Notes Towards Day 24: Re-envisioning

Notes Towards Day 24: Re-envisioning

I. Welcome back from Thanksgiving--
any relevant stories?
(my unhappy nephews...
and thoughts re: revising college)

II. Thursday: come ready to do course evaluations,
sign-ups for group conferences
and sign-ups for final performances

III. Any responses to Kaiman's Back to the Land--
and Pursuit of Happiness Blog?
(sent to Peter by a former student in this course;
interpretable as a creative summary/
"final performance" of the journey we've taken together...
meant as inspiration!)

IV. Today we are going to get into small groups,
and spend up to 1/2-an-hour setting up your survey:
--this could be the opening paragraph of your upcoming paper:
your re-envisioned mission-or-vision,
a description of the major change you expect to recommend,
and the questions you want to ask others about your proposal.

--it could be more general questions
what's good/needs clarifying/is lacking in/
needs to be added to the current curriculum?
OR: how much should we trust students,
to design their own curricula?
how much should you be in charge of
your own education?

--it could be more pragmatic and specific:
i.e.: what is the value of distribution requirements?
what has been the experience of more advanced students?
OR: should Bryn Mawr require praxis courses of all its students?
what form should they take? (4 of them; 6 weeks, ungraded....?)
OR: what should a major design encompass?
How much theoretical work, etc. etc?

DECIDE AS A GROUP:
WHAT WOULD BE MOST USEFUL FOR YOU TO KNOW?
WHAT ASPECTS OF YOUR IDEAS NEED WIDER TESTING?

Also decide what sort of feedback you want:
on a scale? in a paragraph, a qualitative response?

Your assignment for Thursday is to conduct a survey of
approximately 40 students and 10 professors;
to post the results of your survey on-line before class;
and to come ready to explain to us WHAT HAS CHANGED
AS A RESULT OF CONDUCTING AND ANALYZING
THE RESULTS OF YOUR SURVEY.


V. so: small group work for 1/2 hour, then sharing...