I come to DF with two main goals. In my day job as a communications marketing type, I welcome the opportunity to immerse myself into all PSU disciplines. In this case, it’s not just education but the strategy and thinking that goes into teaching for all who teach, regardless of their focus. Learning the lingo, hearing the challenges, being exposed to seminal readings provide many useful insights.
As a p/t teaching lecturer, I welcome the self scrutiny that DF prompts in me. Not just “am I doing it right” but what are the options, how do others on campus and in the field see things, etc. I would not make the time needed to consider all this without this mini course.
I guess there is actually a third goal, which is satisfying my deep hunger and curiosity about so many things. In this case, it’s learning about the gears and pulleys under the surface at PSU and higher education generally. On the most basic level we are at a school where students come to learn – it’s our product and contribution to the world. These discussions help me add texture and depth to that essential focus.
