Wrapping Up the Semester's Work

A few students asked about events on campus that could help finish their Campus Safari Assignment. This week, the University Choir has its concert today, the Creative Music Orchestra has a concert tomorrow, there are a couple of small ensemble performances Wednesday, and the University Concert Band has their semester-end performance Thursday. There are also a number of other events happening as always. See the university's Events Calendar for more details.

Our "Blogging the University" Assignment is also coming to an end. Here is what the last few weeks look like:

This week: 1) Write a post that describes what your ideal life after college would be like (this idea was inspired by Creativity Guru Keri Smith who has a similar prompt here.) 2) Reflect on your experience in a learning community (the same group of students placed in two classes) and tell us what you'll miss most about this group next semester.

Next week: 1) Discuss your greatest successes and failures/weaknesses from this first semester. 2) Discuss your personal, social, and academic goals for next semester.

Finals week: Post your Final Self-Assessment.

photo © 2009 Jeff Golden | more info (via: Wylio)

Final Self-Assessment Assignment

All semester we have talked about how necessary it is to be able to know how to assess college-level work and to be able to self-critique. The tools for improvement and assessment should not be a secret held by the professor, but instead a regular part of the learning process for students. A self-assessment assignment is a common way for professors to see not just what students have learned but how well students understand where they are in the learning process and where they need to improve.

Today in class I asked students to go one step further and design the self-assessment assignment, literally defining the criteria for assessment. The students did an excellent job of crafting the assignment, noting the specific requirements and grading criteria, while also leaving a lot of room for personal interpretation within the assignment so that each final product would not need to be a cookie cutter piece of writing. These self-assessments will be the last blog posts for the semester, and, in my opinion, provide a perfect closure to our collective blogging.

As always, I can't wait to read them! (If you are an INQ student, check email for the assignment created by today's class members.)

Drafts of Final Video Projects are due!

Check out these four video drafts which have been posted already:

1) Victoria's video on studying abroad in Hungary to find out more about her roots

2) Alexis' video on her dream to become a singer in NYC

3) Lyndsay's video on what inspires her

4) Kristen's video detailing her plan to become a nurse

Update: A few more have been uploaded since I posted this, and I reconfigured my list of blogs on the sidebar so it shows most recently updated first. Also, just about everyone who posted drafts is asking for feedback, so leave a comment or question to help them think about where to go with their projects.

“Downtime is to the brain what sleep is to the body” -- Dr. Rich, Harvard Medical School.

This article, the next in the technology series from The New York Times that we have been reading, might interest some of you: "Growing Up Digital, Wired for Distraction."

One part of this article (page 3) reminded me of the conversations about the importance of downtime that we've had in class; researchers found in rats that the brain does not do the important work of learning from a new experience until it has time to stop and reflect and process that experience:

In that vein, recent imaging studies of people have found that major
cross sections of the brain become surprisingly active during downtime.
These brain studies suggest to researchers that periods of rest are
critical in allowing the brain to synthesize information, make connections
between ideas and even develop the sense of self.

There are many connections here to the everyday lives of college students, but I was also thinking that this article raises a good argument for not taking a winter session class, at least in your first year, since your brain needs a little downtime to process all the work you've been doing this semester. Instead of taking another class, maybe relax, or go skiing and give your body some rejuvenation as well.

photo © 2008 vuorikari | more info (via: Wylio)

Perfectionism and Procrastination and Charlie Brown

Today's discussions of perfectionism and procrastination reminded me of this video from the show "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown." Enjoy!

Photo Ops

I love all the pictures from today's activity. Here are a few:

"Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling five balls in the air..." Brian Dyson, CEO of Coca Cola, 1959-1994

photo © 2008 Ted Ollikkala | more info (via: Wylio)


Today's in-class assignment, the problem-solving scavenger hunt, was an exercise in taking initiative, responding well to unanticipated demands and deadlines, tackling a big assignment with creativity and a positive attitude. It was not, I promise, an attempt to make you crazy, but instead an attempt to give you a simulation of a real-world workplace situation, in order to have some concrete experience to tie into this week's readings about employer expectations. Instead of simply sitting in class and discussing the readings, I was hoping to give you a feel for the types of problem-solving and critical thinking skills potential employers look for in hiring. Sample assignments are used regularly in hiring as well as in competition for assignments within the workplace. Your performance on a sample assignment communicates a number of things about your skills based on how well you could cope under the stress of a deadline, how well you were able to handle the time constraints and group dynamics, how well you used the resources available to you and/or looked to outside sources to problem-solve, and finally, how well you interpreted and completed your final product.

