Curriculum Proposal for Experiential Learning Courses
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Political Science and Economics
Author (Contact): Dr. Meg Rincker
Date: 2/27/2015
School Document Number: LSS 14-68
Effective Term: Fall
Senate Approval Date: 5/6/2015
Department: History,
2015
School Approval Date: 4/6/2015
CEP Review Date: 5/4/2015
Type of Proposal
(place an X in the proper box)
Course: POL
3XXXX Student
Government:
Leadership,
Governance and
Deliberation
Program:
Experiential
Learning x
General
Education
addition x
deletion
revision
Proposal Subject: (One sentence overview of the proposal. Examples: change in title, prerequisite and description of NUR XYZ. Create new plan of
study in XYZ department, etc.)
Creating and making a course Student Government and Leadership which would be an experiential learning course.
Justification: (Explain the rationale for the proposed change.)
This proposal is to provide students EXL credit option for all the work they do in Student Government Association at Purdue.
Organizationally, building Student Government into the PUC Course Schedule is better for a commuter-based campus. It creates a time
and space for this significant campus life activity that can't be encroached on by other courses or work. All students will be incentivized
to attend all meetings on time, and to use deliberation and teamwork to achieve outcomes on campus. Substantively, in terms of
curriculum, students will read and discuss ideas of representation (trustee vs. delegate), approaches to leadership and integrity,
avoiding groupthink, and training in Robert's Rules to maintain order in meetings while facilitating the flow of ideas. They will take
quizzes on the constitution and bylaws of the organization, and complete a weekly journal to practice accountability in meeting their
weekly objectives as a member of SGA. Students will also be encouraged participate in a student government conference that helps
build the team and disseminate and receive new ideas for improving Student Government in the future.
Current: (If proposal is for a course change, enter current course
Proposed: (If proposal is for a course change or new course, enter
information here. Include title, credits, pattern, course description
and course outcomes or objectives. If proposal is for a change in
plan of study, enter name here, and include current bingo sheet as
an attached document, labeled CURRENT.)
new course information here. Include title, credits, pattern, course
description and course outcomes or objectives. If proposal is for a
change in plan of study, or new plan, enter name here and include
proposed bingo sheet as an attached document, labeled
PROPOSED.)
POL 3XXXX (EXL)- Leadership, Governance and Deliberation,
3-0-3, Credit 3 (Repeatable). Basic Experiential Practicum in
Student Government Association. Applied Practicum
experience, directed by a tenure-track faculty member. Requires
student be elected or appointed as a member of the Student
Government Association, and attendance at a local SGA
conference, particularly for members of the Executive Board is
encouraged. Students complete a weekly journal to ensure they
are completing key tasks for SGA and share extra initatives or
meetings they are working on.
Experiential Course Proposal 1
Course Goals: By the end of the course, students will be
able to 1) Describe key component bodies, roles and
responsibilities of Student Government Association, 2)Identify
three issues of interest for the Purdue students that they
represent 3) Apply readings on teamwork , public speaking and
written communication to write SGA resolutions advancing those
three issues 4) Communicate back to students on SGA actions
to demonstrate accountability to the student body while
promoting Student Government Association on campus.
Impact on Students: (Explain how students will be affected by the proposal. Benefits to students should be listed.)
Students currently volunteering a lot of time in Student Government will receive additional training in the Student Government
Constitution, bylaws, resolutions and Robert's Rules. They will have a regularized time and place in the course schedule to meet, not
one that varies semester by semester. This prevents scheduling conflicts and animosity that not all members of Student Government
participate their fair share in planning and implementing initiatives on campus. Such a course would be a good training for future EXL
courses like my course POL 433 International Organizations-Model United Nations or a semester in Indianapolis or Washington, D.C.
Impact On Other Departments: (Explain how other academic departments may be affected by the proposal, and summarize any discussions with
other departments about the proposal. If adding or deleting a course, explain how other departments may be affected.)
The instructor is proposing a 3:30-6:20pm meeting time to avoid other schedule conflicts.
Impact on University Resources: (Curriculum changes affect university resources. Explain here how instructional, lab, computer or library
resources may be affected by the proposal. It is especially important to address the possible need for additional faculty.)
Students would meet in CLO for Senate, Executive Board, and House of Representatives meetings.
Impact on General Education Requirements: (If the proposal fulfills or changes general education requirements in your department, explain this
here.)
This proposal would not affect general education requirements in my department.
Experiential Course Proposal 2
Evidence For Experiential Learning Courses
Standards of Practice of the National Society for Experiential Education
Course
POL 3XXXX Student Government-Leadership, Governance and Deliberation
Department History, Political Science and Economics
Standards of Practice. Please provide the
information requested below for each of
the eight standards of practice.
1. Intention – Intention represents the
purposefulness that enables
experience to become knowledge and
is deeper than the goals, objectives,
and activities that define the
experience.
Example: Content of course overview,
purpose of the course, etc.
2. Preparedness & Planning –Identified
intentions are set as goals and specific
objectives and activities are defined for
the course.
Example: Forms and syllabus
standards operationalized/scheduled
Evidence (Please type responses in grey boxes.)
Please describe the INTENTION of the course.
The intention of the course is to provide a common playing field for all in
Student Government. This includes the ability to find out what is desired by the
students they represent, how to work with other SGA members to achieve
common goals, how to use parliamentary procedure to advance resolutions,
and how to work with other offices across campus and campuses of Purdue to
advance student interests.
Please demonstrate how students will be academically PREPARED to participate in
experiential learning.
