EDLP 320

Course Overview

EDLP 320, Collaborative Consultation, was a course rooted in both personal reflection and applied organizational strategies. Professor Katie Shepard led the class through both skill development exercises and introduction of new content, with classes specializing on topics ranging from strategies in teams, implicit bias, ethics of collaborative practices and virtual communication.

This class required personal application of the concepts learned in setting professional goals. The journal assignments provided an opportunity to reflect on our selected goals in developing our collaboration skills. I chose to focus on seeking elaboration from team members when making decisions, and understanding other team member's rationale when coming to a collaborative decision. This process of goal setting, consistent feedback and personal reflection encouraged us to name our collaboration strengths and weaknesses, and actively plan to improve over the few months of class. This process was especially helpful within the context of my applied project, which focused on the incorporation of norms into a team I was working remotely with in Montana. By examining my own strengths and weaknesses with collaborative skills and practices, I was able to much more effectively communicate to others about the benefits of the frameworks within a team environment. By incorporating collaborative norms into our work, the team in Montana and I were able to better communicate, work jointly on projects and remain focused, even when separated by thousands of miles.

Finally, this class allowed us to practice using the collaborative skills we were learning within class time within small teams. In these small teams, we were able to practice our chosen skills and receive constructive feedback from our team members. As a team unit, we were also able to utilize collaborative frameworks (agendas, norms, team roles) in our meetings, allowing a greater understanding of these frameworks.