IDEAS · Web view2014-09-23 · IDEAS courses offer a different learning environment that...
Transcript of IDEAS · Web view2014-09-23 · IDEAS courses offer a different learning environment that...
Stonehill College
IDEAS
Integrating Democratic Education At Stonehill
Spring 2013
Prepared by: Hailey Chalhoub, Anthony Borzaro, Patrick Cabral, Gabrielle Cole, Meredith Kalinski and Christopher Wetzel
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TABLE OF CONTENTSExecutive Summary2Background3Facts and Figures5
Final Projects7
Pedagogy Seminar8Challenges9Benefits to the Stonehill Community: Students & Faculty12
Why IDEAS is Important for Students Enrolled in IDEAS Courses12
Why IDEAS is Important for Students Instructors16
Why IDEAS is Important for Faculty19Benefits to the Stonehill Community: Stonehill as an Institution20Conclusion23Appendix A: Spring 2013 Course Descriptions24
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Appendix B: Instructor Application25Appendix C: Syllabus for Pedagogy Seminar26
2012-2013 PEDAGOGY SEMINAR PARTICIPANTS
Program Co-FacilitatorsHailey Chalhoub (‘13)Christopher Wetzel (Assistant Professor of Sociology)
Course InstructorsChristopher Astephen (‘15)Prithak Chowdhury (‘15)Michelle Curtis (‘13)Nicole D’Angelo (‘14)Noah Dunn (‘14)Laura Dzgoeva (‘14)Daniel Gardiner (‘14)Kristen Kennedy (’14)Jessica Mardo (’13)Stephanie Murray (’13)Samantha Smith (’14)Matthew Tardiff (’14)
IDEAS Project ResearchersAnthony Borzaro (’13)Patrick Cabral (’13)Gabrielle Cole (’14)Meredith Kalinski (’13)
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Integrating Democratic Education At Stonehill (IDEAS) is an interdisciplinary, student-
centered program that fosters engagement and active learning by creating an environment for
students to share their passions, wisdom and knowledge with one another in student-led one
credit courses. In the fall of 2012, Stonehill College’s Faculty Senate voted unanimously to allow
IDEAS to run as a pilot program for two years. In the program’s inaugural year, six classes were
offered on the following topics: baseball statistics, the chemistry of baking, nerd culture,
environmental activism, stereotypes and multicultural encounters, and designing for the iPad.
Thirty seven students from all class years and academic disciplines enrolled in these classes and,
during focus group interviews, they all shared overwhelmingly positive remarks regarding their
experiences with the IDEAS program. Many students acknowledged that their IDEAS courses
embodied the spirit of Stonehill’s academic values, particularly personal growth, intellectual
engagement, leadership and collaboration. In this report, we illuminate the critical role that the
IDEAS program plays in creating a platform for democratic education, student-centered learning
and active engagement in the classroom. In so doing, we outline the process of creating the
IDEAS program, the challenges we faced, our goals for the future success of the program and the
ways that IDEAS benefits the Stonehill community.
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BACKGROUND
Democratic education celebrates the joy of learning and enables students to play an active
role in shaping their own learning by creating a framework for the sharing of ideas, learning
philosophies, teaching practices and community visions. In the mid-1960s, during a time when
thousands of students and educators began to assess the importance of incorporating democratic
pedagogies into the classroom, democratic education programs emerged on college campuses
across the country. These programs give students more ownership over their education and they
are a vehicle for students to share their passions, experiences, and wisdom with their peers in
ways that aren’t always possible in a traditional classroom setting. This philosophy of
engagement and truly student-centered learning is particularly well reflected in the mission
statement of Tufts University’s Experimental College, the oldest democratic education program
in the United States:
Through its innovative, interactive, and interdisciplinary programs, the Experimental College strives to enrich the intellectual experience of undergraduates at Tufts. These programs serve as an incubator for new ideas about teaching, learning, and curriculum. They also aim to engage students actively in the design and delivery of new academic initiatives, often in collaboration with faculty. Shared governance, collaborative learning, and involvement with the community are hallmarks of the ExCollege.1
Stonehill’s transition to a credit-model presented a great opportunity to pursue new models of
learning that can more deeply engage the entire community. After examining various models of
democratic education at other institutions, we focused on emulating programs which offer a
rigorous academic framework featuring peer-to-peer education where students are responsible
for creating and teaching innovative classes.
1 Tufts University Experimental College. “Mission Statement,” Accessed May 1, 2013. Available at: http://www.excollege.tufts.edu/.
