Orientation
May 7 or 8 (choose one)
Before we begin, you may wish to follow the CoLab on Twitter and/or Facebook. And please find this course on Moodle!
Watch the three short videos that your kind-hearted colleagues made for you to lay a foundation for the three key areas of Cluster Learning:
- Interdisciplinarity (by Matthew Cheney)
- Project Based Learning (by Cathie LeBlanc)
- Open Education (by Robin DeRosa)
You should also briefly review the slide decks from last spring’s Fast Blast sessions on each area:
- Fast Blast on Interdisciplinarity (by Matt & Robin)
- Fast Blast on PBL (by Brandon Haas & Elisabeth Johnston)
- Fast Blast on Open Ed (by Robin & Christin Wixson)
Track-Specific Assignments
- The TWP track should also read “‘What is Tackling a Wicked Problem?'”
- The INCAP track should also read “INCAP Pilot Update.”
- The Open track should also browse around at The Open Pedagogy Notebook site.
- The Cluster Curriculum track should also read “Re-Imagining a University Education” and think about what it’s like looking back to 2016…
If you want a deeper dive (totally optional), feel free to read a bit more to wet your whistle:
- Slow Interdisciplinarity, by Abby Goode
- Authenticity, by Mike Davidson
- Who is Open For?, by Hannah Davidson
Now, engage! Reflect on this homework above, your experiences with Cluster Learning, your concerns or questions, how this all reads in light of COVID-19, and/or how you are feeling as we kick off a year of learning together. Find a channel by which you can share your reflections, a channel that puts you in conversation with this learning community, and, if you wish, with interested people beyond the CPLC. We suggest a post in the Assignment channel on Teams, or better yet a blog post (share a link in Teams, too!), but Moodle is also open, and there’s always Yammer ha ha ha ha ha. Use what you like (YouTube anyone?), but try to make sure we can find you!
Session 2
June 9th, 10am-12pm
TWP & INCAP: 1-3pm; Open 1-2pm; Cluster Curriculum 2-3pm
all via Zoom
- Back to Values SHOW AND TELL: choose an artifact from your Fall 2019 or Spring 2020 teaching that contributes something useful to the intersection of one or both of your group’s values AND one or more aspects of Cluster Learning. The artifact could be an assignment you created, an email you sent, some feedback you gave, a part of your syllabus, a project you were involved with, or absolutely anything that you can share with our group (remember that if the artifact was created by a student, make sure it is already posted publicly or else get permission to share with us before you do!). Share the artifact along with a reflection on how it intersects with certain values and with Cluster Learning.
- Read The Single Most Essential Requirement in Designing a Fall Online Course, by Cathy Davidson. This link will bring you to the Hypothesis version of the post, so you can annotate using the free tool if you wish!
- Read We Are Not Okay, and You Shouldn’t be Either, by Meg K. Guliford (this is also a Hypothesis link if you wish to annotate). (Robin will be hosting an optional Twitter chat on this article on Monday, July 13th from 7-8pm at #PSUopen.)
- Skim Values-Centered Instructional Planning by Robin DeRosa (this is also a Hypothesis link if you wish to annotate), and review any related Slipper Camp materials that seem interesting or useful to you.
- Join the Zoom Campfire chat about what you are reading and thinking and wanting to share! Amy V hosts the first one on June 18th at 7:30pm (the password is “camping”.) This chat is optional!
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Track specific tasks:
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TWP/INCAP:
- Read about the Habits of Mind in the following three short pieces:
- Habits of Mind in the General Education handbook
- Grading, Assessment, and Habits of Mind by Cathie LeBlanc
- Habits of Mind Benchmarks in the General Education handbook
- Write (and share if you feel comfortable doing so) a self-assessment on your own development of the Habits of Mind. Pay particular attention to the signposts on the benchmarks for the level of achievement you believe you have attained. How do you demonstrate that level of achievement? What behaviors do you exhibit for each of the signposts? Feel free to post reactions anywhere, but you can always use the channel for your track on our Teams site if you wish! At the July meeting, we will use these self-assessments to initiate a discussion of what we will look for in our students’ work to determine their level of achievement on the Habits of Mind.
- Read about the Habits of Mind in the following three short pieces:
- Open: Read the transcript of the keynote that Audrey Watters gave at ATI. Write a bit about what you are taking away from the keynote, especially in light of your Open Ed project and/or your Fall teaching plans. Post reflections wherever you like, but feel free to use the Open Track channel on our Teams site. And don’t forget to fill out your project plan document, which is located in the Files tab on our Teams channel!
- Cluster Curriculum: Fill out the Project Planning Document that is on our Teams channel’s Files tab. Once you fill it out, save a copy into that Files folder so that others in the track can see what you are thinking of working on. Try to do this by July 1st!
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TWP/INCAP:
Session 3
July 21st, 10am-12pm
TWP & INCAP: 1-3pm; Open 12-1pm; Cluster Curriculum 3-4pm
all via Zoom
HOMEWORK FOR ALL: Read pages 4-22 of the “Trauma-Informed Practices for Postsecondary Education Guide.” Annotate with Hypothesis as you read, or post a reflection about your reading in the appropriate Teams folder.
OPEN TRACK: Read Robin’s latest piece about equity and OER, or read Rajiv Jhangiani’s article, “Just how inclusive are ‘inclusive access’ e-textbook programs? Post your reflections about either article in our Track channel on Teams.
CLUSTER CURRICULUM TRACK: Read the complete set of Cluster Curriculum Track Planning Docs posted by your colleagues in our folder on our track’s Teams channel. Share reflections, ideas, connections, and updates on your own plans in a post in our track channel.
TWP & INCAP TRACKS:
Explore the Annotated Syllabi (which is in the Files for the TWP or INCAP channel)
Before the next meeting, share a reflection that addresses something related to the following prompt. Note that the reflection does not need to be a written narrative. You could create an infographic, a video, a podcast, or whatever feels appropriate. Explain how you will incorporate cluster pedagogy (interdisciplinary, project-based learning, open pedagogy) into Tackling a Wicked Problem or INCAP. How will you create a learning environment that allows students to practice the Habits of Mind? If this prompt doesn’t engage you, reflect in some way on your course, cluster pedagogy, and the Habits of Mind. Share your reflection in your track’s channel on Teams.
University Days
TWP/INCAP: 10:00am-Noon
Open/CC: 10:00am-11:00am
(all via Zoom)
Fall Meet Up
November 9, 12pm-1pm
November 10, 4pm-5pm
Plan to attend at least one
(all via Zoom)