Faculty Application to Offer Beyond the Classroom (BTC) Experiential Learning Class/Course

Faculty Application to Offer Beyond the Classroom (BTC) Experiential Learning Class/Course Please submit to [email protected] Campus Mail Code 4354 (423)-425-5825 www.utc.edu/think/beyond For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them. –Aristotle Experiential learning is learning by doing. Critical thinking occurs during experiential learning.

Lead Faculty/Department Head Name(required for course-wide designation): Click here to enter text.

Department:Click here to enter text.Email Address: Click here to enter text.

First Semester the Course/Experience will be Offered:Click here to enter text.

How often do you plan to offer this course as a BTC course? ☐One time ☐Every semester ☐ other(please describe)Click here to enter text.

Please check one type of Course to be evaluated (please see Definitions and Additional Criteria Section below or contact [email protected] with questions) :

☐Co-op/internship ☐Study abroad ☐Applied learning ☐Creative activity ☐Independent Study ☐Teacher education ☐Lab course ☐Undergraduate Research ☐Service Learning ☐Capstone ☐Other, please describe:

Course Number: Click here to enter text. Course Title:Click here to enter text.

This application will be evaluated by a committee using the Guidelines found at http://www.utc.edu/think- achieve/experiential-learning.php Examples of Applications for currently designated courses are also available at that site.

Required Elements of all Applications: 1. Please submit a current syllabus that contains descriptions of the work you outline in this application. 2. The experiential element of the course must constitute enough of the grade such that a student could not receive a grade of C or higher if the experiential element was not satisfactorily completed.

Please answer the following 4 questions:

1. Describe the project that will be required to fulfill the BTC component and how this project will count for a significant portion of the student grade. Click here to enter text.

2. How will the learning outcomes and assessments in your syllabus correspond to at least 3 of the 5 ThinkAchieve critical thinking student learning outcomes regarding experience based 1 understanding of the discipline? Examples of other applications can be found at http://www.utc.edu/think-achieve/experiential-learning.php

Student Learning Outcome Corresponding Course Learning Corresponding Outcome (at least 3 of 5) Assessment

Identifies, evaluates, and Click here to enter text. interprets information by raising pertinent questions and identifying uncertainties Solves problems by Click here to enter text. determining limitations, making connections, and prioritizing the potential solution Creates innovative Click here to enter text. solutions to problems through creative thinking Communicates ideas and Click here to enter text. information effectively Integrates knowledge and Click here to enter text. skill through reflection on thinking and learning processes

3. Please complete the table below to describe how the syllabus directs students to critically reflect before, during and after the experience, integrating theory with their practice. More information on Critical Reflection can be found at http://www.utc.edu/think-achieve/critical-reflection.php

Description of pre-experience Click here to enter text. reflection activities

Description of activities for Click here to enter text. reflection occurring during the experience

Description of post-experience Click here to enter text. reflection activities

4. How will you incorporate the additional criteria for the type of course selected above? Additional Criteria for each type of course are listed on the following page. Click here to enter text.

Definitions and Additional Criteria for Types of BTC Courses • Co-operative education/internship course – work experiences with businesses or nonprofit organizations that require discipline-based knowledge. Co-op and internship courses are approved through academic departments 1. Co-op and internship supervisors must evaluate the student’s work.

2 2. Students must complete a chronological log of activities using physical or electronic media such as a written log, series of photos with captions, text or video blog, series of podcasts, or website. Instructors may specify type of log or allow students to select any of the options listed.

• Study abroad course – Formal study abroad courses developed and led by UTC faculty. Other types of study abroad courses approved by the UTC International Programs Office and Academic Departments 1. Students must complete a chronological log of activities using physical or electronic media such as a written log, series of photos with captions, text or video blog, series of podcasts, or website. Instructors may specify type of log or allow students to select any of the options listed.

• Applied learning course – application of discipline related knowledge through projects with businesses, civic government and non-profit organizations, other non-university entities, or ongoing university applications 1. Courses/experiences must contain an engagement, rather than just observational, component.

Creative activity course - activity that is driven by the student’s imagination, curiosity, and/or inspiration that results in a tangible outcome such as works rendered in oral, visual, physical, written word, electronic media, and/or other forms. Performance and exhibition of creative works may also be included. 1. The creative work must be captured in electronic form. 2. Students must complete a chronological log of activities using physical or electronic media such as a written log, series of photos with captions, text or video blog, series of podcasts, or website. Instructors may specify type of log or allow students to select any of the options listed.

