[VPAAEtal] Signature Course Proposal for 2021-2022

[Academic Affairs]

Call for Proposals:  Signature Courses 2021-2022

DEADLINE TO SUBMIT:  NOVEMBER 20, 2020
As part of the First-Year TRAC initiative, the College of Innovation & Design seeks faculty (employed for at least one academic year) to teach engaging, dynamic courses on topics of the instructor's choice for first-year students. These "Signature Courses" should highlight the faculty member's passion for the topic and communicate knowledge on that topic for a general first-year student. Ideal Signature Courses are interdisciplinary, not already a part of an existing curriculum, and include interactive student pedagogy, including, for example, group projects, oral presentations, group discussion, proposals/ sales pitches, and other active, experiential learning strategies.

Signature Courses must meet the following Core Curriculum Student Learning Outcomes:

1.     In written, oral, and/or visual communication, students will communicate in a manner appropriate to audience and occasion, with an evident message and organizational structure.

2.     Students will be able to analyze, evaluate, or solve problems when given a set of circumstances, data, texts, or art.

3.     Students will demonstrate an understanding of societal and/or civic issues.

Signature Courses are capped at 100 students, and undergraduate supplemental instructors will be available to provide support as deemed appropriate by the instructor. Students enrolled in Signature Courses will participate in "The Lionizing," a culminating semester-end event where they will present a project from the course in the genre of the instructor's choice. As this course is part of the core curriculum, it will be assessed for institutional effectiveness purposes at the end of the semester.

In a letter of application, please address the following:

*       Name and describe the topic of the Signature Course you propose to teach.  Is this proposed topic already part of another course you teach?

*       Why are you interested in teaching a Signature Course for first-time freshmen?

*       Why would this course be of value & interest to first-time freshmen?

*       Describe assignments or activities you would utilize in this course & how would they tie-in to the student learning outcomes listed above?

*       Describe one aspect of the course that will clearly be interdisciplinary.

*       What are your tentative plans to take part in the Lionizing event at the end of the semester?

*       Do you prefer to teach a Signature Course in the Fall or Spring semester, and what informs this preference?

*       Signature Courses are taught Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10AM-10:50AM.  If you seek to teach this course at an alternate time, day or format, please justify why this would be of benefit for our freshmen students.

*       Include a one-paragraph description of your course in language that would be appealing to first-year students.  Please note, if selected to teach this course, this description will be used in marketing efforts.

*       Include short letter from your department head & dean attesting to the quality of your teaching, especially regarding your ability to engage students. Your department head and dean should acknowledge that a discussion of a course release, which accompanies the signature course, took place.  While a course release is ideal, teaching a signature course as a faculty overload must be negotiated and approved by the dean of the academic college to which the faculty member belongs.

To learn about our current Signature Course offerings, refer to previous Signature Course offerings, a sample proposal and syllabus, by visiting: http://www.tamuc.edu/TRAC/signaturecourses.aspx.   Interested faculty are welcome to sit-in on a Signature Course in the month of October.  Contact Dr. Quynh Dang for additional information.

Please submit these documents via e-mail to Quynh.dang at tamuc.edu<mailto:Quynh.dang at tamuc.edu> prior to NOVEMBER 20, 2020 for consideration for the Fall or Spring 2021-2022 academic year.

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.tamuc.edu/pipermail/vpaaetal/attachments/20201013/d6699983/attachment-0001.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: SigCo call for proposals_21_22.docx
Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document
Size: 19442 bytes
Desc: SigCo call for proposals_21_22.docx
URL: <http://mailman.tamuc.edu/pipermail/vpaaetal/attachments/20201013/d6699983/attachment-0001.docx>