Following President David Hodge's annual address Sept. 3, the university will continue to find new methods to create an engaging curriculum.
The Community of Practice on Engaged Learning (COPEL), to be launched in late October, will be a roundtable discussion between department chairs who aim to revise curricula to make students more engaged, as part of President David Hodge's "student as scholar" model.
COPEL sprung from the research of Marcia Baxter-Magolda, distinguished professor of educational leadership.
She developed the idea of improving undergraduate education under what she calls the "learning partnerships model."
"The metaphor I like to use is that education is like a tandem bicycle," Magolda said. "In secondary education, traditionally the teacher is in the front and the student is in the back, so they're both on the bicycle, but the teacher is steering ... in college, we should turn that around."
According to Honors & Scholars Program Director Carolyn Haynes, who will lead the group, the idea to launch COPEL was not a top-down administrative order from Hodge or the provost.
"It's kind of an experiment," she said. "Dr. Magolda's model is the inspiration for our honors office. It's more of a grassroots effort."
Applications from departments interested in participating in the discussion are due to the Provost Jeffrey Herbst by Sept. 22.
Haynes expects the group to include five to six department chairs who will begin conversation by late October.
However, Haynes admitted that ideas originating from the roundtable discussion will probably not directly affect students for some time.
"COPEL will be a group of university faculty and staff that were engaged in learning-focused initiatives in the academic and student affairs units they represent," said Jerry Olson, director of the office of residence life, via email.
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"Dr. Magolda brought people together in as an informal group for discussions about these initiatives."
Andrew Beckett, associate dean of students, agreed with Olson.
"The idea is to make our student experiences (and) programs more intentionally appropriate for students based on one's cognitive, interpersonal, and intrapersonal development," Beckett said via e-mail.
Ellen Wetli, a junior in the honors program, said she appreciates the engaged learning approach that is already in place within the honors program.
"I really like the honors program," Wetli said. "It's kind of a select group of people who are more motivated. I love the honors classes because they are intellectually enriching."
For Magolda, the goal of COPEL will be to move students' motivation from grades to an internal drive to succeed.
"Education is becoming so competitive, all of that has diverted peoples' attention," Magolda said.
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