2020-2021 Designing Critical Reflection Assignments: It's about Engagement in CHSS

The College of Humanities and Social Sciences invites applications from faculty for the AY 2020-2021 CHSS Faculty Development Initiative: Designing Critical Reflection Assignments: It’s about Engagement in CHSS. In support of our college’s plan to implement “It’s about Engagement” (KSU’s QEP), CHSS will provide funds to faculty who participate in the program described below, learning to apply the Critical Reflection rubric and designing assignments and assessment tools accordingly.  The critical reflection assignments will be implemented in classes next fall or spring.

Spring  2020

Application Deadline

Friday, April 10, 2020 at 11:59 p.m.

Funding

$250, with no restrictions on how it is spent.  The earnings of $250 will count toward the 33.3% maximum that 9-month faculty may earn in the summer.  12-month faculty and staff are not eligible for the incentive, but they are welcome to participate in the workshop.

Expectations

To receive funds, each participating faculty member must complete all expectations of the program on time, as follows.  

  • May 7, 2020, 2.5 hours (10am-12:30pm offered in virtual, synchronous format)
    • Workshop: Designing Critical Reflection Assignments
  • May 29, 2020
    • Deliverable: Submit one revised critical reflection assignment with the appropriate assessment tool prepared for implementation in AY2020-2021.
  • June 30, 2020
    • Disbursement of funds

Eligibility

All faculty who teach for CHSS are eligible to apply, including Full Time, Part-Time, and Limited Term faculty. Faculty who are teaching a course identified for QEP assessment (Internships, Undergraduate Research, and/or Service Learning) will receive priority.

Rationale

Well-designed reflection activities can help students see the relevance of their high-impact practice experiences as they integrate their new experiences into existing knowledge (Kuh, 2008). Reflection activities also provide a framework for planning new learning by allowing students to simultaneously consider past, present, and future learning experiences. Without this kind of engaged, deep processing, high-impact practices may not extend beyond the course in which they are situated (Bass, 2012).

In this workshop, faculty will discuss the existing It’s About Engagement rubrics and taxonomies in light of relevant literature on creating reflection assignments for high-impact practices such as internships and undergraduate research experiences. They will then revise or create a reflection assignment for their course, aligning their assignment with the goals of the It’s About Engagement initiative. By making these small changes in their courses, faculty can encourage meaningful contemplation of high-impact experiences and how they fit into the larger picture of students’ academic and life goals.

Application

 

 

 

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