Category: Announcement

Attached is the “main” syllabus for the course, with rules, regulations and a list of topics by dates. Readings will be posted on the website for these as I get them ready, but at least 1 week in advance, and hopefully more. I will update this syllabus throughout the semester with readings, so by the end, there will be one complete syllabus but in the meanwhile, it will be a bit fluid. If there are any topics you think we should cover that I have not included here, let me know.

Syllabus-for-Spring16_latest

Here are the discussion leader assignments. If there is something that prevents you from doing a particular week, please speak with me, and we’ll see if we can get someone to swap with you. Or you can arrange a swap yourself, but do not do this without letting me know.

Lname	First Discussion	Second Discussion
Abramowitz	2/17/16	3/30/16
Beda	3/9/16	4/27/16
Cali	2/24/16	4/6/16
Cao	2/24/16	4/20/16
Caruso	3/16/16	4/6/16
George	2/17/16	4/20/16
Gooding	3/2/16	4/6/16
Iuni	3/16/16	5/4/16
Jiang	3/2/16	5/4/16
Khalfin	3/9/16	4/6/16
Mahmud	2/24/16	4/13/16
Mendez	3/16/16	4/13/16
Miranda	2/17/16	5/4/16
Moreno	3/16/16	4/20/16
Park	3/9/16	4/20/16
Saad	2/24/16	5/4/16
Salem	3/30/16	4/13/16
Sleiman	3/2/16	3/30/16
Stein	3/2/16	4/27/16
Sutton	3/9/16	4/13/16
Tam	3/30/16	4/27/16
Zami	2/17/16	4/27/16

How to Lead an Effective Class Discussion
(adapted from a document from the Hamilton College Oral Communications Center – of value in graduate school as well as in this class)

As one of the leaders of a discussion of assigned readings in the course, your general objective is to help your classmates better understand that material by facilitating a conversation about concepts and issues expressed in or implied by the reading. Working with your group, you should plan a brief agenda that will help the group achieve this goal. Below are suggested elements of the agenda.

1. (Optional) Plan a brief “check-in” period. Give group members an opportunity to speak. For a classroom discussion, the check-in might give people a chance to mention briefly things that are on their minds and relevant to the topic, such as an item in today’s news, a personal experience that occurred since the last class meeting, an issue that came up in an earlier class in our seminar or another class, a general reaction to the assigned reading (e.g., it was difficult to read, you didn’t understand the context or were missing some key background information), etc.

Allow individuals only 20-30 seconds each to make these comments, and use this time as a way to let them get engaged and “warmed up” to talking about the reading. Some of the comments might be used as a bridge to the main part of the discussion. Not every individual needs to contribute each class, but all should feel obligated to help out the discussion leaders with getting discussion started.

1. State the objective of the discussion and provide any needed background or orientation. Keep it brief. Do not waste time giving a complete overview and summary of the reading as you can assume that group members have done the assigned reading. If they haven’t, your summary probably won’t be sufficient to produce a very satisfying discussion anyway.
2. (Optional) Select someone to keep a record of the group’s ideas. Specify what method of recording you want to use (e.g., whiteboard/blackboard, PPT from console computer projected) and be prepared with the proper materials.
3. Start the discussion. Guide it, keep it on track. Get members involved. Write out the key questions you plan to ask to stimulate thinking and discussion. Arrange them in a sensible order.

In general, avoid asking yes/no questions and questions that simply ask members to recite or recall a detail from the reading as a check on whether anyone actually read it. Questions that make for more interesting and engaging discussion are those that ask people to clarify, interpret, or extend points made in the reading; to exemplify and apply concepts; to compare and contrast; to offer judgments about the accuracy, relevance, or usefulness of the author’s observations; to agree or disagree with positions expressed in the reading or in the discussion; and to suggest theoretical or practical implications.

1. When the discussion has either run its course or run out of time, summarize what you understand to be the group’s major conclusions, the points of agreement and disagreement. Give group members an opportunity to correct or clarify these for the record.
2. (Optional) Conduct a brief “check-out.” Give group members an opportunity to comment on the discussion itself or where this experience leaves them or directs them personally.

In general, in the past, students have enjoyed this seminar (they said), but they thought the reading was too heavy. This is a side-effect of the fact that higher education is a complex endeavor and requires quite a bit of background reading as context. I have been contemplating how to deal with this, and am going to try another solution that will reduce significantly the reading compared to the last few semesters. I am working on redoing the syllabus, but it will take me more time compared with just tweaking the old one.

I have decided to reuse a book I used last year, American Higher Education in Crisis?: What Everyone Needs to Know by Goldie Blumenstyk (Oxford, 2015). It’s a well-regarded book chock full of up-to-date information, although it also isn’t as lively and journalistic than the Selingo. But it has a lot of statistics and packs in a fair amount of info which reduces the amount of other reading you will have to do. You may be able to borrow a copy from someone who took last year’s seminar with me, and it’s on Amazon and also available Kindle. Get it as soon as you can, but we probably won’t use it until week after next.

Tahir is looking into whether I can have you post assignments that only I can see on Word Press, but it appears it was not designed to do some of the things that Blackboard does. I may set up a simple Blackboard page for your work products as I can’t really handle them in my already over-the-top college email, but for the questions you are doing for the Selingo book, just post them on the blog Tahir set up. He says you will all know how to do this.

See you on Wednesday. Come ready to discuss.

Prof. Hainline

Welcome to Macaulay Eportfolio Community. This is your first post.

Tahir and I met today and he is getting the site set up. I will be working on it more this weekend, so hopefully, the overall shape will be defined by our next class meeting. I don’t yet have a place for announcements, but we have set up a location for blogs and a section for assignments.

If you look at the section called “Assignments and Reading” you will see the assignment on the Selingo book, which we discussed as due next week. I am not yet sure how you are going to submit these questions to me before class, as WordPress does not apparently do some of the functions that Blackboard does. Tahir is checking on whether there is an add-on to do this in WordPress. Alternatively, I can use Blackboard for your uploads, or set up a gmail address for them, as I cannot really deal with having them all coming in to my college email. I get too much and I will lose them.

So, read Selingo, figure out what the big issues are, and we’ll be in touch when we have more specifics about how to get your “big questions” to me before the class.

Looking forward to working with you this semester. I will also be working on linking names and faces more over the weekend.

Prof. Hainline