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The idea for the creation of the Integrating Democratic Education At Stonehill (IDEAS)
program emerged from a desire to enhance student engagement on campus and it has developed
over the past two years as a collaborative initiative between faculty and students. In the summer
of 2012, the details of the program began to materialize with the recruitment of student
instructors and the development of course ideas. Below is a timeline of events that were
instrumental in creating the IDEAS program:
May-August 2012: Research democratic education models at other colleges and informational meetings at Stonehill
June 2012: Meet with director of Tufts’ Experimental College
July 2012: Meet with Stonehill students to discuss democratic education
August 15, 2012: Deadline for instructors to submit course ideas
September 15, 2012: Deadline for submission of instructor applications
October-December 2012: Meetings with IDEAS instructors for syllabus design, course activities, and teaching reflections
December 2012: IDEAS open houses for students
January 2013: IDEAS courses begin
IDEAS is a unique program that enables students to become more active learners and
take ownership over their education by engaging their peers in intellectual conversations focused
on topics and ideas about which they are passionate. In the fall of 2012, IDEAS was approved as
a two-year pilot program by the Faculty Senate and in its inaugural year, the program offered six
student-led courses that are evaluated on a pass/fail basis: Baseball Statistics, Chemistry of the
Cupcake, Design for the iPad, Engaging Environment, I Am Because You Are, and Nerd
Culture. (Descriptions of each class can be found in Appendix A.) These one-credit elective
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classes are intended to compliment, rather than replace, students’ traditional academic
experiences and one of the main goals of the program is to enhance student engagement in
classes outside of the IDEAS program.
IDEAS classes are developed and organized in the fall semester with instructors meeting
periodically with Professor Chris Wetzel to discuss syllabi design, class activities and lesson
plans. The classes run during the spring semester for about thirteen weeks to accommodate
students’ schedules, which tend to be busier and filled with other academic commitments at the
beginnings and ends of semesters. Classes met for two hours per week, generally in the evening
or on the weekends to expand the time for learning and engagement. Sophomores, juniors and
seniors from all academic disciplines are invited to apply to be instructors and they are
encouraged to develop classes on topics about which they have a level of expertise. (The
instructor application can be found in Appendix B). Enrollment is limited to eight students in
order to promote more discussion and engagement. Ultimately, we aspire to offer classes that are
simultaneously academically rigorous and engaging.
FACTS AND FIGURES
In its first year, the IDEAS program offered six classes with a total of 49 students
participating in the program. Of these 49 students, 37 are enrolled as students in the classes while
the remaining 12 act as the teachers for these classes. Students participating in the program
effectively represent the academic diversity of the student body of Stonehill. Overall 19 different
majors are represented in the IDEAS classes, spanning numerous departments, such as business,
science, humanities and the arts (Table 1). The students are also fairly well distributed in age,
with every class year having at least 7 students enrolled in a class (Figure 1). The gender of
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IDEAS program participants is also relatively evenly divided with 19 females and 18 males
(Figure 2).
Figure 1. Breakdown of Enrolled Student Class Years
Class Yr Number0123456789
10111213
Breakdown of Student Class Years
2013 2014 2015 2016
Figure 2. Breakdown of Student Gender
1819
Breakdown of Student Gender
MaleFemale
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Table 1. Breakdown of Majors Major Number of studentsAccounting 3Biology 2Chemistry 3Criminology 1Economics 2Education 2English 2Environment 1Healthcare Administration 2History 1Interdisciplinary Studies 1Marketing 1Management 1Neuroscience 1Political Science 1Psychology 4Sociology 1Undeclared 5Visual & Performing Arts 3
Final Projects
Every student in each of the courses completed a final project, which served as an
integrative and dynamic culmination of the knowledge they acquired from their IDEAS courses.
Projects ranged from in-class presentations and activities to community outreach, both on and off
campus. For example, in Baseball Statistics, students utilized the statistical methods that they
had been employing all semester to try and answer specific questions about the game of baseball,
such as the difference between day and night games, the prime age of pitchers, and the
relationship between the number of home game wins and crowd attendance. In Chemistry of the
Cupcake, students recreated a recipe while following a specific dietary restriction. Using the
knowledge they acquired regarding chemical processes, they prepared vegan and gluten-free
desserts. In Engaging Environment, the class completed several projects: they addressed issues
of waste on campus by applying for a Green Fund Grant and purchasing 300 reusable cold coffee
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cups; they applied classroom discussions on activist strategies by participating in two rallies
against the Keystone Pipeline; they helped coordinate the Grab the Green campaign, which
sought to educate students on the wastefulness of plastic to-go containers; and finally, they
created an “eco mural,” by painting a homemade moss concoction onto pieces of plywood in the
form of leaves and trees, symbolizing growth and an embrace of environmentalism.
Pedagogy Seminar
In addition to teaching their respective courses throughout the semester each instructor
also attended a weekly teaching seminar that was co-facilitated by Professor Chris Wetzel and
Hailey Chalhoub ’13. The seminar provided a space for instructors to share teaching strategies,
formulate ideas about how to engage students and address any other concerns. (A copy of the
seminar syllabus can be found in Appendix C.) To help with the development of teaching
practices, we invited two guest speakers to share their experiences and offer insights to the
instructors, which was particularly useful because only a handful of instructors were Education
majors and have experience in a classroom setting. Stacy Grooters, the Director of the Center for
Teaching and Learning, facilitated a discussion on teaching methodology and classroom
management. She provided the instructors with teaching tools they could incorporate into their
classes. Professor John Golden, Chair of the Foreign Languages Department and current winner
of the Hegarty Award for Excellence in Teaching, shared his experiences with teaching strategies
that have been successful at engaging students. Using personal stories, he illustrated how to
prepare, organize and execute classes in ways that are engaging and dynamic.
