IP 2225: Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies
Day & Time: Tuesdays, Thursdays from 8.25am-9.40am
Location: Lamson 124
Instructor: Matthew Cheney (macheney@plymouth.edu), Office: Lamson 003
Matt’s Open Hours: The easiest way to meet is to make an appointment either via our own CoLab scheduler or using Navigate. But I will also be available via Zoom on Wednesdays 5.00-6.00pm and in person on Thursdays 9.45-10.45am in my office (Lamson 003). Any changes to these hours will be announced in Teams. See Canvas and Teams for Zoom link.
IDS Office Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:30 – 5:00. We’re always available online during those hours, and plan to be available in person Tuesdays and Thursdays, pandemic conditions permitting.
What Does It Mean That This Is a "Hybrid" Course?
This course is available both in person and online. You are free to choose how to interact with the course from day to day.
This course is not designed to be entirely asynchronous — we really do need you to meet together at the same time. However, because the class sessions are recorded and all of the work is online, it is possible to make up missed classes outside the class time when necessary. Some of our key activities, though, require us to be working together during the official class period.
Details will depend on the work we are doing at the time, and more information will be shared with you via the weekly schedules and email.
Note on recording of class sessions: Our classroom is enabled for Zoom, and class sessions will be recorded so that asynchronous students can see them (and synchronous students can review them if they wish). The recordings will be kept on our Canvas page and will only be accessible to people with access to that page; the recordings will not be made public. You can always avoid being recorded by either attending class via Zoom and turning your camera off.
Description
Gives introductory Interdisciplinary Studies students a structured opportunity to frame and plan a deliberate and thoughtful interdisciplinary program of study. Topics covered include: What does it mean to be an educated person? What are the dominant philosophical models of education, and what are their limits and strengths? How is interdisciplinarity changing the shape both of higher education and of knowledge in general? How can technology enhance interdisciplinary education and collaboration? Students work with faculty advisors to create their Interdisciplinary Studies contract, and work to develop a personal learning network that they can expand and cultivate during the course of their undergraduate education and beyond.
This course is a Technology in the Disciplines (TECO) course.
Objectives
Satisfactory completion of this course will enable a student to:
- Identify the key PSU stakeholders in the IDS major (peers, profs, admin.)
- Articulate the requirements of the PSU Interdisciplinary Studies program
- Partner with a scholar-advisor as their mentor
- Present a polished Interdisciplinary Studies essay and contract
- Define “interdisciplinarity”, informed by existing models
- Articulate their own educational philosophies and plans for interdisciplinary studies in multimedia and written formats
- Use a Personal Learning Network (PLN) to develop connections to their scholarly and professional communities of practice; stay current in their fields; and contribute in an ongoing way to the knowledge commons
- Do/understand/create/think about other things that emerge from their learning in the course that we can’t even imagine yet!
Course Work
Generally, the work of this course is divided into three primary types: projects, concept modules, and skills/technology/technique modules.
Projects
Everyone will complete both projects:
- IDS Application: develop and submit your custom major in the Interdisciplinary Studies program.
- ePort: Create an online home and hub for your coursework that you can continue to use in your IDS studies.
Concept Modules
Everyone will get an introduction to these core concepts through readings and class discussion and will complete one module on either of the concepts:
- Interdisciplinarity or
- Open Education
Skills/Technology/Technique Modules
Everyone will get an introduction to these topics through readings and class discussion and will complete two modules from the list of topics:
- Scholarly Reading and Annotation,
- Personal Learning Networks,
- IDS Program Pitch,
- Creative Commons, and
- Web Communication
You can find more information about the projects and modules on the Modules page.
Schedule & Deadlines
This course is generally broken into two parts:
Part 1: Week 1 – Week 7
During Part 1, our primary focus will be on completing your IDS application. You will also set up your ePort and get introductions to the concepts and topics that underpin the modules. Every week, you can generally expect to be working on some part of your application and completing some other readings or small assignments related to the module concepts and topics.
Part 2: Week 8 – Week 15
During Part 2, you will turn your attention to your ePort and whichever modules you choose to complete. You will get to choose deadlines for yourself for your modules. I will provide guidance and some rules for choosing these deadlines.
Your work will be very much self-directed, but we will continue to meet each week for workshop time and for people to share completed work. We also may occasionally read something together or have a discussion about topics of interest to the class.
You can view the general weekly plan for this class on the Course Calendar, however this calendar is subject to change if I feel its necessary. In addition, the calendar page will link every week to a Weekly summary page of current work.
Materials & Resources
What you need to bring to class
- Yourself.
- A laptop computer. You don’t need to own one. You can check one out at the front desk of the library with your PSU ID. (Tablets are okay for a lot of what we do, but not all of it. You will be happiest with a laptop.)
- Some paper and something to write with. We won’t use them a lot, since most of what we do is digital, but now and then we do need to use the good old-fashioned tools.
- A willingness to experiment. A lot of what we do is weird and experimental. Sometimes we’ll do things that don’t work. Sometimes we’ll do things that take a lot of trial and error. This is completely to be expected.
- A folder (Recommended): I highly recommend getting a small folder/binder to keep the papers you will need to keep track of for your application.
What you DON'T need to bring to class
- A textbook. We don’t have one. Instead, we will use a variety of open, and freely-available readings & resources.
Attendance & Missing Class
First, and foremost: I encourage you to strive for perfect attendance in this class. There are two reasons for this. First, if you miss classes, there is a good chance you will fall behind. We will be moving quickly through much of the work and the stakes are high (passing this class is absolutely required to succeed and continue as an IDS major). Second, this class is a community. It probably won’t feel like that on day one, but over the course of this semester, one of our goals is to build the trust and camaraderie that is vital for a community to succeed and thrive. When people don’t show up, the community withers.
