JULY 2017 – JUNE 2018

Minutes of the Teaching and Learning Committee

December 14, 2017

Present: Jane Schmidt-Wilk, Sonja Gobec, Michael Zijlstra, Mark Ellinghaus

Not present: Paula Armstrong, Isabelle Matzkin, Matthew Beaufort

Guest speaker: Dr. Holly Bender, Associate Director of CELT, Iowa State University

Heard from Holly about some of the SoTL initiatives CELT has in progress. The links to each of them are below:

Miller Faculty Fellowships (internal seed grants)
http://www.celt.iastate.edu/faculty/funding-opportunities/miller-faculty-fellowship-program
President’s Flipped Classroom initiative (internal seed grants)
http://www.celt.iastate.edu/faculty/funding-opportunities/celt-online-learning-innovation-hub-initiatives
Diversity Course Initiative (internal seed grants)
http://www.celt.iastate.edu/faculty/funding-opportunities/dcdip
SoTL Scholars program (small stipend, mentored initiative)
http://www.celt.iastate.edu/faculty/programs/scholarship-of-teaching-and-learning-sotl-scholars-program
TBL Scholars http://www.celt.iastate.edu/events-registration/tbl-programs
CIRTL Teaching as Research (TAR) for grad students and postdocs http://www.celt.iastate.edu/graduate-students-postdocs/cirtl/cirtl-isu-grant-opportunities
CELT Teaching Partners http://www.celt.iastate.edu/faculty/programs/celt-teaching-partners-program
Workshops and programming — many as a result of SoTL http://www.celt.iastate.edu/events-registration

December 7, 2017

Present: Jane Schmidt-Wilk, Paula Armstrong, Isabelle Matzkin, Sonja Gobec
Not present: Matthew Beaufort, Mark Ellinghaus, Michael Zijlstra

Agenda
Response from AC on Knowledge Fair proposal (5 min)
Review updated Guidelines for Student Learning Charts
Plan next faculty development sessions on Student Learning Charts

Discussion
Reviewed response from AC on Knowledge Fair proposal
Reviewed updated Guidelines for Student Learning Charts
Drafted quiz questions for instruction in aligning objectives with assessments
Decisions made:
Voted to hold Knowledge Fair on Thursday afternoon (not on Weds. afternoon).
Motion passed unanimously (4-0)

Action Steps
Reserve Dalby Hall for Weds. afternoon, June 20, 2018 (just in case)
Remind Cathy G to check with Susie about the name, Knowledge Fair

November 16, 2017

Present: Jane Schmidt-Wilk, Paula Armstrong, Mark Ellinghaus, Isabelle Matzkin, Sonja Gobec

Not present: Matthew Beaufort

Agenda:

1. Choose new name for Knowledge Fair
2. Review and consider updating bottom section of Student Learning Chart template and instructions. Choices:
   1. ELOs (current version)
   2. PLOs
   3. ELOs and PLOs
   4. No connections
3. Review and consider updating Close the Loop report template and instructions to include or align with Student Learning Chart and provide useful information for Annual Program Review Report.

Decisions made:

1. TLC proposes “Student Projects Honors Competition” as new name for Knowledge Fair. (Other aspects of proposal to be presented to AC are in Nov 2, 2017 minutes)
2. Keep the Student Learning Chart template as is (with ELOs at the bottom)
3. Update the instructions and checklist(s) for the Student Learning Chart to require alignment with Performance Indicators of ELOs and Program Learning Outcomes.

Action Steps:

1. Jane will revise the instructions and checklist(s) and share with TLC for review. Then we’ll test them with some faculty.
2. Sonja will create a supporting visual by adding call-outs to a sample Student Learning Chart that Jane will provide
3. Paula will talk with faculty and chairs from other departments to find out their policies on use of the Close the Loop reports

Meeting adjourned:  4:27 PM

November 9, 2017

Present: Jane Schmidt-Wilk, Paula Armstrong, Mark Ellinghaus

Not present: Matthew Beaufort, Isabelle Matzkin

Agenda: Discuss an aspect of the Student Learning Improvement Project (SLIP) related to the TLC, the Course Level Improvement Project (CLIP), consisting of Student Learning Charts (in syllabi) and related Close the Loop reports.