Throughout the course of the semester we also discussed the state of higher education and
the role that democratic education plays in shaping students’ experiences both inside and outside
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the classroom. These discussions were also particularly attuned to questions about the value of a
liberal arts education. Data from the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) at the
University of California, Los Angeles illustrated the reality that college students do not spend
much time preparing for their classes and their main motivations for attending college are to
become qualified for well-paying jobs after graduation. These findings demonstrate a clear need
for creative ways to engage students and inspire them to learn for the sake of learning. In
reflecting on the current state of higher education, instructors were inspired to think outside the
box and experiment with innovative teaching strategies. During the seminar we also discussed
how students’ experiences with democratic education can be applied to other academic and non-
academic settings. The instructors acknowledged that the skills they have developed, such as
communication, leadership and management, can be applied to most work, service and school
environments.
For the pedagogy seminar, students wrote weekly teaching journals reflecting on
developments in their courses and the experiences of engaged teaching and learning. They also
completed two larger assignments for the end of the semester: a teaching portfolio that included
copies of their initial and final course syllabi, examples of student work and a statement of their
teaching philosophy; and an analytic paper addressing the topic of what democratic education
means and its role at Stonehill College. Both of these assignments also required students to
submit a self-evaluation.
CHALLENGES
Throughout the development stages of IDEAS, we were met with a number of challenges
and administrative barriers that slowed down and hindered our student outreach and recruitment
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process. One major challenge was convincing the Stonehill community that these courses were
valuable and that students were ready to be instructors. For administrators and faculty, it was
critical to emphasize that students drawn to the program were already leaders on campus
who regularly took the initiative to enhance their education. In order to get the program up and
running, we recruited a group of students who could easily be identified as leaders and who were
willing to take a risk and give the program a try. We also underscored how the program was
structured to promote critical learning and engagement and we invited faculty members to be a
part of the process by encouraging instructors to work with faculty mentors who could serve as
content experts for their courses. Going forward, the program needs administrators and faculty to
continue trusting that the students involved in the program are doing excellent work and that
engaged conversations in the classroom amplify and extend the learning that occurs in traditional
classes. Although they are not professors, students teaching the courses have a love for the
subjects they choose to teach and build their knowledge through extensive research and
preparation as well as conversations with faculty mentors.
For students, it was critical to show them the value of peer learning and that IDEAS
courses would be a different mode of engagement. Here we intentionally had the courses meet
in the late afternoon or evening or on the weekends to expand the parameters of when we learn.
It was also important to have classes that were driven by discussions and interactive experiences
to help students become engaged in shaping the directions of classes. Further, we wanted to
ensure that these classes would run as pass/fail so that students would not be subjectively grading
their peers.
In addition to cultural challenges, we also ran into a number of logistical challenges. The
first concern here was getting approval to run the pilot program, which was received on October
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3, and then determining the number of courses that could be offered, which happened in mid-
October. This meant that much of the course preparation work we hoped to complete early in the
fall, such as course design and syllabus construction, was pushed fairly late into the fall semester.
Going forward, we trust this will not be a challenge. The second concern was advertising and
outreach to prospective students. Given that the program was new, and timing of the approval,
we were running behind on sharing the story of democratic education with prospective students.
Although we had several open houses in the fall and used social media to advertise, we would
have liked to disseminate information about the courses more widely. A particular challenge
here is the fact that we cannot easily list courses with meeting times through MyHill because the
instructors will not know their schedules until they enroll for spring courses. Going forward, we
recognize that a streamlined, accessible registration process is crucial to ensuring the success of
IDEAS. Course descriptions should be available on MyHill to reach more students. Enrollment
should be done after regular course registration to allow all students who are passionate about a
topic, regardless of year in college, to take the classes offered. A third concern is about
resources. This year, we applied for and received a Classroom Innovation Grant from the Center
for Teaching and Learning. While the financial needs for the courses are fairly modest (we
budgeted $125 per course for materials and mentoring), there are absolutely some needs.
Students used these resources to take the members of their classes on field trips, provide
materials for hands-on learning in the classroom, and have access to resources that enriched
learning experiences. Moreover, in the case of the Design for the iPad, we needed to borrow
items from Information Technology. Going forward, continued institutional support in the form
of allocating small budgets for each class needs is important to foster the learning experience in
democratic education.
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It is critical to have continued discussions about how we deal with these challenges. In
light of these cultural and logistical challenges, we have increased our outreach to students,
administrators, faculty and staff in order to make the program, and the message of democratic
education, more visible on campus.
