes on the textbook outside of class in preparation for the seminar and then engaging fully (including sustained eye contact with all of us) in class discussions. In order that you may engage fully with the discussion, my preference is that you do not use laptops or PDAs at all in this class, except on your break. When you do take a few notes in class, paper and pencil/pen should be adequate for your needs. If you have a special need in this regard, please speak to me individually.

Federal ADA compliance

Those students with special needs (recognized and documented by the University) should notify me so we can discuss the availability of appropriate instructional aids or accommodations. These conversations will be confidential.

Respect, Civil Discourse & Academic Integrity

We all share responsibility for creating and maintaining an intellectual community in our classrooms and in the larger university. We will all be responsible for maintaining an environment that encourages civil interaction. In this class we will not tolerate plagiarism or any other form of intellectual/academic dishonesty. If you have questions or doubts about what constitutes a breach of integrity or a violation of policies, please consult with me.

In addition to our community statement on academic integrity, here is Baylor’s formal policy:

Baylor policy on Students and Academic Integrity

Baylor University policies require that students, staff, and faculty act in academic matters with utmost honesty and integrity. It is the responsibility of each student to be familiar with the Honor Code and other university policies and procedures affecting academic integrity. Students are also encouraged to consider these suggestions:

• Review each class syllabus for expectations your professor may have regarding course work and class attendance that go beyond those stated in university policies and guidelines and the Honor Code.
• Be familiar with the importance of academic integrity in class. Understand how citations show respect for other scholars.
• Talk with your professor if you are confused about citation practices or other research standards.
• Make sure you understand not only what counts as plagiarism and cheating, but also how to avoid engaging in these practices. Manage your time, take notes correctly, and use the internet appropriately.
• Make sure you understand your professor’s guidelines about working with other students on assignments, receiving assistance from other students on assignments, citing sources, using notes or exams from previous or other classes, and accessing information during an examination. If in doubt – ASK YOUR PROFESSOR!
• Understand that penalties can result from dishonest conduct, ranging from failure of the assignment to immediate expulsion from the university.

For more information see the Baylor University Honor Code on the Academic Integrity Web page or contact the Office of Academic Integrity at 710-8882 or .