Full-time & part-time U of L faculty are invited to…
- Devise & try new tactics for promoting students' critical thinking
- Learn innovative methods for fostering student engagement & learning
- Meet & work with new colleagues & share teaching strategies & successes
- Gain access to resources on designing assessment & assignments
Call for Nominations
Nominations for U of L instructors who wish to participate in the Spring 2010 Faculty Learning Community on Critical Thinking (FLC-CT) will open on September 18, 2009. This FLC-CT is designed to create a supportive, collegial environment for instructors to try new pedagogies and curricular enhancements. The FLC-CT program is a vehicle for promoting the advancement of U of L’s Ideas to Action initiative across disciplines and departments.
What is Ideas to Action (i2a)?
The Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is the recognized regional accrediting body in the eleven U.S. Southern states. Each institution applying for accreditation or renewal of accreditation is required to develop a Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP). At U of L, the QEP is titled Ideas to Action: Using Critical Thinking to Foster Student Learning and Community Engagement, also known as i2a.
Ideas to Action (i2a) is the University of Louisville's multi-year initiative to promote meaningful transformation of our undergraduate programs through intentionally connecting and sharing learning outcomes and curricular enhancements in order to foster students' critical thinking skills and promote community engagement in academic, co-curricular and real-world contexts.
For more information, please visit our homepage: http://louisville.edu/ideastoaction
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What are the goals of the i2a Faculty Learning Community on Critical Thinking (FLC-CT)?
- Provide an opportunity for a group of 10-12 faculty members to engage in cross-disciplinary ongoing dialogue, structured activities, and reflection related to implementation of individual or programmatic i2a goals and outcomes.
- Participants will be part of a community of instructors who will be provided with sustained and scholarly support in deepening their understanding and use of the Paul-Elder critical thinking framework, instructional design, and assessment principles, both generally and in discipline-specific contexts.
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Who is eligible to participate?
- Any part-time, term, tenure track, or tenured faculty member who will be teaching an undergraduate face-to-face course during Spring 2010 may be nominated.
- The i2a FLC-CT can include faculty members with and without prior experience with i2a and/or the Paul Elder critical thinking framework.
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What are the i2a FLC-CT objectives?
FLC participants will experience opportunities to:
- Increase and enhance engagement in i2a.
- Increase and enhance expertise and application of the Paul-Elder critical thinking framework in a specific course (or courses).
- Create a library of faculty and student artifacts related to i2a implementation.
- Construct course-specific assessment instruments.
- Dialogue and constructively discuss experiences across disciplines in an environment that supports & enhances learning.
- Develop a cohort of FLC-CT graduates who can serve as i2a advocates after completing the program.
- Nourish scholarly teaching (reading, using and reflecting on best practices) and the scholarship of teaching (public dissemination) and its application to i2a and student learning.
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What is the submission and selection process?
Faculty must work cooperatively with their unit chairperson or department head to submit the Nomination Form. To be considered for selection, the nominee must complete Sections 1 – 6 of the separate Nomination Form. The nominee must provide a copy of their complete materials to the nominator to complete Sections 7 – 8 of the form. It is the responsibility of the nominee to submit a hard copy of the fully completed Nomination Form to the i2a FLC-CT Selection Committee located in the Delphi Center, Ekstrom Library, Room 244 on or before the stated deadline.
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Selection will be based upon commitment to quality teaching (as evidenced in the nomination materials), level of expressed interest in the program and strong support from the nominator.
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Participants will be chosen to create a diverse group representing a variety of disciplines and experiences
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What are the criteria for selecting participants
The nomination process invites participants who:
- Are scheduled to teach at least one face-to-face undergraduate course during the FLC-CT semester
- Have demonstrated evidence of commitment to excellence in teaching
- Have potential for i2a contributions to the FLC-CT cohort, your home department and/or the University community
- Are available to attend FLC-CT meetings and meet deadlines (see timeline below)
- Are endorsed/nominated by unit heads regarding program expectations and time commitments (see expectations)
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What are the rewards and recognition for participating in the FLC-CT?
- Stipend: Upon the successful completion of the FLC-CT process (i.e. cohort activities, individual goals, final products), participants will receive a $1,000 stipend*
- Complimentary relevant books & publications
- Customized teaching and learning documents/artifacts
- Individual support and coaching
- Certificate of completion
- Letters of thanks and recognition from i2a Team to unit heads and administrators
*Successful completion also includes completing all tasks and activities and attending the introductory lunch, opening retreat, and five out of the six scheduled semester meetings.
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What is expected from Spring 2010 FLC-CT participants?
Participants will meet for a series of group sessions to promote learning, discussion, and support in a multidisciplinary and collegial community. Individual consultations and coaching to supplement the group work will be available before & after the FLC-CT semester.
Specific FLC-CT expectations include:
- Attend the opening FLC-CT luncheon, attend five out of six of the scheduled meetings and discussions during the Spring 2010 FLC-CT timeline, and fully participate in all FLC-CT sessions including completing readings and related tasks.
- Explore and implement “best practices” in integrating i2a and mapping the Paul-Elder critical thinking framework into their course design, or in the redesign of a specific assignment.
- Develop strategies for intentionally and purposefully incorporating and modeling critical thinking in learning experiences, including "Think-Aloud" protocol.
- Create multiple, diverse, novel opportunities for students to practice critical thinking skills including the use of "real world experiences."
- Develop and implement individual goals and/or outcomes for the FLC-CT.
- Submit electronically and share examples (before and after) of instructional materials (e.g., revised syllabus) throughout the FLC-CT as requested.
- Consult individually about teaching and learning goals in Spring 2010 with i2a team members at least once between December 11, 2009 and January 8, 2010.
- Serve as an i2a advocate within home units and within the U of L community upon completion of the FLC-CT. This may include presentations to the unit, Task Group, future FLC-CT groups, i2a Institute and other events.
What is the timeline for the Spring 2010 i2a FLC-CT?
September 2009
Friday September 18 – Launch Call for Nominations
Wednesday, September 30 – FLC-CT Information Session.
October 2009
Friday, October 16 – FLC-CT Information Session.
November 2009
Tuesday, November 3 – FLC-CT Information Session.
Thursday, November 12 – Nominations due to i2a FLC-CT Selection Committee by noon.
December 2009
Wednesday, December 2 – i2a FLC-CT Selection Committee meets.
Friday, December 4 – Spring 2010 FLC-CT Cohort is announced.
Friday, December 11 – FLC-CT Opening Luncheon
December 2009 – January 2010
Friday, December 11 thru Friday, January 8 – Individual Consultations with i2a team members
January 2010 – April 2010
Periodic Friday sessions. See Nomination Form for dates.