Today's assignment contained a number of similar challenges, by design. Each group didn't really have quite enough time to complete all of the tasks well (even if time wasn't wasted in figuring out what was going on). Therefore, you needed to think strategically about how to obtain the most items in the shortest time and simultaneously manage your time to leave enough space at the end to collect everything and send it to me. You needed to assess your group's strength's and weaknesses and figure out the best game plan. You needed to work quickly and efficiently on the process of the assignment, but still manage to put together a convincing product as well. It was a challenge.

Reactions were mixed, based on the few students I talked to along the way, and some students ended this activity not impressed by the learning experience, but instead simply reaffirmed in their assessment that I am a jerk, or perhaps crazy. Some groups, though, relished a chance to get out of the classroom and move around, and some even had fun. In terms of the actual assignment, some groups did complete all the items and got them to me on time, but many did not. On Thursday, I want to return to the discussion of the readings but also revisit the ways in which this activity connects to the readings; I want to talk more about what we did, why we did it, what the results were, and how it relates to our overall learning project.

Photo Blogging Solutions

Including photos that you've taken yourself is always a bonus in a blog post, but sometimes you don't have an appropriate one and don't have time to snap one right then. Early on in the semester, we discussed how to find legal photos to post, and in experimenting with the process, discovered that it can also be time consuming. Check out this article which offers some solutions:

Find Photos For Your Blog In Three Easy Steps

photo © 2008 George Eastman House | more info (via: Wylio)


The article suggests a service called Wylio. I tried it, and it was great -- finding this picture took under a minute from start to finish!

Maintaining an Uphill Motion in the 2nd Half of the Semester

Disclaimer: This blog post is going in a few different directions and has multiple purposes instead of one unified and tight structure. Try to bear with me; I think it's just that time of the semester, but I've added internal titling to help organize it a little.

Mini-recap: I love reading the blogs. Your writing has progressed and become distinctive. I feel like I'm reading bloggers, not just students.

Mini-pep talk: As the end of November approaches, it is important to hunker down -- work hard and work steadily -- through these last weeks of the semester in order to maintain the average you worked for in the first half of the semester. Also, you want to go into finals week feeling prepared, haveing done the work, ready to end the semester on a positive note. No one wants to be extra-stressed, trying to cram in all that information you should have gotten all semester into one hectic week, so just do the work over these next few weeks so you can ensure your sanity (and good grades).

Mini-lecture: This week, ten students (that's 1/4) didn't complete one or more blog posts, and a few students still need to resolve what week's blog posts they're writing (most have this cleared up, but a few problems linger). Some students have stopped including pictures or links. Reminder: blogging is 40% of the final grade. Some students are missing campus safari assignments as well. I am hoping that everyone is using these light-reading weeks to work on the final projects; second drafts are due next week uploaded to the internet for easy screening. Hold it together and don't engage in self-defeating behavior (very common at this point in the semester).

Mini-assignment: You already have your blogging assignments for this week, and you already have work to do in the form of your final project. In addition, for this week, I'd like you to read the following pieces:

1. Job Skills that Every College Student Needs: Writing, Speaking, Professionalism, and Other Important Knowledge

2. Going pro: Transforming college students into professionals

3. What Do Employers Really Want? Top Skills and Values Employers Seek from Job-Seekers

We will discuss these in class this week and maybe have an in-class writing (mini-hint ).

Distinguishing Yourself through Leadership and Service

This week, in the context of work on our final projects, we have been talking a lot about distinguishing yourself on campus. See the following announcements for ways to be a leader and/or to help with community service initiatives planned by other INQ classes:

FRESHMEN CLASS OFFICER POSITIONS NOW OPEN!
Freshmen elections are taking place. Any student who is interested in running for a freshmen class officer position may pick up a candidate information packet in the Office of Student Life, ASC, 212. Completed candidate forms are due back to the Office of Student Life by Friday, Nov. 12 at 12:00 PM. Online elections will take place Nov. 18-23.

