Faculty/Staff Application to Offer Beyond the Classroom (BTC) Course/Experience

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

551 Oak Street, Chattanooga, TN 37403 Campus Mail Code 5555 423-425-5825www.utc.edu/think/beyond

Modified source: MTSU QEP Document-2006

For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them. –Aristotle
Experiential learning is learning by doing. Critical thinking occurs during experiential learning .

Faculty/Staff Name: Click here to enter text.Department:Click here to enter text.

Email Address: Click here to enter text.Campus Box: Click here to enter text.

First Semester the Course/Experience will be Offered:Click here to enter text.

How often do you plan to offer this course as an BTC course/experience?

☐One time

☐Every semester

☐other(please describe)Click here to enter text.

Please check one type of Course or Experience to be evaluated (please see Definitions and Additional Criteria Section below or contact with questions) :

☐Co-op/internship ☐Study abroad ☐Applied learning ☐Creative activity ☐Independent Study ☐Teacher education

☐Lab course ☐Undergraduate Research ☐Service Learning ☐Capstone

Course Number: Click here to enter text. Course Title:Click here to enter text.

This application will be evaluated by a committee using the Guidelines found at http://www.utc.edu/think-achieve/experiential-learning.php Examples of Applications for currently designated courses are also available at that site.

Required Elements of all Applications:

1. Please submit a current syllabus for the course you wish to be designated,

2. The experiential element of the course must count for a significant portion of the grade.

Explain how your course meets the criteria listed on the back of this form by answering the following four questions: (please feel free to submit a separate document)

  1. Describe the project that will be required to fulfill the BTC component and how this project will count for a significant portion of the student grade.
  1. How will you incorporate reflection before, during and after the experience? Journals, self-evaluations, blogs, written peer feedback, or other written or recorded media can document student reflection.
  1. How will the learning goals for your students demonstrate experience based understanding of the discipline through at least three of the student learning outcomes in the table below? Examples of this completed table can be found at www.utc.edu/think-acheive/experiential-learning.php

Student Learning Outcome / Corresponding Course Learning Outcome (3 of 5)
Identifies, evaluates, and interprets information by raising pertinent questions and identifying uncertainties / Click /
Solves problems by determining limitations, making connections, and prioritizing the potential solution / Click here to enter text. /
Creates innovative solutions to problems through creative thinking / Click here to enter text. /
Communicates ideas and information effectively / Click here to enter text. /
Integrates knowledge and skill through reflection on thinking and learning processes / Click here to enter text. /
  1. How will you incorporate the additional criteria for the type of course selected above? Additional Criteria for each type of course are listed on the following page.

Click here to enter text.

Definitions and Additional Criteria for Types of BTC Courses

These definitions and Criteria are provided for accurate categorization of courses when completing the Faculty/Staff Application to Offer Beyond the Classroom (BTC) Course/Experience form.

• Co-operative education/internship course – work experiences with businesses or nonprofit organizations that require discipline-based knowledge. Co-op and internship courses are approved through academic departments

  1. Co-op and internship supervisors must evaluate the student’s work.
  2. Students must complete a chronological log of activities using physical or electronic media such as a written log, series of photos with captions, text or video blog, series of podcasts, or website. Instructors may specify type of log or allow students to select any of the options listed.

• Study abroad course – Formal study abroad courses developed and led by UTC faculty. Other types of study abroad courses approved by the UTC International Programs Office and Academic Departments

  1. Students must complete a chronological log of activities using physical or electronic media such as a written log, series of photos with captions, text or video blog, series of podcasts, or website. Instructors may specify type of log or allow students to select any of the options listed.

• Applied learning course – application of discipline related knowledge through projects with businesses, civic government and non-profit organizations, other non-university entities, or ongoing university applications

  1. Courses/experiences must contain an engagement, rather than just observational, component.

Creative activity course - activity that is driven by the student’s imagination, curiosity, and/or inspiration that results in a tangible outcome such as works rendered in oral, visual, physical, written word, electronic media, and/or other forms. Performance and exhibition of creative works may also be included.

  1. The creative work must be captured in electronic form.
  2. Students must complete a chronological log of activities using physical or electronic media such as a written log, series of photos with captions, text or video blog, series of podcasts, or website. Instructors may specify type of log or allow students to select any of the options listed.

