Task

At this point, you are working on how you will infuse your two target courses with more critical thinking and writing. Please start keeping this material in a portfolio (manila folder) to hand in at the end of the seminar to corroborate your work. This will be your final project, and the conditions of the Title V. Grant mandate some kind of accountability.

Assignment

Your portfolio should contain at least these materials for your two courses:

· Syllabi

· Critical Thinking Assignments (if appropriate)

· Writing Assignments

· Reflections regarding how you changed your syllabi and why

In some cases, critical thinking and writing will be entwined. If that is the case, please identify the critical thinking embedded in the writing or vice versa.

These materials can be works in progress: we want to see what you are planning and where you are going; consequently, nothing need be finalized at this point. However, at the end of the semester in which you teach these courses, we would like a complete portfolio, including sample student essays for each writing assignment. Please submit examples of low, medium, and high pieces for each critical thinking/writing assignment.

Audience

These materials will be primarily addressed to your students, since they are the ones who will be receiving the finished products. However, the Reflections should be addressed to potential grant evaluators, so they can see how you have implemented some of the seminar topics in your courses.

Feedback

Consider this memo a draft, because we would like your input regarding this task. Are the components right? Should we be asking for less/more? Are there other materials that should be part of this packet? What would most benefit you and your teaching as you tackle this difficult task? Is there anything else we need to say?

Examples

Here are two examples of rewritten syllabi. One by Dr. Jerry Moore, Anthropology, and the other by Dr. Timothy Chin, English. (Note: Dr. Chin's revisions are highlighted to distinguish from old syllabus.)

ANT 388 Portfolio

ENG 341 Portfolio

Reflections Segment for Your Course Portfolio

Definition

As part of your course portfolio, we have asked you to include reflections regarding how you changed your syllabi and why. In this piece, you should indicate what materials and activities are new and how these choices relate to the ECLP seminar. You could also discuss what changes you have made in the courses as a result of the seminar. We are most interested in comments about how the seminar influenced your rethinking of your course and its activities. Consider answering some of these questions:

· What is new and why?

· What changes did you make?

· How has the seminar influenced your thinking about this course?

Format

This section can simply be titled “Reflections” and is the only part of the portfolio not aimed at your students. The audience for these reflections should be grant evaluators looking to see how you implemented some of the seminar topics in your courses. Single space your responses and submit one “Reflections” section for each of your courses. Length doesn’t matter, but we are looking for a detailed discussion of approximately 250-500 words. You might find these headings or some variation useful:

· Introduction and Discussion of the Course

· New Course Elements and Rationale for Implementing Them

· Impact of the Seminar

· General Thoughts about These Course and the Seminar

Feedback

This memo is also a draft. Feel free to suggest deletions or additions. The Grant requires that seminar participants clearly indicate any changes they plan to make in their courses and why.

Examples

Here is an example of a Reflections essay by Dr. Matt Jones, Mathematics.

Matt Jones Reflections