BENEFITS TO THE STONEHILL COMMUNITY: STUDENTS & FACULTY
“You hear all the time that teachers learn as much from their students as the
students learn from them and I don’t think it has ever been more true or apparent
as it was in this program, which has done a lot to enhance the entire experience
and has gotten us to learn and experience more.”—IDEAS Participant
Why IDEAS is Important for Students Enrolled in IDEAS Courses
The IDEAS program has the potential to play a critical role in the dynamic Stonehill
community. The students enrolled in courses, instructors teaching courses, and even faculty
members all stand to gain something by participating in or supporting this program. The
following anecdotes emerged from focus group interviews that were conducted in five of the six
democratic education classes as well as individual student evaluations of the IDEAS program.
These candid interviews and written evaluations provide invaluable insight into the experiences
of students participating in the pilot program of IDEAS. Students offered overwhelmingly
positive feedback on the program and the main themes that emerged from these conversations
can be categorized accordingly: admiration for peer-to-peer learning; gratitude for the relaxed,
comfortable and flexible learning environment; appreciation that their opinions were valued; and
excitement around sharing common interests and passions with their peers.
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Students in several classes noted that their peer instructors had a broad knowledge base,
making it possible for students to learn from each other. They also highlighted the maturity that
their peers demonstrated by leading classes in a professional manner. Credit needs to be given to
these student teachers for balancing the time commitment of planning and teaching their
democratic education course along with the coursework for three to five other classes. Instructors
draw from their classroom and co-curricular experiences to create classes around topics that
connect to other students’ interests. Although the instructors use their expertise in a particular
area, they acknowledge that they are not experts and they learn as much from their students as
their students learn from them. One student in the Baseball Statistics class mentioned that his
instructor was “genuinely interested in finding the results” with the class and he was “learning
with [them].” Many students also echoed the sentiment that their democratic education teachers
displayed a particular passion about their subject area that they felt was sometimes lacking in
traditional classes. While this is should not be taken as a conclusion about faculty sentiments, the
questions that beg to be asked are why is there a gap in what faculty intend to share and what
students perceive in classes? And what can be done to bridge this pedagogical gap?
In the evaluations, nearly every student expressed their appreciation for the relaxed
environment promoted in democratic education courses. While students felt the majority of
Stonehill classes involve lectures and operate with a hierarchical structure that creates distinct
roles for professors and students, IDEAS courses foster intellectual discussions among peers
where everyone plays an equal role in teaching and learning. There is a much greater emphasis
on learning the material because the pressure to perform is transformed. By making the course
pass/fail, the students were not stressed about whether they were going to get an 'A' or a 'C' for
their efforts and that made them more inclined to "internalize the information because they were
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[actively] thinking about and reconstructing it," as one student mentioned in a focus group
interview. This is very different from how students generally approach traditional courses,
particularly those with grades that disproportionately weigh examinations. Many students
mentioned the tendency of cramming the night before exams just to regurgitate pieces of
information that cannot be recalled the following day. Then, when finals come, it becomes an
overwhelming task to "re-learn" the material from the entire semester that was temporarily
"learned" but not retained or internalized. IDEAS courses offer a different learning environment
that privileges students gaining mastery of the material and demonstrating it in creative final
projects. This creates an environment where students said they were more comfortable learning
and much more likely to retain and apply knowledge.
Several students who identified as shy or introverted mentioned that their IDEAS course
has made them more confident and willing to offer their opinions during discussions in their
traditional classes. Many IDEAS classes were enhanced by the ability of students to hear
multiple opinions instead of just the opinion of the faculty member or the one student who
participates in every class discussion. The hope is that this will translate into an increase in
discussion in traditional Stonehill classes, decreasing the frequency of the infamous "Stonehill
stare." For example, all students in the class on stereotypes/perceptions, I Am Because You Are,
reported a social responsibility to share what they had learned during the semester. This certainly
shows initiative on the part of students to create open lines of communication regarding
academic matters and it also reflects the beginnings of more actively participating Stonehill
students.
Students also enjoyed having the ability to shape the direction of their courses. While the
student facilitators spent the fall semester and winter break planning syllabi and lessons, they
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were incredibly responsive to their students and catered their courses to what the students wanted
to learn about. This practice of democratic education increased student engagement because the
students took ownership over their education and created the course alongside their peers. One
student from the Baseball Statistics course articulated that his IDEAS class is “more interesting
than [his] other classes because [the students] have all created it together.” During the focus
group interviews we wanted to understand the ways in which students’ experiences in the IDEAS
courses compare to their traditional learning experiences. After sharing the following statement
of Stonehill’s learning goals and values, we asked them to reflect on how their IDEAS class
compared to typical Stonehill classes: "At Stonehill, learning is built on the foundation of the
Cornerstone Program, which emphasizes intellectual engagement, effective communication,
leadership and collaboration, social responsibility and personal growth and discovery." Many
students acknowledged that their IDEAS course perfectly reflected the goals of the Cornerstone
program. Some even mentioned that their IDEAS course better embodied these values than
some of their traditional courses. The general sentiment among students was best summarized by
one participant, who said, "Intellectual growth and communication are achieved in Cornerstone
classes but it is not related to personal growth. That is sometimes forgotten [in those classes] but
it definitely happens here." According to the students enrolled in these courses, democratic
education classes have met the values and ideals that the school strongly embraces in creating a
liberal arts education.