• Teacher Education course – applied learning courses designed specifically for teacher education programs 1. Students must have a minimum of 20 hours of in-class experience for BTC credit. 2. Courses must contain engagement and reflection, rather than just observation.

• Service Learning-a student centered teaching method that involves academic instruction in partnership with UTC and the larger community. The primary focus of service-learning is to enhance critical and reflective thinking and civic understanding. Service-learning programs involve students in organized community partnerships that address local needs while developing their academic skills. 1. Service Learning takes place with organized community reflection and includes reflection before, during and after the experience.

• Lab course- an experience in the laboratory, classroom, or the field that provides students with opportunities to interact directly with natural phenomena or with data collected by others using tools, materials, data collection techniques, and models (NSTA-NRC 2006, p. 3) 1. Lab Courses must contain an engagement and reflection component, rather than just documentation of observations.

•Undergraduate Research-An inquiry or investigation conducted by an undergraduate student that makes an original intellectual or creative contribution to the discipline. (www.cur.org) 1. Must be heavily initiated by the student for a primarily independent research experience. 2. Students will keep a reflective journal that will include a log of activities and will connect research activities with application/experience. (This may include special activities outside scheduled laboratory or field work times.)

•Independent Study-Project, reading, paper or other work for credit under supervision of a faculty member and primarily focused on the student’s independent interest and work. 1. Must be heavily initiated by the student for a primarily independent experience. 2. Students will keep a reflective journal that will include a log of activities and will connect project activities with application/experience. (This may include special activities outside scheduled laboratory or field work times.) •Capstone- A class that the department or campus unit values for its ability to integrate all the essential elements of the discipline

3 Note: For the purposes of student recognition, a list of students adequately demonstrating 3 of the 5 SLO’s, or corresponding Course Learning Outcomes from the table above must be submitted to [email protected] by the last day of the semester. The below rubric can be used as a guide. There is no need to submit the rubric below, or a class roll; only the names of the adequately participating students are required.

Does not Demonstrates this Demonstrates this Student Learning Demonstrates this demonstrate this attribute attribute Outcome attribute rarely(1) attribute(0) adequately(2) thoroughly(3) States pertinent Identifies, evaluates, States pertinent questions and Precisely states and interprets Fails to state question(s), but fails elements of the understanding of information by questions or to identify how or question or problem. questions and related raising pertinent uncertainties, why it is a question or Articulates scope of uncertainties. questions and misrepresents problem. Identifies question and Interprets identifying information some information accurately interprets information and uncertainties appropriately and evaluates limits thereof. information Identifies multiple States limitation(s), Clearly distinguishes Solves problems by Fails to state limitations and but finds few connections between determining limitations, but does connections to connections to a limitations and limitations, making not demonstrate similar problems larger context or similar problems and connections, and gains in perspective appropriately other ways of accurately prioritizes prioritizing the on problem or integrated with addressing the multiple solutions to potential solution solutions discussion of problem particular problem solutions Approaches problem Demonstrates Fails to demonstrate States problem, Creates innovative and solutions extensive any interest in shows desire, and solutions to problems iteratively from comprehension of approaching exhibits effort to through creative different and related problem through problems from introduce new thinking perspectives not multiple effective, multiple perspectives solutions suggested by others original solutions Consistently states, and discusses points Occasionally with precision, Communicates ideas Fails to state, and demonstrates ability Consistently and identifies and and information discuss ideas and to comprehend, state, clearly states and corrects any effectively information and discuss discusses points discrepancy between information sent and received messages States how reflection Regularly and openly Fails to show upon thinking and Reflects incompletely, reflects on thinking, Integrates knowledge reflection; does not learning processes demonstrating some learning, and growth and skill through demonstrate has increased acquisition of in the discipline reflection on thinking understanding of understanding of the knowledge and skill through recognition and learning importance of discipline, through thinking and of innate synergy processes relationship between incorporating the learning between knowledge knowledge and skill relationship between and skill theory and practice Adequate: 3 SLOs = minimum of 4.5 points, 4 SLOs = minimum of 6.0 points, 5 SLOs = minimum TOTAL POINTS of 7.5 points

Department Head Signature(required for course wide designation)______Date:______

Lead Faculty Signature______Date:______

Modified source: MTSU QEP Document-2006