For various reasons, I need to take attendance at the beginning of each class. This attendance has no direct relationship to your grade, however. I also need to keep a seating chart for students who are attending class in person, in case we need to do contact tracing because of the pandemic.
If you know you’re going to miss class(es), I encourage you to reach out to me beforehand. We can then make a plan to be sure you stay on top of your work as best as possible.
If I notice that you’re missing class, I will reach out to you. My main concern is you — I want to make sure you’re on track to be successful in this class. There are lots of reasons why students miss class, and I don’t need you to justify those absences. But, at a certain point, too many missed classes may make it difficult for you to finish the work and pass this class. If you hear from me, don’t panic. Let’s just set up a time to talk and figure out what’s next.
The university has an excused absence policy that I am required to link to, but it doesn’t really apply to what we do. If you find yourself in a situation where you have numerous absences, you should contact the university’s Academic & Student Advocate, Dr. David Zehr, at zehr@plymouth.edu or 603-535-3294, who can help you work through your options.
Grading
-
This is a Pass/No Pass (P/NP) course. There are benefits and detriments to that. We’ll talk about them in class.
- Pass/No Pass does not mean this course is “easier” than an A-F course. It is simply a different way of grading.
- You won’t receive any letter or number grades for this course beyond the P/NP at 6-week grades and the end of the term. No assignments will be graded in a “traditional” way.
- We will use Canvas to keep track of which assignments have been completed and turned in. Any grades that Canvas automatically calculates are informational only.
- There will also be a few self-evaluations that will help you know how you’re doing and help me understand what’s going well for you and what’s not.
How to Pass This Course
To earn a grade of P in this course, you must:
- Submit a completed IDS application. The application must be accepted by the IDS office as free of errors and ready to be sent to the IDS Council.
- Complete the modules assignment.
Technology & Open Education
This class fulfills the Technology Connections (TECO) General Education requirement, which means we must spend some time thinking about and using technology. In addition, the underlying philosophy of this course is that of Open Pedagogy, which we will talk about a lot in class.
What this means for you is that you will be expected to use technology regularly in this class and you will be asked to share and publish much of your work openly, online. The first pieces of this is somewhat non-negotiable (again, because of TECO), but if you have serious concerns about any technology use in this class, please come see me so we can talk about it and see if there are any alternatives. If working publicly and openly concerns you, you should know that we will take some time in class to talk about how to do this in ways that help you feel safe and confident. If it still concerns you, definitely come talk to me.
Getting Help
In almost all cases, the best way to get help is to ask as soon as you know you need help. Contact me, make an appointment, or stop by the IDS Office in the basement of Lamson, which is open 8.30am-5pm every day and is filled with people whose job it is to help you.
Everybody who works in the CoLab knows this course inside out and is ready to help you with whatever you need.
Asking for help is GOOD! It shows that you are aware of what you need and that you are able to take some control of your life and education.
Examples of things you may need help with this semester that you can reach out to me about:
- understanding the course material
- accessibility accommodations
- problems with other stuff at PSU
- basic needs (see below)
- something else?
Some of these topics may seem outside of the purview of this class. However, you are a whole person, not just a student in this class. Struggles outside of class may impact your ability to succeed here, so let’s talk if any of these issues are troubling you.
Basic Needs
Names
For the sake of submitting your final term grade to the Registrar, I need to know the name by which PSU links you to your records. Other than that, you’re welcome to use whatever name you prefer in class, on your written work, and in the course spreadsheet, and we in the class will address you as you wish to be addressed. This is true, also, of the pronouns you want us to identify you with, if you have a preference. That’s just basic good manners.
You are welcome to make your ePort and all components of your Personal Learning Network pseudonymous or anonymous. You can easily do this by associating them with your Registrar-recognized name in the course spreadsheet. If you would prefer to use another name (or to be pseudonymous/anonymous) in the course spreadsheet as well, then you need to email me to let me know that is what you are doing. I will then be sure to associate your Registrar-recognized name with your preferred name in my private records so that you get credit for your work.
You can address me in whatever way is comfortable for you. Technically, I am Dr. Cheney. I am perfectly comfortable with you calling me Matt or Matthew or even just Cheney; those are all names various people use for me. I do not have a preference for pronouns.
Accessibility
Plymouth State University is committed to providing students with documented disabilities equal access to all university programs and facilities. If you think you have a disability requiring accommodations, you should contact Campus Accessibility Services (CAS), located in Speare 210 (535-3300) to determine whether you are eligible for such accommodations. Academic accommodations will only be considered for students who have registered with CAS. If you have a Letter of Accommodation for this course from CAS, please provide the instructor with that information privately so that you and the instructor can review those accommodations.
Academic Integrity
You must adhere to the Academic Integrity policy as outlined in the PSU Academic Catalog.
Grading
In addition to the grading information above, you should be aware of PSU’s Fair Grading Policy.
Snow Days
If school is canceled because it is unsafe to travel to campus, we will in most cases move some work online and stick to the syllabus. Given how much of this course is online, unless we lose power for an extended period of time, there is little reason for us to adjust the syllabus too much if class is canceled.
If this presents a problem for you (you live off campus and do lose power for longer than campus, for example), please let me know as soon as possible so we can make adjustments.
Unless you receive information otherwise, we will continue with the course schedule even if we have to miss a class.