SNEAKER MOUNTAIN Nov 15-19, 2010
NIKE is sponsoring SCSU’s Sneaker Mountain. Donated shoes will be provided to communities in need, or recycled into playground and athletic surfacing. Donate your unwanted shoes all week under the tent in the Academic Quad. OR get a free shirt from NIKE at the men’s basketball game on Wed. Nov 17th at 7:30 pm (for the first 100people who donate a pair of shoes at the door).

ADOPT-A-FAMILY
Students from one INQ class would like to unite all inquiry classes in a combined effort to serve our community. The goal is to help those in need by donating non-perisable food items to the Adopt-A-Family organization, the Coordinating Council for Children in Crisis or the 4 C's. As a combined group effort we can provide enough food to brighten up a family's day and allow them to see the good in the world once again. The hope is that each class will be able to fill one box of can goods. The boxes should include baby food, canned meats, vegetables, ceral, hygiene products etc. The boxes are due at the Adanti Student Center by Thursday November 18th. You can pick up the boxes from the Student center anytime before that to get started. We encourage each class to participate since it is a great thing we will be doing.

http://www.southernct.edu/officeofstudentlife/communityserviceopportunities/adopt-a-family/

Blogging, Blogging, and more Blogging

www.nataliedee.com

The next few weeks will be busy in most of your classes as the second part of the semester kicks in, and in INQ, you will need to manage your time to work on your final video project while still completing readings, blogging, and campus safari assignments. To help with that, I've decided to give you the blogging assignments for the next 3 weeks. Here they are:

Next week:

1) Write about a cool place to study on SCSU's campus, the more unknown or off-the-beaten-path the better. Include a picture of the location.

2) Write about a class where you are feeling intellectually stimulated and explain why specifically.

The following week:

1) Write about a difficult situation you have been in this semester and how you handled it.

2) Think of an example from your life when you were a leader, and write about it. What was the situation, why did you step up to be a leader, what was the result of that, what do you think about it?

Thanksgiving week:

1) Post the second draft of your final video project online, explain where you are with it and what you would like feedback on from your peers.

2) Write a post about food.

Midterm Blog Recap and New Assignments

Last week's blog posts on "going outside your comfort zone" were interesting and entertaining to read. They produced some of the best writing of the semester. Some students went to scary, Halloween-related events, some went to college parties, one changed a diaper, and one went bowling (all potentially fright enducing depending on your personality). But most of the posts concluded that overcoming the initial fear was worth it, and sometimes even fun. This quote from Julie's blog sums up that spirit found in a lot of this week's posts:

"Dance in the rain. Never give up on yourself. Don’t be afraid to come alive. The answers are everywhere."

The midterm grade reflections were a mixed bag. I was glad to see that a significant number of students were in good shape, had been working hard, managing their time well, putting in a lot of effort, and were reaping the benefits of that hard work with good grades so far. Most noted that they planned to continue with that regimen in order to ensure that they kept up those grades through finals. A significant number of students also reported that they weren't satisfied with their midterm progress, but most planned to "buckle down" in order to try to bring those grades up by finals. I am hoping that everyone will take that seriously. Midterm is not too late to bring up grades, but only if you work even harder to compensate for a weak start to the semester. That means you have to actually follow through on all your resolutions and good intentions, not just talk about it. For example, as much as I was glad to read about every all the formidable work-habits goals set in this week's posts, I was dismayed that 14 out of 37 students did not complete one or both blog posts this week (and remember that both 0% and 50% register as an F). I recognize that Inquiry 101 is not the sum of your lives, but 14 Fs in one week is too much, especially for those trying to maintain high grades or bring up low grades.

In closing, I want to steal an image from Lyndsay's blog which captures the theme of the semester: the challenge of trying to study hard and get good grades while also adjusting to independence and leaving a little time/space to discover yourself...



This week's blogging assignments:

1) Write a post that follows up on Tuesday's discussions of the articles on grade inflation, etc. Don't just recap what was said in class; try to take the discussion further in some way and add new information or ideas.

2) Do something this week that helps relieve stress, and blog about it. Relate your own experience but also try to give your readers some good, new, ideas about stress relief.