Conference on the First-Year Experience, Atlanta
Session CI 30, Feb. 6, 2011
Drawing on Community Resources:
Experiential Learning as the Foundation of a First-Year Seminar
Doug Long, Michael Edwards, Sarah Miller, Office of the First-Year Program
Alex Miller, Office of New Student & Family Engagement
DePaul University
The plan for today’s session
• Lay out our “Chicago Quarter” Program
• Provide a sampling of courses and community partners
• Ask you to come up with some ideas for courses and community partners
• Provide a timeline
About DePaul
• Largest Catholic university in the country, with a student body as diverse as the city of
Chicago
• Urban identity– we are in the city, but more importantly we are of the city
• Vincentian mission – committed to educational access, service and social justice
DePaul’s First-Year Program
• First-Year Writing
• Quantitative Reasoning & Technological Literacy
• Focal Point Seminar
• Chicago Quarter – our focus today
o Required in the fall quarter of all first-year students
o For academic credit
o Team-taught
o Est. 1995 (by the present Dean of Liberal Arts & Sciences)
Two versions of the Chicago Quarter: Discover and Explore
What’s the difference?
Discover Chicago has Immersion Week!
Outline: Drawing on Community Resources / First-Year Program, DePaul University
1 of 12
Discover Chicago
• 5 days immersed in the city before
regular fall classes begin
• Plus 7 weeks of class
• Cap of 22 students
• Teaching team
o Instructor
o Student mentor
o Staff professional
• Class participation in New
Student Service Day
Explore Chicago
• A regular 10-week quarter
• Including at least three field
excursions
• Cap of 30
• Teaching team
o Instructor
o Student mentor
•
Optional individual participation
in NSSD
Institutional Commitment to the Chicago Quarter
• 2500+ students
• 100+ team-taught sections
• 80+ distinct topics
• Faculty from 40+ academic departments and programs across the university
• Student mentors and staff professionals representing the full spectrum of the university’s
colleges, schools and offices
Why is the Chicago Quarter required of all first-year students in their first quarter?
• Acquaint students with the breadth of local resources:
o Its people and cultures
o Its institutions and organizations
o Its neighborhoods and communities
• Introduce students to DePaul’s urban identity and Vincentian mission
• Present the city as:
o A classroom
o A “text”
o A subject of inquiry
• Prepare students for college success
Multiple Avenues of Learning
• First-hand observation and participation
• Personal discovery
• Reflection and discussion
• Service
• Guest speakers, on- and off-campus
• And of course, the 3 R’s: reading, ’riting & research
Outline: Drawing on Community Resources / First-Year Program, DePaul University
2 of 12
Multiple Levels of Quality Control
• Chicago Quarter Committee
o Reviews all course proposals
o Conducts annual assessments
• Liberal Studies Program
o Conducts student evaluations of instructors
o Performs regular syllabus reviews
• Student Affairs
o Trains and selects all student mentors
o Conducts student evaluations of Common Hour
• Academic Affairs
o Currently conducting Academic Program Review
Liberal Studies Learning Goals (rev. 2010)
• Reflectiveness
• Value consciousness & ethical reasoning
• Multicultural perspective
• Critical and creative thinking
Chicago Quarter Learning Outcomes (as of 2006)
1. Students can accurately describe aspects of the physical city (sites, neighborhoods, natural
areas, transit systems, etc.) and can cite examples of community-specific resources and
initiatives (health, arts, outreach, historical, not-for-profit, etc.) in order to demonstrate that
students have gained knowledge of the metropolitan community, its neighborhoods,
cultures, people, institutions, organizations and issues.
2. Students will demonstrate competent oral and/or written rhetorical skills (e.g. clearly
identified thesis and/or main point, development of ideas, standard grammatical usage, clear
organization).
3. Students can make distinctions about the diversity of the city (ethnic, racial, class,
neighborhoods, etc.).
4. Students will be able to use the knowledge gained through Learning Outcomes 1-3 to
formulate a thesis about an aspect of Chicago pertinent to the theme of that course section,
and support that thesis with appropriate evidence.
5. Students can demonstrate their ability to navigate university resources, identify academic
success skills, and engage in educational, career, and financial planning.
