1. League for Innovation Conference Baltimore, Maryland - March 30, 2010
Common Book 101: Innovative Learning and Teaching Through Interdisciplinary Engagement
Dean Liz Nichols and Professor James Behan
League for Innovation Conference
Baltimore, Maryland - March 30, 2010
Mountain View
College

2. Connecting Wisdom and Dreams
I Pray that I ever be weaving
An intellectual tune,
But weaving it out of thread
From the distaff of the moon.
Wisdom and dreams are one,
For dreams are the flowers ablow,
And Wisdom the fruit of the garden:
God planted him long ago.
Mountain View College Garden of Learning
W. B. Yeats The Poems 533

3. Mountain View College COMMON BOOK PROJECT
Four Years of Student Engagement

4. Mission Statement
Through the use of a common book Mountain View College will engage its students, faculty and community in a diverse program designed to enrich, stimulate and foster interdisciplinary learning.
Mountain View
College
2007: The Kite Runner 2008: Autobiography of a Face
2009: The Things They Carried 2010: Like Water for Chocolate

5. Historical Perspective
In the spring of 2007, faculty of the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences saw three needs that the common book could positively impact:
Student Learning
Faculty Collaboration
Community Engagement
Bringing Community Together
Mountain View
College
2007: Khaled Hosseini 2008: Lucy Grealy
2009: Tim O’Brien : Laura Esquivel

6. Student Learning
With the common book, students are offered the opportunity to look at a text from several perspectives, from science to history to literature and more, encouraging the student, in finding connections between the book and the courses, to find the connections between the courses themselves.
History 1301
English 2332
Physics 1411
Drawing 1316
Mountain View
College
2007: Afghanistan 2008: Ireland
2009: Vietnam 2010: Mexico

7. Faculty Collaboration
Mountain View College faculty, in developing course activities and participating in related community events, engage in dialogue and mutual support that fosters a sense of collaborative leading and learning.
“Kite Runner Read In” on the MVC West Pavilion
Mountain View
College
2007: Epic Novel : Memoir
2009: Historical Fiction : Magical Realism

8. Community Engagement
From the administration to the support staff to the community at large, all members benefit from the common book events, ranging from art exhibitions, theatrical presentations, guest lectures and panel discussions.
Author’s Lecture
Tim O’Brien
Art Student response piece for
“The Things They Carried”
Mountain View
College
2007: Physics Kite Festival : Filmfest: Crazy, Sexy, Cancer
2009: Panel: Psychology of War 2010: Author’s Lecture: Laura Esquivel

9. Developing the Common Book Timeline
Summer 2010: Sub committee meets to consider books for common book 2011
Fall 2010: Common Book 2010 begins; Sub committee begins directed community conversations on possible books for 2011
Winter 2011: Common Book 2010 concludes; Full committee selects common book 2011 and develops activities to support the book
Spring 2011: Faculty members sign up and meet to discuss / develop course strategies for the common book 2011
Summer 2011: Sub committee meets to consider books for common book 2012
Mountain View
College
2007: Khaled Hosseini 2008: Lucy Grealy
2009: Tim O’Brien : Laura Esquivel

10. Supporting the Common Book
Administrators P/T Support $3,500.00
$3, Chair
$ Research Coordinator
  Guest Lecturer $1,500.00
$1, for author (partial)
$ for misc honorariums (Up to $ per)
  Printing-Other $1,500.00
Research Guide
book mark
Mountain View
College
2007: Afghanistan 2008: Ireland
2009: Vietnam 2010: Mexico

11. Other Sources of Support
Office of Student Life
Graphics
Public Information Office
District Office
Business Services
Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences Department
Mountain View
College
2007: Khaled Hosseini 2008: Lucy Grealy
2009: Tim O’Brien : Laura Esquivel

12. Growing the Common Book: Course Engagement
Category Total Number of Sections Participating in the Common Book

13. Common Book Committee Membership
Faculty Chair or Co-Chairs
Full-time Faculty representation from each division
Advising Representative
Student Leaders (SGA, PTK)
Student Life Office Representative
Support Staff Representative
On Campus Library Representative
Public Library Representative
Administration Liaison
Mountain View
College
2007: Epic Novel 2008: Memoir
2009: Historical Fiction 2010: Magical Realism

14. Sample Course Curriculum Integration
“I have normally required students to attend 2-4 events associated with the Common Book.  Students are required to submit a paper summarizing what they learned at the event and to connect it to an issue related [to the course]… I expect the students to read the book, but I have not tested them on it or required a review, etc.  
“If appropriate, I adopt the book topic as a theme for the semester.  So, this year, [with The Things they Carried] I showed several war films and we examined all sorts of questions about war…I then had the students write essays, selecting from a number of questions raised by the text, or the various reactions that the characters had to their participation in the war.”
“[With The Things they Carried] I incorporated the following themes throughout the semester in the class that used the common book:  The Effect of War on [course content] and the Effect of [course content] on War.  Students wrote responses to two of the five assignments related to the common book.  Some students conduct[ed] personal interviews.”
Mountain View
College
2007: Khaled Hosseini 2008: Lucy Grealy
2009: Tim O’Brien : Laura Esquivel

15. Common Book Activities 2007-2009
Mountain View
College
Common Book Activities

16. Common Book Student Learning Outcomes
Students who participate in the Common Book Project should be able to:
Appraise the text from specific disciplinary perspectives;
Explain how the text relates to specific disciplinary course work; and
Produce a formal response to the text from specific disciplinary approaches.
Mountain View
College
2007: The Kite Runner 2008: Autobiography of a Face
2009: The Things They Carried 2010: Like Water for Chocolate

17. Assessing the Common Book
Mountain View
College
Activity Evaluations

18. Assessing the Common Book
Mountain View
College
Activity Evaluations

19. Assessing the Common Book
Mountain View
College
Activity Evaluations

20. Assessing the Common Book
Mountain View
College
Activity Evaluations

21. Looking forward Embedding questions to gauge student engagement CCSSE
Noel-Levitz
Mountain View
College
2007: The Kite Runner : Autobiography of a Face
2009: The Things They Carried 2010: Like Water for Chocolate

22. Common Book 101: Innovative Learning and Teaching Through Interdisciplinary Engagement
PRESENTERS
Professor James Behan
Professor of Art
Liz Nichols
Dean of Academic Enrichment
Special thanks to Nathan Cole, Dr. Matilda Saenz and the entire MVC Common Book Committee for their assistance and support.
Mountain View
College
4849 Illinois Avenue
Dallas, TX 75211