TLA Dialogue Group Notes – Summary for Highlights 28/29 October

From across dialogue groups compiled in clustered topics~

Reflection Time

§  Overwhelming expectations for students, faculty, and staff. Stress and anxiety for students that are not getting the most information they need, or direction for a course

§  Reflective learning culture: Need to see institutional structures change, like a day or hour in quarter with no class, time catch up, read, write, reflection, Just stop and breathe! We have been raised in a fast paced environment (“productive”) so we need downtime in order to explore. Being busy all the time is like a sickness!!

Disconnects

Institutionally:

§  Would be great to have one office for general information that would connect people with existing sources to help find whatever they need. We have sources of information just no way of knowing how to get to them

§  “I just want to matter” said one person. When you build a relationship it creates this feeling that what you do counts, that your work matters. That’s why it’s Important to know names in the classroom.

§  Students do not get enough guidance from parents about managing finances and how else are we supposed to learn? Manage debt, credit (what is it and why do you need it), expenses, investing. Could help to have a GUR in Financial Wellness. Maybe make it a required class for all students like Engl 101.

§  Would like to see less about memorizing things but more meaningful things to put into a useful perspective and connect with

§  In classes: Connection of COMMUNICATION of teachers and students through something more mandatory than office hours or on an anonymous level .

§  Having teachers suggest clubs. Or making join clubs like Carmen’s and Bill’s class with TLA. (Desire to connect the curricular with the co-curricular)

§  Class sizes are too big in lower division courses. Knowing the difference between learning and memorizing. Need more interacting in class. No grades just based on 2 or 3 exams. How to create the “feeling” of smaller classrooms. Incorporate Comm 101 (model) style of teaching and learning.

§  Teachers are too old as a whole. (Who said this?! Editorial note by Carmen) Need fresh energetic young teachers mixed into the older teachers. Average age of professor - 53 (Source of this info??)

§  TAs can have a positive influence because they are still learning and growing. Psych and Comm classes should have labs. Make even lecture hall classes connected by breaking into groups and talking and learning together.

§  Printed out power points let students listen with their ears rather than their pencils and can take notes of the lecture to connect with power points

§  Students who have test phobia more visual learners. Still too much (straight) lecturing

§  Need attention to the way we evaluate teaching. Want a more in-depth end of the quarter survey for the teachers from the students to really express specific issues of curriculum and practices.

§  Noted a correlation between an easy grader and course evaluations. The consistency of grading is not there and needs to be fixed. E.g. in courses taught by grad students, there is a perception that some people get a grad student that grades on if you turn in a paper, you get a B and others get a prof that grades hard. And to get an A you have to go above and beyond all expectations.

§  A lot of times there’s not enough time to take evaluations. Doesn’t seem like teachers care that much. Then others take it very seriously.

§  One teacher says a lot of complaints on evaluations come from miscommunications re-emphasizing communication between teachers.

Disconnects between campus communities and external communities

§  How can western build the foundations for cultivating a sense of internal and external communities? External communities - how to communicate with them??

§  How can we find out what community needs from us to get that information across? How do Western students define community and how do they see themselves as a local community? Western community has to get more involved in local community to solve issues.

§  Economic problems for both communities. Building better connection of the problems they have and the problems we have.

§  Increase awareness of community opportunities. How do we develop personal relationships within the community?

§  Bridge the gap. Solving our problems and attending to their issues and build better rapport with community.

§  Make statement that as a University, share expectations of successful people after college not just during

§  How to keep the University (physically) open to the public. If we are a publically purposed university then how do we keep the doors open to the public in a time of increasing financial issues?

Rejuvenation

§  Everyone seems to slump in the middle of the quarter—we need rejuvenation in the middles to refresh.

§  Focus seems to be on first-year and senior classes but middle years – sophomore & junior years - is missing . Need day in mid quarter to relax or be more productive day.

§  Students (everyone) wanting to know if we are more than just a W number.

§  TLA doesn’t get appreciated enough we aren’t being published enough to others. More recognition for lots more people.

Peer mentors

§  Improve advising, just not a personal connection. There is not a feeling of, “I could ask you anything. Everything is always, “go check online.” Internet is not personal.

§  Similar to TLA, want a supportive system where people can just talk and ask questions Opportunity to build relationship with advisor, advertise tools for advising, Need promotion of “We are here to help you!” in order for students to go and get assistance since in high school, students learned that once you get to college, you will be on your own.

§  Would like to see Peer Mentors or GURs and within majors.

§  Build in more student-to-student informal mentoring. E.g. have a table for questions at the Dining Hall. Use of a mentor to help direct you towards classes in relation to your personal interest. Creating a bond with someone older more experienced to help assist you in classes.

§  Desire for guidance for all majors. Department majors. Liaisons with senior students in majors, so they can give a student perspective on what classes to take and just networking. Someone to check in just to check to make sure underclassmen are doing all right. To help figure out resources available.

§  Connecting GURs with majors so you can prepare by seeing some kind of connection between them. Faculty and staff (but to a lesser extent) express a similar need for more guidance.

§  Extending summerstart, having more upperclassmen there to build relationships. Summerstart programs on blackboard and Viking village reaches larger community. Gives sense of community

§  Major Info fair!!! Need to have someone to talk to them instead of just handing out a flier.

§  Students and teachers can benefit from more student professor interactions.

Having meetings one on one before projects are due that will force the interactions that wouldn’t otherwise happen.

Emergent BIG Questions

§  How do we create a learning environment that promotes engagement between professor and students in order to promote reflective learning and personalized support?

§  How do we adapt to the changing times in terms of education, environment, and economics?

§  How do we promote an environment of engagement between teachers and students that produces relevant learning with time for reflection and understanding?

§  Do generational differences cause differences in the classroom? How address this?

§  HOW DO WE CELEBRATE SHARED EXPERIENCES AND EXPECTATIONS ACROSS THE GREATER COMMUNITY TO CREATE MORE PERSONALIZED GUIDANCE WHILE ALLOWING TIME TO REFLECT ON LEARNING AND TEACHING?????

§  How do we connect through all of these layers?

§  How can we build a sustainable, reflective environment where every member of the campus community can receive individualized guidance and support from peers and learning colleges (students, staff, faculty, community members)