Writing Expectations (as of 2006)
Chicago Quarter classes should develop students’ writing and rhetorical skills through classroom
exercises and projects. Writing requirements for Chicago Quarter classes include:
1. A minimum of 7-10 pages of formal writing (typed and graded) and at least 12 pages of
writing overall
Outline: Drawing on Community Resources / First-Year Program, DePaul University
3 of 12
2. This amount of writing should be divided between at least two different types of
assignments (e.g. journal, group projects, site visit reports, readings-based assignments).
3. At least one of these assignments should involve critical analysis of concepts, texts, or
arguments.
Common Hour
• Weekly sessions on transition issues led primarily by the trained student mentor
• Successful interaction with student mentors cues students to:
o See themselves and their peers as contributors to their own learning
o Appreciate their own leadership potential
Riding the “El” is a key part of DePaul’s First-Year Experience!
So is New Student Service Day!
“Out of the Loop”
Sample DePaul courses
Sample Community Partners & Resources
Art & Architecture
Faculty from: Art, Media & Design; University Internship Program; History of Art & Architecture
Chicago’s Public Art and Murals
Careers in the Arts & Culture
Daniel Burnham & Chicago Architecture
Murals in Uptown, Lakeview, Logan Square, Wicker
Park, Pilsen, Bronzeville, Hyde Park,…
Art Institute of Chicago
Architecture Foundation boat tour
Metropolitan Agency for Planning
Literature
Writing, Rhetoric & Discourse; English; Modern Languages
Haunted Chicago: The Ghost Story as
Written and Oral Tradition
Chicago and Literature
Chicago’s Latino Writers
Chicago’s Contemporary Literary Scene
Lincoln Park Cemetery
Chicago History Museum
Jane Addams Hull-House
DePaul Library: Young Lords Collection
Quimby’s (indie bookstore)
Music, Theatre & Performance
Music; LA&S; Women’s & Gender Studies; Communication
The Chicago Music Scene
Chicago Blues
Women in Chicago Theatre
Chicago’s Spoken Word Performers
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
House of Blues
Chess Records
Steppenwolf Theatre
Black Ensemble Theatre
Outline: Drawing on Community Resources / First-Year Program, DePaul University
4 of 12
Diverse Communities
History; Latin American & Latino Studies; Modern Languages; Sociology; African & Black Diaspora Studies
Chocolate City with Colonial Filling: Black
Chicago
Puerto Rican Chicago
The Mexican/Chicano Experience in
Chicago
Arab Chicago
Chicago’s Disabled Community
Belizeans in Chicago
Asian American Communities
Immigrant Youth in Chicago
DuSable Museum of African American History
Division Street Business Development Association
Puerto Rican Arts Alliance
Casa Michoacán (not a restaurant!)
Silk Road Theatre Project
Access Living (community org.)
Author of Long Time, No See
Illinois Coalition of Immigrant and Refugee Rights
Chinese American Service League
Mexican Fine Arts Museum
Natural World
Biological Sciences; Environmental Science
Plants, Chicago & the Rest of Society
Natural History in Chicago
Chicago: City on the Lake
The Spice House (shop)
Lincoln Park Conservatory
Notabaert Nature Museum
Center for Green Technology
Lake Michigan
Food
Public Policy Studies; Faculty Instructional Technology Services; History of Art & Architecture; Chemistry
Urban Pastoral: Farms, Gardens & the City
Chicago: Urban Farm or Food Desert?
Exploring Cultural Diversity through Food
Ethnic Bakeries of Chicago
Sheriff’s Garden
Backyard Chickens
Green City Market
Uncommon Ground Rooftop Organic Garden
Honey Co-op
Sweet Mandy B’s
Greektown
Recreation
Psychology; Political Science; Athletics; Writing, Rhetoric & Discourse
Wild Chicago: Adventure & Survival in the
City
Summer Sports in Chicago
Socioeconomic Aspects of Sports in
Chicago
Chicago Cubs
Chicago Board of Trade
Kayak Chicago
16” Softball Hall of Fame
Wrigleyville
U.S. Cellular Field (Go Sox!)