Finally, the enrolled students repeatedly emphasized the pure enjoyment that they
experienced in their democratic education classes. For many students, the IDEAS class had
become their favorite and they “looked forward to [them] more than any other class” they were
taking. Their main reasons for loving these classes were the level of student interest in the topics
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and their ability to play a role in designing the course. Since students come together to talk about
something that they are genuinely interested in, the discussions are more fruitful and students
leave class with a “feeling of accomplishment” that they are actually getting something out of
their courses. During the focus group with the Nerd Culture class, students mentioned that,
“[they] are all here because of [their] love of learning of the subject” and they find themselves
asking, “how can I incorporate this into my life?” not “how am I going to memorize this
information?” There is something genuinely exciting and promising about creating an
environment where people love the topic being examined. Based on student responses in
interviews and evaluations, it is clear that democratic education is capable of transforming
students’ academic experiences by engaging in a unique academic setting and applying their
passions and critical thinking to their traditional classes.
Why IDEAS is Important for Student Instructors
In addition to the students enrolled in IDEAS courses, the instructors also participated in
focus group interviews that allowed us to assess the challenges and successes that came with
facilitating classes. The common sentiments expressed by the instructors were overcoming the
typical challenges that educators face, the excitement of witnessing students utilizing course
knowledge outside of the classroom, the application of their courses to the requirements of
Stonehill’s academic values, and the ways in which IDEAS may contribute to their future goals.
The major challenges that instructors faced were related to classroom management and
keeping students engaged for their weekly two-hour class time. For some it was also difficult to
teach their friends because they found it hard at times to shift to the facilitator mode. Over the
semester, instructors overcame these challenges by utilizing different strategies discussed in the
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teaching seminar. Others said that they struggled with navigating requests from their students to
adapt course content. However, their students had overwhelmingly positive things to say about
the instructors’ flexibility regarding the curricula. Throughout the focus groups, the instructors
emphasized that even with the challenges of balancing IDEAS with their other obligations,
teaching in the democratic education program was an incredibly worthwhile experience.
As previously mentioned, the final projects completed at the end of the semester
demonstrated to the instructors that their students were synthesizing information and integrating
it into their everyday lives. One teacher told us how “great it was seeing them enthusiastic and
applying [their knowledge] to things that they loved” because it confirmed that they were able
use what they had learned during class to better understand the world in which they live. Another
teacher mentioned the change in perspective he had by becoming an instructor because he was
able to see students in the classroom from the perspectives of both a student and an instructor,
which gave him an interesting insight into student culture. With the utmost candor, a teacher
noted that as instructors, “we do not know everything [about the subject we are teaching] but
collectively [the students and facilitators] are learning, which is what democratic education is all
about.” If you ask every one of us involved in IDEAS what democratic education means to us,
you will hear something different. However, we can guarantee that the theme of “students
teaching other students while also learning from them” would be a common response. That truly
is what education should be all about – when teachers stop learning from their students, the
connection between them is lost and students become disengaged. Therefore, the spirit of
democratic education is the reason why it is critical to an institution of higher education like
Stonehill. Democratic education creates relationships of reciprocity and equality between
teachers and students, leading to more effective teaching and learning for both parties.
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When asked how their classes relate to the values and goals of Stonehill’s Cornerstone
program, the instructors articulated that the IDEAS program actually goes beyond what the
Cornerstone program requires. One instructor noted that while “each of our classes emphasize all
of the qualities of the Cornerstone program, I find that the definition of the Cornerstone program
lacks ownership of our education, while the democratic education program challenges students to
be invested in their education so that they are not just showing up to their classes to get a grade
and a degree.” It is promising and exciting to see students enrolled in and instructing IDEAS
courses celebrating the importance of self-motivated students who learn because of a passion for
ideas rather than simply completing a degree requirement. Another student teacher credited the
Cornerstone and IDEAS programs for encouraging students to engage in a wide range of
academic subjects not solely focused on their majors. In that sense, democratic education courses
greatly contribute to the Cornerstone program’s vision by encouraging students to take classes
about non-traditional subjects which are worthy of scholarly study because they contribute to the
critical thinking skills and spirit of holistic inquiry that Stonehill College wants to foster.