The instructor will hold training sessions in Robert's Rules of Order, discussion
and quizzes on the Student Government Constitution, so all students are on the
same page as the rights and responsibilities of Senators, Officers, and
Executive Board members. We will read about great political representatives
(stories of unselfish cooperation, achieving goals). This will provide structure
and purpose to Student Government Association.
Students who take the course a second time will have 1) new issues to
represent in SGA based on the new issues concerning student body, 2) and will
take on whole new mentorship role with new Senators, and 3) will have
additional goals to implement based on the previous year’s experience in terms
of implementing best practices at the local SGA conference, and 4) do
Constitution Day event planning and implementation.
3. Authenticity – The experience must
have a real world context and/or be
useful and meaningful in reference to
an applied setting or situation.
Example: Standard site proposal
agreement with goals, tasks,
application. Learning goals, tasks,
application would be as determined by
the course.
4. Reflection – The learner must test
assumptions and hypotheses about the
outcome of decisions and actions
taken, then weigh the outcomes against
past learning and future implications.
Example: Dialogic group events,
journals, surveys, etc.
Please demonstrate how this course has specific real world context and/or is an
out-of-class experience which is AUTHENTIC.
Student Government is a student governance body which conducts its own
meetings. Faculty cannot overstep and control this experience, but can provide
common training and goal-setting activities. Once SGA Executive, Senate, and
House meetings are running they are a student-led exercise in leadership,
governance and deliberation.
Please demonstrate in specific ways how assignments provide students the
opportunities to meaningfully REFLECT on their experience.
Students would do a weekly journal, where they confirm that they have met their
minimum responsibilities given their specific role in SGA, and where they
describe other concrete actions they have taken on extra initiatives (meeting
with students, faculty or staff, posting pictures to SGA Facebook group, meeting
with community members on an initiative, attending a conference, etc).
Students will also take a survey at the beginning of the course and answer
questions again at the end of the experience to show whether their knowledge
of the Constitution, Robert's Rules, practice of consensus building, resolution
writing, communication across campus, and public speaking improved during
the course.
Experiential Course Proposal 3
5. Orientation & Training – Students,
community partner(s), and faculty are
prepared with important background
information about each other and about
the context and environment in which
the experience will operate.
Additionally, ongoing structural
development should be addressed in
an effort to increase the appreciation of
the context and skill requirements of
her/his work.
Please demonstrate how students will be prepared for the experience through an
ORIENTATION which is appropriate to the context.
The instructor would include at the beginning of the course, Purdue Calumet
SGA alums to share what they most wished they knew before starting SGA. The
instructor will also have them read and take quizzes on the Constitution,
Elections Process, and Robert's Rules during the Course.
Example: Checklist form with skills,
tasks, preparation acquired
Types of Experiential Learning at Purdue University Calumet
Cooperative Education – a formal, structured plan of education in which students alternate periods of full-time classroom study with
periods of paid, supervised, and progressively responsible training related to their academic major.
Design Project – a problem solving activity to provide students with a supervised experience with a particular course.
Internship –combining practical experience with a structured learning experience to support academic and career goals.
Cultural Immersion – a travel experience which involves both academic learning and value added experiences designed to enhance
student awareness of cultural differences
Practicum – a supervised clinical lab work or service experience done by a student to make the connection between theory and
practice of a particular discipline
Undergraduate Research – a scholarly or artistic activity that leads to the production of new knowledge
Service Learning – a structured experience in the community with specific learning objectives where by the learner will partake in
active collaboration that builds on the resources, skills, expertise and knowledge of the campus and community
Experiential Course Proposal 4
6. Monitoring – A student-teachercommunity partner feedback loop
related to learning intentions and quality
objectives. The structure of the
experience permits change in response
to the implications of the feedback.
Example: Checklist form with dates,
review, consults, meetings, weekly
student /instructor meetings, mid
semester contact with site supervisor,
etc.
7. Assessment & Evaluation –
Assessment is a means to refine the
specific learning goals and quality
objectives identified during the planning
stages of the experience. Evaluation
provides comprehensive data about the
experiential process as a whole and
whether it has met the intentions.
Example: Grades, reports, community
partner or site evaluations, faculty
evaluations, self-evaluations,
performance reviews, student
evaluations, etc.
8. Acknowledgment – All parties and
individuals involved in the experience
should be included in the recognition of
progress and accomplishment.
Example: Faculty summary reports,
students ratings, site surveys,
presentation of project to site, poster
sessions, recognition of student on
website, informal or formal gathering,
transcript notation of experience, etc.
Type of Experiential Learning
__ Cooperative Education
__ Design Project
__ Internship
__ Cultural Immersion
__ Practicum
__ Undergraduate Research
__ Service Learning
Please demonstrate how students will receive feedback and opportunities to improve their
performance through effective MONITORING .
Students will receive feedback from the instructor on their timeliness to
meetings, their contributions (either questions or answers) during meetings, and
on follow-thru with what they agreed to do on SGA initiatives, and on
professional interactions with other campus and non-campus entitites.
Please demonstrate how students will be ASSESSED and EVALUATED.
Students will receive evaluation from faculty, and potentially from anonymous
students on campus to know how they are doing in SGA. SGA members will
attend a national conference on student governance and thus interact and
receive feedback from students and faculty advisors from other parts of the
country.
Please show how students will be ACKNOWLEDGED for the learning they have
experienced in this course.
Students can be recognized in terms of presenting on the last day of the course
the initiatives they are most proud of during the semester.
Please indicate the type of Experiential Learning this course involves.
If more than one type applies, please indicate which is the PRIMARY (P) category and
which is the SECONDARY (S).
Practicum
Experiential Course Proposal 5