Comcast SportsNet
Outline: Drawing on Community Resources / First-Year Program, DePaul University
5 of 12
Religion & Spirituality
Catholic Studies; University Ministry
Global Catholicism in Story and Stone
Wealth, Poverty, and God
Discovering Vincentian Ways of Leadership
Sacred Spaces, Powerful Places
Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish
EZRA/Jewish Social Services
Sidley Austin (law firm)
San Miguel Schools
Baha’i Temple
Social Justice
Student Affairs; LA&S; Religious Studies; Peace, Conflict & Justice Studies
Privilege in Chicago
Poverty amidst Plenty
Home & Homelessness
Nonviolent Chicago
Little Village Environmental Justice
Organization
Inspiration Café
Sarah’s Circle (women’s shelter)
Su Casa Catholic Worker Community
Gender Perspectives
Women’s & Gender Studies; Sociology; Multicultural Student Affairs
Chicago Women’s Activism
Race, Gender & the Justice System
Being a Man of Color: Exploring Race &
Masculinity
Women and Children First Bookstore
Domestic Workers Group
Cook County Criminal Court
Puerto Rican Cultural Center
Health and Wellness
Psychology; Nursing; Alumni Relations
Diverse Faces of AIDS
Health Care in Chicago
Chicago Marathon
AIDS Legal Council Center
Project VIDA/SIDA (HIV awareness)
Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
Center on Halsted (LGBT org.)
WSCR Sports Talk Radio
Bank of America
Local History
Geography; History; Computing & Digital Media; Anthropology
Labor History of Chicago
This (Old) Chicago House
The Radical Tradition in Chicago
Chicago: From Industrial Metropolis to Global
City
Chicago’s Historic Cemeteries
Pullman Factory & Hotel
Prairie Avenue Historic District
Haymarket Memorial
Center for Neighborhood Technology
Graceland Cemetery
Outline: Drawing on Community Resources / First-Year Program, DePaul University
6 of 12
Science & Technology
Computing & Digital Media; Art, Media & Design; Physics
Bridges of Chicago
Green Design/Bicycle Chicago
Chicago in Sound
The Digital Divide
West Town Bikes
City Farm
Lincoln Park Zoo
Pritzker Pavillion/Millennium Park
Chicago Jazz Festival
Media
Communication; Computing & Digital Media
Chicago Radio
Chicago in Film
Digital Cinema in Chicago
WGN News Radio
WBEZ Public Radio
Blues Brothers Walking Tour
International Film Festival
Biograph Theatre
Business
International Studies; Communication; Economics
Global Chicago
The Chicago Advertising Industry
Political Economy of the Chicago Metropolis
Pets in Chicago – Business and Love
Chicago Board of Trade
Leo Burnett (ad agency)
Burrell Communications
Chicagoland Tails (pet magazine)
PAWS (no-kill shelter)
Politics
Sociology; Political Science; Public Policy Studies
Crime, Business and Politics in Chicago
Representation and Representatives in Chicago
Power, Politics & Race in Chicago
Cook County Building
Chicago City Hall
Cook County Correctional Facility
Online Course Descriptions:
liberalstudies.depaul.edu/FirstYearProgram/CourseDescriptions/index.asp
Your Task
• Define your community and region
• List two topic ideas for your institution
• Followed by two community partners
Outline: Drawing on Community Resources / First-Year Program, DePaul University
7 of 12
Potential Community Partners & Resources
• Elected officials
•
• Government offices
•
• Schools
•
• Non-profits
•
• Healthcare agencies
•
• Shops and stores
•
• Businesses & corporations
•
• Parks & recreational facilities
•
Factories & farms
Historic sites
Museums
Local media
Ethnic organizations
Activist groups
Churches, synagogues, etc.
Artists, writers, artisans, musicians, performers
Sample: Rural New York
Potential course topic
Potential community partners & resources
Forever Wild: The history of the
Adirondack State Park
Ecology of the North Country:
Mountains, lakes, rivers, forests
Adirondack Park Visitor Interpretive Center
Sagamore (Vanderbilt “great camp”)
The Wild Center (natural history museum)
Adirondack Mountain Club
Author of The End of Nature
Adirondack Museum
Dairy farms
Riverview Correctional Facility
Amish communities
Organic farms
Food co-op
Hospitals
Physicians and nurses
PA’s and midwives
Traditional Arts in Upstate New York
Adirondack Liars’ Club
Six Nations Museum
Akwesasne Reservation
Economy of the North Country: From
logging & dairy to education &
incarceration
Sustainable Agriculture
Rural Healthcare: Beyond the “country
doctor”
Folk Culture: Woodcarvers, quilters,
basketweavers, fiddlers and storytellers
The Iroquois Nations: Their past and
present
Sample: Small city in Indiana
Potential course topic
Potential community partners & resources
Spirituality in Anderson
Camp Chesterfield (Spiritualist camp)
Church of God world headquarters
local churches
Abandoned General Motors plants
United Auto Workers Local 663
Indiana Room (Anderson Public Library)
Boom and Bust: Anderson & the Auto
Industry
Outline: Drawing on Community Resources / First-Year Program, DePaul University
8 of 12
Hoosier Music
Gaither Recording Studios
Cousin Brothers (bluegrass band)
Children’s Choir
Symphony Orchestra
Mounds State Park (Native American burial mounds)
Elwood Glass Factory
Conner Prairie Pioneer Settlement
Second Harvest
Dove Harbor (save haven for women & children)
Families Forever (Christian-based family aid group)
White River Watchers (protecting the river’s ecosystem)
Mounds State Park
Historic Anderson
Those in Need
Natural Anderson
Samples supplied on the spot by those who attended the conference session (Many thanks!)