Decisions made

To be able to create Student Learning Charts that accurately reflect ELOs and PLOs, faculty need to:

1. Embrace the goals we’ve set for successful completion of our SLIP project with the HLC
2. Have access to agreed-upon performance indicators for ELOs
3. Feel confident that PLOs clearly aligned with ELOs (Was this Craig’s question?)

Department Chairs and Program Directors need to:

1. Know what constitutes a “quality” Student Learning Chart
2. Review Student Learning Charts (in Close the Loop reports) and comment on them in their Annual Program Reports
3. Know the standards for Close the Loop reports
4. Follow the new standards for Annual Program Review reports

Developed plan for Course Level Improvement Project and its interface with Program Improvement Project.

1. Develop performance indicators for each Essential Learning Outcome.
   1. Assign each one of the nine ELOs to one of the nine members of the Assessment Team.
   2. Ask Assessment Team members to draft performance indicators for the assigned ELO (using the AACU rubrics as available) and post it to the Performance Indicator google doc by Friday Nov. 17.
   3. Review the list at Nov 21 Assessment Team meeting.
2. Update Course Level templates at next TLC meeting:
   1. Update template and instructions for Student Learning Chart. Consider whether PLOs should appear in the charts.
   2. Update template and instructions for Close the Loop reports to incorporate Student Learning Charts and commentary on what percentage of students met threshold for each Course Learning Outcome, as measured according to Performance indicators.
   3. Locate samples of excellent charts to post with new templates and instructions.
3. Review the list of Program Learning Outcomes in light of their clear alignment with at least one ELO. (Check with Craig about the objective of this step. Is this the ELO PLO alignment document that Chris described in the Program Level Plan? See his email of Oct 27.)
4. Test the templates and instructions for Student Learning Charts and Close the Loop reports with one department/program. Art
5. Align new expectations for Close the Loop reports with Program Assessment Plan and template for Annual Program Reviews. (Chris and Jane—when?)
   1. Include comments on % of faculty who have quality Student Learning Charts
   2. Comments on data reported in Close the Loop reports
6. Announce the new integrated process and schedule at Academic Council (date?)
7. Schedule faculty development meeting of Program Directors to review new standards for Student Learning Charts and Close the Loop reports. (Feb 23?)
   1. Prepare samples of excellent, poor and in-between quality Student Learning Charts.
   2. Session:
      1. Distribute samples and ask Program Directors to categorize them as excellent, poor and in-between and explain why.
      2. Look at some samples from departments in pairs. Recommend improvements to meet standards.
   3. Program Directors lead training sessions in departments. Assessment Team members available to assist.
   4. Program Directors to report in their Annual Program Assessment Reports how many (%) of faculty have quality SLCs in their syllabi. They take this information from the CTL reports.
   5. Program Directors ask Dean of T&L to work with those faculty who still don’t have quality SLCs
8. After Step 2 is complete, Jane can focus on Student Learning Charts in syllabi when she visits classes. Can meet individually with faculty who need help creating quality Student Learning Charts.
9. What about courses taught by adjunct faculty? We need a plan for their charts as well.
10. Once departments have quality Student Learning Charts, they can move to the next step of Curriculum Mapping. The evidence they’ll need to do Curriculum Mapping will be in the Student Learning Charts.

Meeting adjourned 4:32 PM

November 2, 2017

Present: Jane Schmidt-Wilk,* Paula Armstrong,* Matthew Beaufort,*, Isabelle Matzkin,*

Not present: Mark Ellinghaus, Michael Zijlstra

Reviewed 2017 Knowledge Fair in terms of successes and areas for improvement, summarized in chart below.

Action Steps:

Prepare proposals for

1. APC/AC regarding new name, honors option, posting videos online, documentation standards for oral presentations, vetting projects—not presentations—in departments.
2. APC/Trustees regarding reducing Project Summary requirements to one line.

