CAS 101:Introduction to the Arts & Sciences

Fall 2013

8:30-9: Coffee and chat9-10: Welcome/Perspectives: Beth, Shari, Shannon10-10:30: Introductions10:30-10:45: Break10:45-12: CAS 101 Objectives/Perspectives12-1: Lunch 1-2: MAP-Works: Racheal Roy2-4: Required features of CAS 101: Beth Intro to common website: Beth & ID team

Agenda: Tuesday, August 27

Why CAS 101?Shari Evans, Associate Dean, College of Arts & Sciences

How Have We Done So Far?Shannon Jenkins, Chair Political Science & Data Analyst

Welcome

1. Pair up with someone you don’t know very well or at all.

2. Interview each other, asking two questions:a) First, identify for the other person, a long-term professional

goal of your own.b) Second, explain how becoming involved in CAS 101 will

help you meet that goal.

3. You have 8-10 minutes as a pair. Work quickly.4. Grab some coffee or a snack.5. Present your findings about your partner to the group.

Be succinct!

Icebreaker Instructions

How well a student adjusts to the academic environment of college is…closely tied to their developing sense of belonging with the college.

Leslie R. M. Hausmann, Janet Ward Schofield, Rochelle L. Woods, “Sense of Belonging as a Predictor of Intentions to Persist Among African American and White First-Year College Students” Research in Higher Education 48, no. 7 (2007), 829.

Retention: We must improve retention - if we improve students’ ability to succeed and create a sense of belonging, we have helped the student (who will then want to stay) find his/her way to happiness.

Curriculum Advisory Committee◦ Transition to college (developing the professional student)◦ Study skills◦ Introduction to the College of Arts & Sciences (academic)

Overall Goals of CAS 101

18 major-only sections, 4 undecided sections, balance are mixed

University Studies assessment altered Addition of a final test Reusable Learning Objects, with quizzes, rather than

textbook Blackboard

New This Year

CAS 101 curriculum and advisory committees, previous faculty, and survey data have identified these objectives, which are integrated into CAS 101.

Foster community-building Smooth the transition from high-school student to college student Increase retention Identify and help students solve problems Promote student self-accountability for educational and personal choices Teach students to set goals and plan their path to happiness Encourage student involvement in campus activities Build student (study) skills Introduce students to the academic environment and the strengths and perspectives

of the College of Arts & Sciences Help students understand “happiness” and find a path in that direction – so that

UMassD itself can become a factor in their present sense of happiness.

Our Objectives

CAS 101 is a College Studies graduation requirement. Articulate the norms and expectations of the university, identify their learning

styles, develop an appreciation of engaged learning, and develop effective strategies for making the transition to college.

Apply basic study skills (reading, note taking, preparing for tests and projects, accepting personal responsibility, using university resources) to engage in the classroom as a motivated participant in the educational process.

Describe the purposes of higher education and how University Studies and College of Arts and Sciences requirements relate to the major and integrate these understandings into their writing and thinking about goals.

Describe the major areas of knowledge and inquiry in the College of Arts and Sciences (the Humanities, the Natural Sciences and the Social Sciences) and articulate how the disciplines approach similar topics and concepts in different manners.

Complete a reflective assignment that illustrates the evolution of their goals as engaged learners and in relationship to their major, discipline and community.

College Learning Outcomes

 CAS 101 meets the U. S. Cluster 1E graduation requirement. Express the rationale for a broad education, as described

in the UMD Commitment to Student Learning. Define engaged learning in the context of their major,

discipline or community. Apply the concept of engaged learning to their personal

goals. Explain how perspectives within one or more academic

disciplines impact the community. Explain how issues in the community can be understood

within an academic discipline.

University Studies Learning Outcomes

Perspectives: Students will succeed at learning if we◦ ask them to identify their long-term goals and identify how college is a path to those

goals◦ help them identify obstacles to learning – that they have social problems we don’t have

to solve, but can help them solve for themselves◦ foster a sense of belonging by using classroom strategies and activities that involve their

interaction with other students◦ interact with them on an individual basis, and◦ teach and model the behaviors of a professional student.

Integrate multiple objectives and outcomes into every activity/assignment. For example, our icebreaker helped connect short-term to long-term goals, make a new friend, succeed with an assignment, identify some goals of CAS 101, and provided a model for engaged learning.

Rely on your own teaching strengths Assessment: final test (see handout) CAS 101 is a work in progress – share ideas and feedback. Join the

Curriculum Advising Committee.

Attaining the Outcomes

Lunch Reconvene in 204 MAP-Works

All Objectives and Outcomes: how you address them is in your hands as experienced faculty.

Focus on the student’s major as the path to long-term goals. Undecided students will explore a potential major.

Integration of University Studies into their goals in their major and in preparation for advisement for spring registration. Cover the B.A. or B.S. University/College Studies tracking sheet provided in Faculty Resources.

MAP-Works survey plus individual meeting with each student to discuss their report and other questions/concerns.

Cover differences/similarities between Humanities, Social Science, Natural Sciences - this goes well with University Studies discussion.

More…

Components Common to All Sections

Pre- and post surveys for data collection. IMPORTANT: Add the pre- and post-surveys to your syllabus as an extra-credit assignment and explain it in class. ◦ In your syllabus, explain the purpose of the survey, whether and how much extra credit you

are offering, and include the following language: Students may decline to take the survey without penalty, but in order to earn extra credit, students must decline to take the first survey using the online consent form AND for the second survey, students must email their professor about the second survey to notify the professor that they are declining to take the second survey.

Final test – provided later in semester. Multiple-choice test will assess the 10 outcomes provided on the sample syllabus. Students must earn a grade to encourage them to take it seriously, but you may weight the test as you wish in the student’s final grade, but scoring will be uniform across all tests. Used for:◦ Program assessment◦ U.S. assessment◦ Curriculum development◦ Transfer student waivers (see handout if you advise transfer students)

Common Assignment: Bookended at the beginning and end of semester (see handout), the assignment has two parts.

Components Common to All Sections

Demonstration of available resources Questions

Website as Resource

8:30-9: Coffee and chat9-10: Who Are Our Students?: Shelly Metivier Scott10-11:45: Curriculum Development: Beth11:45-12: Library Services Research: Kari Mofford12-1: Lunch1-4: Workshops (choose your own adventure) Curriculum, syllabi, activities in 204 Website development in 203

Bookkeeping: Turn in your add/comp forms

Agenda: Wednesday, August 28

Who Are Our Students?Shelly Metivier Scott, Dean of Students

Activities that multi-task and are engaging One-credit course: approx. 2 hours outside work Professionalization – explain and model student behavior we’d like to

see in our classrooms Career Development Center resources and TypeFocus survey for to

help students understand their own learning styles so they can compensate when asked to learn in ways they are not comfortable with

Use of resources on the website Individual meeting is KEY Returning faculty jump in with succinct ideas Engaged learning (next slide) H/SS/NS and readings Learning about the major (ENL 102 connection)

Curriculum Development: Overview Handout/Samples

Engaged learning enhances classroom education through authentic opportunities that put academic concepts into action and skills into practice.(from Keene State) For Foundations, may involve: Small-scale incursions into the community

◦ museums, performances, city council meetings, sewerage treatment plants, etc.

work-related experiences

U.S. definition: “engaged learning”

1-4 pm Wednesday:

Room 204: as requested with experienced faculty facilitating

Room 203: website development with ID team

Workshops at Will