One of the most unique aspects of the group of instructors is its interdisciplinary
composition. Humanities, natural science, and social science majors have come together to
collaboratively create a vibrant program with the common goal of increasing student engagement
and fostering a culture of active learning through peer education. These diverse scholarly
backgrounds have led to fascinating, insightful conversations about learning in the pedagogy
seminar. Interestingly enough, only a few of our student teachers are Education majors and
planning on teaching in the future. For them, this program has provided an excellent opportunity
to gain confidence and teaching experience. However, many others have aspirations of service
work, graduate school, or professional school, which means that the skills gained from this
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program will be used on a broader scale to engage and lead groups through effective
management, cooperation, and administrative skills. All of these skills have been enhanced and
strengthened by facilitating a democratic education course. For example, a senior instructing a
course applied to graduate schools this past fall and her interviewers asked her about her
experience with the IDEAS program, commenting that they were incredibly impressed that she
designed and executed a semester long class by herself. The IDEAS program promises to make
Stonehill graduates more attractive to graduate schools and employers because of the initiative
reflected in teaching a course as well as the skills developed in the process.
Why IDEAS is Important for Faculty
The IDEAS program not only benefits Stonehill students. It also invites faculty members
into a conversation about democratic education. We have found that students are more inclined
to participate in classroom discussions when they feel that their opinions are heard and valued.
While many professors try to facilitate discussions, they are often greeted by the infamous
“Stonehill stare” because students either believe the answers to the questions are too obvious or
they are worried about their answers being wrong. By creating an inclusive, judgment-free
environment, faculty may discover that discussions are more fruitful.
While it may not be feasible to have student input regarding the topics taught in
traditional courses, particularly major and minor requirements, another way to increase student
engagement may be to gauge what aspects of the course students find most intriguing. Spending
extra time talking about these, inserting new examples to illustrate concepts, selecting relevant
readings, or even reimagining certain major assignments could promote student engagement in
the curriculum. Our experience with the democratic education pilot has shown that students have
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some say in the content of democratic education courses and they contribute to the structure and
design of the courses by suggesting activities and assignments. This seems to suggest that
students want to feel that their voices and opinions are welcomed and respected in any classroom
setting.
Additionally, as the enrolled students described, these classes are heavily based on
collaboration and effective communication. Both of these skills are critical to every course a
student could take at Stonehill and the workforce. From the viewpoint of faculty members, better
collaboration undoubtedly leads not only to improved group projects and assignments but greater
mastery of the course content. Additionally, courses often require oral presentations, a task
feared by many students. If students become more comfortable participating during an IDEAS
course, they will not only be more inclined to share their opinions during traditional course
discussions but also will become better at classroom presentations.
Faculty support is absolutely critical to the future of the IDEAS program. Each course
requires student instructors to have a faculty mentor to provide feedback and support on
questions related to content, teaching, and engaged learning. We see democratic education as a
powerful and important complement to the work done by the faculty, sharing a common goal of
fostering a lifelong love of learning among Stonehill College graduates.
BENEFITS TO THE STONEHILL COMMUNITY: STONEHILL AS AN INSTITUTION
IDEAS is not only important to the Stonehill community, but also the college as an
institution. Stonehill’s mission statement proclaims that the institution, through “scholarship,
critical analysis and creative thinking…educates the whole person so that each Stonehill graduate
thinks, acts, and leads with courage.”2 After speaking with students who have taken an IDEAS
2 Stonehill College, “Our Mission,” Accessed May 1, 2013. Available at: http://www.stonehill.edu/x1273.xml
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course this semester, it has become clear that democratic education courses have succeeded in
achieving these ideals. Democratic education allows individuals to explore their passions and
hone their expertise in a particular area of interest. Through critical discussion IDEAS classes
have allowed already passionate students to personally grow and become leaders within the
Stonehill community.
Not only have IDEAS classes allowed students who participated in them to become more
critically engaged learners and leaders consistent with Stonehill’s mission, they have also
allowed instructors to become much more effective and competitive students and postgraduates,
helping the college on an institutional level. By supporting the IDEAS program, Stonehill has
the opportunity to demonstrate its students are leaders and so knowledgeable that some have
actually instructed college level courses, something which many competitor schools cannot do.
The IDEAS program, while also enriching the Stonehill community and the students who
participate in it, helps to make Stonehill a more nationally competitive college. The program
also produces much more competitive postgrads in the form of the instructors of the courses.
When asked about whether IDEAS has helped in future employment or internship opportunities,
one instructor stated that “whether you are going to be a teacher or not, there are a lot of skills
that are valuable to any job or occupation – engaging and leading a group of individuals – you
create your course and see it through to the end, whether you are learning managing skills,
cooperation, administrative skills – there are plenty of things that are applicable to just about
anywhere.” IDEAS has helped create better students and has helped prepare its instructors to
achieve their future goals, both of which can be used as a major selling point for the college’s
admissions.
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This thinking is consistent with the College’s current strategic plan, “Above & Beyond,”
which centers on five key strategies to make Stonehill a premier institution for undergraduate
education. Two strategies, raising expectation and creating advantage, fit directly with what has
been discussed above. IDEAS classes have raised the bar in many ways for their students.