Meeting adjourned: 4:30 PM

Reflections on the 2017 Knowledge Fair

November 2, 2017 (reviewed in TLC)

Successes/What went well

1. Student Govt. aspect was much more coherent and went more smoothly than in past years. Two factors that contributed to that:
   1. Isabelle Matzkin worked with SG at Saturday event to select award phrases from a list of 50 qualities of CI that she provided
   2. SG had already documented the process and made sure Student Activities Director knew what to expect when.
2. Trustees attended and engaged with presenters (particularly Almar’s project to build tiny houses)
3. Jim Karpen wrote a report for the glossy University Report that goes to donors. First time Knowledge Fair will be showcased in this document.
4. P&H had a winning student, Jordan Wallace; she her research
5. Art student (Lennon Sanchez) went from good to great
6. Added Executive Summaries and made them available to the Board of Trustees in advance of the Thursday event.

October 5, 2017

Present: Jane Schmidt-Wilk*, Paula Armstrong*, Matthew Beaufort*, Mark Ellinghaus, Isabelle Matzkin* (asterisk denotes presence at the meeting)

Continued discussing goals for the year:

• Name of SCI/STC
• Student portfolio project
• Update questions in SmartEvals
• Knowledge Fair review and plans for 2018
• Faculty Development Plan
  • Offer Higher States course for faculty
  • Honor faculty for Dome attendance
  • Develop orientation program for new faculty
  • Re-establish faculty presentations to Faculty Senate
  • Create new rubric for Class visits
  • Promote Team Based Learning
  • Make sure new faculty learn SCI/STC
  • Develop customized plan for each new faculty member: what they need in terms of knowledge (SCI/STC/MVS, CBE, teaching skills, assessment, etc.), experience (TM, TMSP, Retreats and WPAs, TTC)
  • Explore concept of faculty portfolios

Decisions made:

Spend next meeting focusing on Knowledge Fair issues and thereafter work on the Faculty Development Plan.

Meeting adjourned: 4:30 PM

September 21, 2017

Present: Jane Schmidt-Wilk*, Paula Armstrong*, Matthew Beaufort*, Mark Ellinghaus*, Isabelle Matzkin*(asterisk denotes presence at the meeting)

Discussed goals for the year:

1. Ask Academic Council to approve use of the name Science and Technology of Consciousness as general title for the knowledge of consciousness across campus (as opposed to a mixture of SCI, SC, STC, MVS). Reserve name of SCI for the 33-lesson course. What to do about MVS department and degree programs?
2. Develop Program Learning Chart
3. Collectively develop a plan for the portfolio project
   1. Isabelle will start a google doc giving the big picture of the undergraduate portfolio.
   2. Mark will add points about how the portfolio project will support and simplify assessment efforts
   3. Paula will add her research on platforms to house/contain the portfolios
4. Resume TBL project. Set a date in the fall or winter for this faculty meeting.
   1. Matthew will look into opentbl.com to see what is available
   2. Matthew will investigate opentbl.com as a resource MIU could use to support TBL classes
5. Develop rubric for class visits
6. Review feedback on Knowledge Fair 2017
7. Work on turning ad hoc committee’s wish list of Faculty development into a plan
8. Smart evals—update questionnaire?
9. Continue list and prioritize next time

Decisions made:

1. Decided to meet in Dreier 102 again this year.

Meeting adjourned:

July 20, 2017

Present: Jane Schmidt-Wilk*, Paula Armstrong*, Matthew Beaufort*, Mark Ellinghaus, Isabelle Matzkin*

Guest: Sue Brown (asterisk denotes presence at the meeting)

Meeting began at 1:30 PM.

1. Jane explained the “Nuts and Bolts of Integrative Assignments” exercise from the National Summer Institute on Learning Communities at Evergreen State College, and then TLC tried it out in pairs.
2. Discussed a proposal from Dr. Susie Dillbeck to visit with academic departments this coming year to enliven the department’s knowledge and appreciation of CBE. She will customize each presentation to the department, working with the department head.

Decisions made:

Decided to include the exercise in August Faculty Development, with an emphasis of better  integrating Gen Ed courses (e.g., Comp 2, CCTS, STC) into undergraduate courses in the disciplines.

Action Steps:

Jane will collect names of teachers of the Gen Ed courses and Student Learning Charts for those courses for August Faculty Development syllabus.

Meeting adjourned: 4 PM