Collaborative Inquiry / Submission Guidelines

The Collaborative Inquiry Subcommittee has begun to notice some commonalities in the courses that are being rollbacked for changes.  The following is a list of common issues.  Please keep in mind that this is advisory and that the AD, David Kaplan, is available to discuss your course at any point in the development or submission process.  He can be reached via email at david.kaplan@slu.edu

While these recommendations are discussed in terms of the worksheet you will need to complete, the subcommittee wants to stress the importance of also including this information in the syllabus. 

Working Collaboratively

There are four places on the worksheets where you are asked to address how students will work collaboratively as part of a team or a group. These are:

·         Collaborate effectively with others on a team project

·         SLO 8: Collaborate with others towards a common goal (Develop, Achieve)

·         Enable students to collaborate with each other, drawing on previously developed knowledge and skills to understand the nature of the multidimensional question

·         Provide explicit guidance on working in groups, including delegation, listening, invitation of diverse ideas, conflict management

The Subcommittee is looking for concrete examples of what you are doing (i.e., it is not enough to say that students will work in groups).  The following is an illustrative list, there is not a required minimum number of things you must do nor are you limited to items on the list.

1-  Spend class time providing instruction on working in teams.  Listing the specific topics would also be helpful. 

2-  Provide structure through assignments/deliverables that model effective practices

a.  Team/Group Contracts

b.  Required team building activities with reflection and/or debrief

c.   Peer feedback and/or evaluation

3-  Meeting with groups/teams, if choosing this option make sure that the meetings will focus on process issues and just content ones. 

Additionally, if you list the number of students that will be working together, please make sure that this is a team/group (i.e., three or more) and not a pair (i.e., two students).

Multidimensional Question and Signature Project

1-  When discussing the instructional aspect of the course, keep in mind that the members of the subcommittee may not be familiar with your area of inquiry.  So, please be as explicit as possible.

2-  Think about how you will leverage the different programs and disciplines from which your students come and may approach the question of your course.   If the students all or predominantly will come from the same program, think about how you will encourage them to approach the question from different perspectives.

3-  Regarding the signature project, please make sure that students are drawing a conclusion, making a recommendation, or otherwise creating something as opposed to creating a summary of the topic.

Core Reflection

This requirement is not meant to preclude or replace any other reflection assignments that you feel should be included in your course.  The reflection can also be completed as part of a larger assignment. However, you need to make sure that:

1.  This is completed individually.

2.  There is a clear and distinct prompt that students.  For example, “reflect on how Core classes have contributed to the student’s ability to address complex questions”.  The quote is the generic language from the worksheet, you are encouraged to change “complex questions” to what you feel is appropriate to your course.