Because each individual student is expected to participate in class discussions and the collective
learning of the group, each individual student has received more responsibility and therefore
raised expectations. In the same way, many classes have connected to projects outside of IDEAS
but within Stonehill or even outside the institution entirely, but which are critically connected to
the topics addressed in the class. This type of engagement has raised the expectations of the
students. As illustrated in the examples above, students have met these challenges with
resounding success, specifically building on how democratic education promotes discussion and
community learning. In this way, students come to expect more of themselves and their peers,
benefitting the entire community when each person reaches those expectations.
IDEAS can also help Stonehill College achieve its goal of creating advantage. Some of
these benefits for instructors and student participants have been described above. However,
IDEAS not only creates advantages for students, it also promises to create advantage for the
college, underscoring and amplifying the distinct value of a Stonehill education relative to its
peer institutions. As a small liberal arts college, Stonehill looks to educate the entire individual
and prepare that student for engagement with the larger world. Democratic education through
the IDEAS program provides yet another way in which the college can foster this sense of
community engagement and personal growth. IDEAS promises to enhance Stonehill’s unique
capacity to educate the whole person, promote community engagement, and foster a love of
engaged learning.
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CONCLUSION: THE FUTURE OF DEMOCRATIC EDUCATION AT STONEHILL
The success of the IDEAS pilot program in the 2012-2013 academic year illustrates how
democratic education inspires students to share their passions with their peers, fosters a love of
learning, and promotes an engaged community. We believe IDEAS courses contribute to
Stonehill College’s academic goals and mission in a variety of important, innovative ways. The
IDEAS program draws on scholarly, in-depth, student-led conversations to supplement the
critical learning that is already occurring at Stonehill. In addition to the challenges presented to
students through the Cornerstone Program and major and minor requirements, student-created
and led IDEAS courses provide new information, skills, and perspectives that may not be present
in a typical Stonehill classroom. Student passions and engagement are nurtured and thrive
through the IDEAS program. Feedback from both teachers and students in the six courses
consistently highlight how they became stronger, more confident and more engaged learners.
The IDEAS program gives students the freedom to explore their passions in innovative ways that
supplement the learning done in the traditional classroom while enriching students’ identities and
skills.
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APPENDIX A: SPRING 2013 COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
APL 090 A: Baseball StatisticsInstructor: Matthew Tardiff ‘14The course will apply statistics to baseball to understand how the game is played and how to play the game better. The class will look at common conventions in the game and use statistical research to determine if the conventions are accurate.
APL 090 B: Chemistry of the CupcakeInstructor: Stephanie Murray ‘13This class will look at the science behind baking, including bread making, ice cream production, and molecular gastronomy. Discussions, activities, and taste testing will be the main focus of classes. This course will encourage students to think about how science influences daily life.
APL 090 C: Design for the iPadInstructor: Michelle Curtis ‘13This course will explore how to use Adobe Digital Publisher, iBooks Author and Adobe Indesign to create publications and newsletters for the iPad. Students will study trends in digital design and apply them to their own digital publications. The class will also discuss how to engage iPad users through interactivity, video and digital layouts.
APL 090 D: Engaging EnvironmentInstructors: Jessica Mardo ‘13, Dan Gardiner ‘14, and Chris Astephen ‘15This course will introduce students to three perspectives of nature. Students will first understand nirvana in nature by exploring local forests, parks and waterfronts. Students will then learn about the artistic interactions between people and their environment. The third perspective will emphasize how environmental activism works to save these resources and students will development a plan to solve an environmental issue at Stonehill.
APL 090 E: I Am Because You Are: A Study of EncountersInstructors: Prithak Chowdhury ‘15, Noah Dunn ‘14, and Kristen Kennedy ‘14This course will focus on identifying stereotypes and discussing their origins, roles in society, and how people handle them. The class will discuss stereotypes in current events, in movies, and locally. The students will further understand their own cultures and learn about cultures in the Brockton area.
APL 090 F: Nerd Culture: The Historical and Sociological Relevance of Comics and Video GamesInstructors: Nicole D’Angelo ‘14, Laura Dzgoeva ‘14, and Samantha Smith ‘14This class will study the history of comic and video game industries and their impact on society. We will explore the nerd subculture and how its members label themselves and perceive others. The class will also discuss how pop culture mirrors the interests, habits, and mental states of authors and game makers.
APPENDIX B: INSTRUCTOR APPLICATION
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Integrating Democratic Education at Stonehill (IDEAS)Instructor Application
Spring 2014
Please complete the following questions in order to be considered for a position as an IDEAS instructor for the upcoming spring semester. There is no minimum or maximum word limit, but be specific and clear in your responses. Please email the completed application to Chris Wetzel ([email protected]) by May 2nd. Thank you for your continued interest in Democratic Education at Stonehill!
Background Information
1. Name:2. Class year:3. Major(s) and minor(s):4. Title of proposed course:5. Proposed faculty mentor:6. Have you been involved with the Democratic Education program before? If not, how did
you hear about IDEAS?7. What are you involved in on campus? Please list each extracurricular activity and time
commitment per week.
