Faculty
Development Course & Workshop for Freshman Seminar Teams
Session 1: New
Faculty Orientation & Catch-Up
April 15, 11am-1pm (Michael/Steve) & TBD (Jackie/Staff)
Location: TBD / Web Location: http://pdforfs.blogspot.com
Course Coordinator:
Patti Andrews / pandrews@ndnu.edu / (650) 339-0904
Session One Summary
In this session, we’ll do an
overview and introduction to the revitalized freshman seminar program. We’ll be
introduced to the Student Mentor, Embedded Librarian and Pod models of
collaborative teaching, and to Community Engagement as incorporated into the
Freshman Seminar program. We’ll also be introduced to Sister Dorothy Stang and
our common text, Martyr of the Amazon.
We’ll learn how spending some time on discernment can help students understand
why they’re in college and why they should come back next year. Finally, we’ll
turn briefly to other course components, including research and oral
communication. Faculty will have time during this session to discuss and do
broad course planning.
Goals for Session One
Participants will…
1. Be introduced to the context, content and purpose of
change in the freshman seminar program, and the data linking high impact practices
to improved retention and student success
2. Reflect on what it means to have a student-centered
class experience and how the traditional concept of a course theme can be reconfigured into a course question to facilitate a collaborative
approach to learning and the development of intellectual curiosity
3. Be introduced to the Embedded Librarian, Student
Mentor and Pod models and reflect on how they want to work with their support
team in their Pods and/or in their individual sections
4. Learn how community engagement is unique at NDNU and
how the CE requirement for freshman seminar prepares students for their upper
division CE courses
5. Discuss and reflect on possible community partnerships
for their course
6. Participate in a brief discussion group around the
Dorothy Stang Summer Reading Questions
7. Be introduced to the basics (purpose, method, common
assignment) relating to the discernment element of the revitalized FS program,
and review student discernment experiences from previous years
8. Receive faculty development program materials,
including Martyr of the Amazon
Homework & Readings for Session One
Don’t be daunted by the
number of readings! Most of them are very short and/or are heavy on visuals. More
than half are optional. For your convenience, the version of this reading list
that appears on the FD course website has clickable links to these online readings.
Due in Preparation for Session One
1) Think about your course theme and how you might articulate it as a question or a faculty research agenda to model and inspire intellectual curiosity and engage students as collaborative learners. Please be ready to describe your ideas in 3 minutes or less.
2) SND, “The Hallmarks of a Notre Dame de Namur Learning Community”
Choose a Hallmark you would particularly like to explore or express in your class. Write a short reflection on why you chose this Hallmark and how you initially think you might explore or express it in your class.
Read After Session One
Student Success & High
Impact Practices – please read/do all 4
“High Impact Educational Practices: A Brief Overview.” AAC&U.
An introduction to high impact practices. 1 page.
“Step Up and Lead for Equity.” AAC&U. 2015.
Addresses the goal of improving equity of outcomes. Booklet, approximately 25 pages.
Powell, Marcia. “5 Ways to Make Your Classroom Student-Centered” Education Week. 2013.
Written for K-12 teachers but same concepts apply to any classroom.
Good questions to get us reflecting on how we can bring a more student-centered
approach to our freshman seminars. Article, 1 page.
Embedded
Librarian Concept & Information Literacy – optional
We will not have true
“embedded librarians” in our FS classes this fall due to low staffing levels in
the library. However, librarians are available to schedule time with each of
you as desired to review your course materials and make suggestions for
strengthening the research and information literacy elements of your course.
Please contact any of our librarians directly or ask Patti for an introduction.
We hope to bring a full Embedded Librarian collaboration back into our program
in fall 2019. This short article will give you a better idea what that might be
like.
Hall,
R.A. (2008). The “embedded” librarian in a freshman speech class: Information
literacy instruction in action. College
& Research Libraries News. 69(1), 28-30. Article, 3 pages.
Community Engagement – please read both
Remen, Rachel. “Serving is Different from Helping and Fixing.”
Awakin.org. 2013.
Short reflection on community engagement that honors the dignity of
community partners. Article, 1 page.
“A Promising Connection: Increasing College Access and Success through
Civic Engagement.” Campus Compact. 2010.
Links community engagement activities to student success. White paper, approximately 30 pages.
Rubrics – optional
Faculty are encouraged to teach students how to use rubrics
for self-assessment (i.e. using a rubric to improve student work before turning
it in). These optional articles explore the effectiveness of this method.
Wolf, Kenneth and Ellen Stevens. “The Role of Rubrics
in Advancing and Assessing Student Learning.” The Journal of Effective Teaching. 2007.
Addresses improved equity of outcomes when using
rubrics as teaching tools, especially for first gen, minority and
non-traditional students. Article, about 10 pages.
Andrade, Heidi and Ying Du. “Student perspectives on
rubric-referenced assessment.” Practical
Assessment Research and Evaluation. 2005.
Demonstrates student appreciation when given access to
rubrics, though does not address whether student work was improved as a result
of using rubrics. Sample size is small. Article, about 10 pages.
He, Xiaohua and Anne Canty. “Empowering Student
Learning Through Rubric-Referenced Self Assessment.” The Journal of Chiropractic Education. 2012.
Directly links self-assessment using rubrics to higher
scores on student work in an anatomy class. Article, about 8 pages.
Vandenberg, Amy, et al. “GPS in the classroom: using
rubrics to increase student achievement.” Research
in Higher Education Journal. No date.
Directly links rubric access to higher scores on student
work. Manuscript, about 10 pages.
Discernment
– please read the first 2… you’ll receive the printed handouts when we meet
Sullivan,
William. “Renewing Liberal Education as Vocational Discernment,” AAC&U.
2014. Article, about 4 pages.
Light,
Richard. “How to Live Wisely,” NY Times. 2015. Article, about 3 pages.
Neafsy,
John. A Sacred Voice is Calling: Personal
Vocation & Social Conscience. Printed handout, 20 pgs
Robbins,
Alexandra. Conquering Your Quarterlife Crisis.
Printed handout, about 15 pages.
Session One Overview
11:00 Welcome / Review Context & purpose of changes
to FS (1,2)
11:15 Collaborative teaching / Ice breaker (1,3)
11:25 Community Engagement HIP at NDNU
(4)
11:40 Workshop CP assignment (5)
11:55 Break
12:00 Common text HIP (Martyr) & SQs (6,8)
12:10 Rubrics as self-assessment tools (1,3)
12:20 Embedded Librarianship HIP (3)
12:25 Discernment HIP (7)
12:35 Working with your Student Mentor HIP
(3)
12:50 Wrap-up & next steps