• Teacher Education course – applied learning courses designed specifically for teacher education programs

  1. Students must have a minimum of 20 hours of in-class experience for BTC credit.
  2. Courses must contain engagement and reflection, rather than just observation.

• Service Learning-a student centered teaching method that involves academic instruction in partnership with UTC and the larger community. The primary focus of service-learning is to enhance critical and reflective thinking and civic understanding. Service-learning programs involve students in organized community partnerships that address local needs while developing their academic skills.

  1. Service Learning takes place with organized community reflection and includes reflection before, during and after the experience.

• Lab course- an experience in the laboratory, classroom, or the field that provides students with opportunities to interact directly with natural phenomena or with data collected by others using tools, materials, data collection techniques, and models (NSTA-NRC 2006, p. 3)

  1. Lab Courses must contain an engagement and reflection component, rather than just documentation of observations.

•Undergraduate Research-An inquiry or investigation conducted by an undergraduate student that makes an original intellectual or creative contribution to the discipline. (

  1. Must be heavily initiated by the student for a primarily independent research experience.
  2. Students will keep a reflective journal that will include a log of activities and will connect research activities with application/experience. (This may include special activities outside scheduled laboratory or field work times.)

•Independent Study-Project, reading, paper or other work for credit under supervision of a faculty member and primarily focused on the student’s independent interest and work.

  1. Must be heavily initiated by the student for a primarily independent experience.
  2. Students will keep a reflective journal that will include a log of activities and will connect project activities with application/experience. (This may include special activities outside scheduled laboratory or field work times.)

•Capstone- A class that the department or campus unit values for its ability to integrate all the essential elements of the discipline

Note: For the purposes of student recognition, a list of students adequately demonstrating 3 of the 5 SLO’s, or corresponding Course Learning Outcomes from the table above must be submitted to by the last day of the semester. The below rubric can be used as a guide. There is no need to submit the rubric below, or a class roll;only the names of the adequately participating students are required.

Student
Learning
Outcome / Does not demonstrate this attribute(0) / Demonstrates this attribute rarely(1) / Demonstrates this attribute adequately(2) / Demonstrates this attribute thoroughly(3)
Identifies,
evaluates, and
interprets
information by
raising pertinent
questions and
identifying
uncertainties / Fails to state questions or uncertainties, misrepresents information / States pertinent question(s), but fails to identify how or why it is a question or problem. Identifies some information appropriately / States pertinent questions and elements of the question or problem. Articulates scope of question and accurately interprets and evaluates information / Precisely states understanding of questions and related uncertainties. Interprets information and limits thereof.
Solves
problems by
determining
limitations, making
connections, and
prioritizing the
potential solution / Fails to state limitations, but does not demonstrate gains in perspective on problem or solutions / States limitation(s), but finds few connections to a larger context or other ways of addressing the problem / Identifies multiple limitations and connections to similar problems appropriately integrated with discussion of solutions / Clearly distinguishes connections between limitations and similar problems and accurately prioritizes multiple solutions to particular problem
Creates innovative
solutions to
problems through
creative thinking / Fails to demonstrate any interest in approaching problems from multiple perspectives / States problem, shows desire, and exhibits effort to introduce new solutions / Approaches problem and solutions iteratively from different and related perspectives not suggested by others / Demonstrates extensive comprehension of problem through multiple effective, original solutions
Communicates
ideas and
information
effectively / Fails to state, and discuss ideas and information / Occasionally demonstrates ability to comprehend, state, and discuss information / Consistently and clearly states and discusses points / Consistently states, and discusses points with precision, identifies and corrects any discrepancy between sent and received messages
Integrates
knowledge and
skill through
reflection on thinking and learning
processes / Fails to show reflection; does not demonstrate understanding of importance of relationship between knowledge and skill / Reflects incompletely, demonstrating some acquisition of knowledge and skill through thinking and learning / States how reflection upon thinking and learning processes has increased understanding of the discipline, incorporating the relationship between theory and practice / Regularly and openly reflects on thinking, learning, and growth in the discipline through recognition of innate synergy between knowledge and skill
Adequate: 3 SLOs = minimum of 4.5 points, 4 SLOs = minimum of 6.0 points, 5 SLOs = minimum of 7.5 points / TOTAL POINTS