Course Information
8. Provide a brief course description. What will students learn?9. Why is it important to offer your course? 10. What are some potential activities, projects and other forms of engagement that you will
use to help students achieve the desired learning outcomes?11. How did you acquire the interest and/or skill in this subject area? 12. Would you be open to co-facilitating a course?
Teaching Philosophy
13. Describe a significant learning experience in your life in or out of the classroom. What happened? What made this experience so powerful?
14. Describe a time when you taught someone something. What were you teaching? What was that experience like? How could you use that experience as an IDEAS instructor?
15. What do you hope to gain from teaching an IDEAS course?16. What challenges do you anticipate encountering as a course instructor? How do you plan
to overcome them?
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APPENDIX C: SYLLABUS FOR PEDAGOGY SEMINAR
SOC 352: Democratic EducationSpring 2013
Tuesday 6:00-8:30pm, 206 Martin
OBJECTIVES AND AMBITIONS
We begin by recognizing some of the real tensions in contemporary higher education at a small, liberal arts institution that is heavily reliant upon tuition. On the one hand, we embrace Stonehill College’s mission to educate “the whole person so that each … graduate thinks, acts, and leads with courage toward the creation of a more just and compassionate world.” At the same time, we acknowledge the realities of how most students allocate their time. According to the senior exit survey for the class of 2011, 66 percent of seniors spent less than 10 hours per week preparing for class, 74 percent spent less than two hours per week talking with professors, and 77 percent spent less than two hours per week reading for pleasure.
Our goal this semester is to intervene and actively reshape some of these conversations (and ideally outcomes) by piloting a democratic education program. These programs give students more ownership over their education. They are a vehicle for students to share their passions, experience, and wisdom with their peers in ways that aren’t always possible in a traditional classroom setting. Democratic education promises multiple lasting benefits for the entire Stonehill community. For faculty, it offers a different method to envision how to facilitate truly student-centered classrooms. We can begin to identify areas of student interest that may not be adequately addressed in the curriculum as well as strategies to foster a love of learning. For students, democratic education is a chance to explore areas of great personal interest. Teaching a course allows students to further develop SURE research, thesis projects, or capstone projects. We also envision that involvement in democratic education would lead students to demand more from their education while preparing them for admission to graduate programs or future jobs.
Democratic education is a pilot project so we have to prepare for the future. Collective projects for us to address include, but are not limited to: cultivating a board of directors to help oversee a program, recruiting next set of teachers, evaluating impacts of the courses, developing a mission statement, and coming up with a catchier program name.
COURSE READINGS
We will use selections from the following texts:
Arum, Richard and Josipa Roska (2010), Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses, Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Curzan, Anne and Lisa Damour (2000), First Day to Final Grade: A Graduate Student’s Guide to Teaching, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
Freire, Paulo (2000), Pedagogy of the Oppressed, New York: Continuum.
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McKeachie, Wilbert J. and Marilla Svinicki (2006), McKeachie’s Teaching Tips: Strategies, Research, and Theory for College and University Teachers, Belmont: Wadsworth Cenage.
Nathan, Rebekah (2006), My Freshman Year: What a Professor Learned by Becoming a Student, New York: Penguin.
COURSE SCHEDULE
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, our teaching seminar will meet every Tuesday during the semester starting at 6pm.
January 15: Where are we going?
January 22: How do we get students talking? How do we effectively facilitate difficult conversations?
January 29: Continue discussion of facilitating conversations.
February 5: Guest: Dr. Stacy Grooters. Topics include: How do we think about preparing for class without being over or underprepared? How do we deal with a class where students have a wide range of knowledge, experiences, and backgrounds? At what level do we pitch classes? How can we think about our body language in class to send messages?
February 12: Check in about courses.
February 19: How do people perceive academic life? What is the state of American higher education? What is the value of a liberal arts education?
February 26: How do we deal with privilege in the classroom?
March 5: No class: Spring break
March 12: How do we push through the mid-semester funk?
March 19: Guest: Dr. John Golden. Topics include: What are the hardest lessons you’ve learned about teaching? What motivates you as a faculty member? What do you wish students knew about being a professor? How do you think about adjusting classes?
March 26: How do we design, scaffold, and support semester-long projects?
April 2: No class: Monday schedule
April 9: How do we evaluate college courses? How do we evaluate democratic education?
April 16: Check in about courses.
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April 23: Where have we been? What comes next?
April 30: A celebration of engaged learning!
SEMESTER PROJECTS
Since SOC 352 is a letter graded seminar, everyone will be responsible for a number of items throughout the semester including:
Attendance and participation 20 percent
Weekly teaching journal 25 percentThese should be emailed to Chris and Hailey before class. You should think about describing what is happening in your class, how you feel about the process, and what you’re understanding about engaged learning.
Teaching portfolio 25 percentThis should include your initial and final course syllabi, samples of student work, photographs from the class, and a statement of your teaching philosophy. You should also include a self-assessment. This is due in class on April 23.
Final reflection paper 30 percentThis should be a critical reflection on the meaning of democratic education and its place at Stonehill. You should also include a self-assessment. This is due in class on April 30.