Signature Work and the Core Curriculum September 10, 2015 Brian Katz, Co-Director, Center for Faculty Enrichment

This afternoon we will… discuss the idea of “Signature Work”, use this idea to tell the stories of our core curriculum, and share techniques for helping students understand these stories and accomplish their signature work.

Signature Work From “The LEAP Challenge: Education for a World of Unscripted Problems” (AAC&U, 2015) “In Signature Work, a student uses his or her cumulative learning to pursue a significant project related to a problem she or he defines.” All students Integrative, ethically grounded Student directed, collaborative Interdisciplinary, arts of inquiry Mentored, with guided pathways

A Story for the Liberal Arts Story: A Liberal Arts education endeavors to free the mind to approach complex, significant problems Mechanism: First Year Inquiry (LSFY) Core curriculum designated courses (eg LPs, CT, D/G) Learning Communities Senior Inquiry

Carol Schneider Carol Schneider is the president of the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U, 2015) “The LEAP Challenge is intended to bring a renewed sense of purpose and direction to students' general studies. Since Signature Work draws on multiple disciplines, not just the major, it instantiates the expectation that students should use their general education learning to explore a significant problem from more than one analytic perspective.”

Activity One At your tables, discuss: What are the stories we tell about the core curriculum at Augustana? Why do we tell these stories, and what impact do they have? What other stories might we tell, and for whom?

Techniques Different Scales Interaction: Discuss differences in disciplinary approaches Assignment: W. Perry – Epistemological Development of college students Course: Tools of Inquiry – reflect on inquiry

Activity Two At your tables, discuss: How do we help students prepare for an accomplish their signature work? What can we do in individual interactions, assignments, and courses to help students work toward signature work? What can we do at a programmatic level to help students put the pieces together into signature work?

Discussion Question: How would you like to see the General Education committee and Center for Faculty Enrichment support the campus as we all help students become liberally educated?

References AAC&U, (2015). “The LEAP Challenge: Education for a World of Unscripted Problems”, https://www.aacu.org/sites/default/files/files/LEAP/LEAPChallengeBrochure.pdf. Schneider, C., (2015). “The LEAP Challenge: Transforming for Students, Essential for Liberal Education”, https://aacu.org/liberaleducation/2015/winter-spring/schneider.