Community
Potential course topic
Potential partners & resources
Charleston, SC
Greensboro, NC
The Civil War
Quaker History & Civil Rights
Savannah, GA
Gullah Culture
San Francisco, CA
Community Diversity in the Arts
London, England
Bakersfield, CA
Theatre
Politics
The Oil Industry
Northwest Indiana
Industry: Oil, steel, rail, gaming
Greenville, SC
Manufacturing: From textiles to
electric buses
Central Michigan
The Food Industry
New Orleans, LA
Food & People
Local historical sites
Civil Rights Museum
Underground Railroad Museum
Ossabaw Island
Pin Point
BATS Improv
Museum of the African Diaspora
Precita Eyes Mural Arts
The West End
The Lord Mayor, Boris Johnson
Chevron
Halliburton
Occidental
BP
Archelor Mittal
CSN
Horseshoe Casino
BMW
Michelin
Proterra
Real Food on Campus
The Art of the Table
Gordon Food Service
Hubig’s Pies
Mardi Gras Indians
Outline: Drawing on Community Resources / First-Year Program, DePaul University
9 of 12
Jacksonville, IL
Food for Thought: Rhetoric of
the edible
Lincoln, NE
Sustainable Agriculture
Eau Claire, WI
Health Care
The Immigrant Experience
Milwaukee, WI
Non-Profit Organizations
Nestlé
Organic bee farm
Food bank
Community CROPS
Open Harvest
Nebraska Farm Bureau
Sacred Heart Hospital
Luther Midelfort Hospital
Free clinic
Group Health HMO
Hmong organization
Latino service organization
Growing Power
La Casa de Esperanza
Chicago Quarter Timeline
Committee activity
Administration
Teaching teams
Proposals reviewed
Jan. (revisions to some
proposals requested)
Dept. chairs &
program directors
submit course slates
Deadline for student
mentor applications
Revised proposals
Feb. received
Final acceptances
Fall schedule
finalized
Mar.
Apr.
Annual assessment
project planned
Assessment projects
conducted
May
One-on-one
meetings with
faculty planning to
“clone” existing
courses (with
original instructor’s
permission and
support)
Course descriptions
posted online
Admitted students
may pre-register
Consideration of
program changes
Instructor packets
prepared
Faculty activity
Spring quarter
course for
prospective student
mentors begins
One-on-one
meetings with new
instructors begin
Student mentors
selected based on
performance
“Effective practices”
meeting held
Teaching teams
assigned
Collaboration under
way
Outline: Drawing on Community Resources / First-Year Program, DePaul University
10 of 12
Committee activity
Administration
Teaching teams
Excursions and
connections with
community partners
finalized (hopefully!)
Students register
during summer
orientation (JuneAug.)
June
Faculty activity
“Welcome letters”
received from
teaching teams
July
Summer surprises
taken in stride
Pre-Immersion
Week meeting
“Welcome letters”
emailed to students
registered in each
course
Aug.
Discover Immersion
Week begins!!!
Fall quarter course
for student mentors
begins
Sep.
N.S. Service Day
Explore prep.
meeting
Explore begins!!!
Call for new course
proposals sent out
Oct.
Online teaching
evaluations prepared
Teaching evaluations
completed by
students during class
Informational
meetings for
prospective student
mentors begin
Nov.
Deadline for
Dec. submission of new
course proposals
Discover Chicago
ends week 7
Explore Chicago
ends week 10
Expenses
reimbursement
deadline
Outline: Drawing on Community Resources / First-Year Program, DePaul University
11 of 12
Measuring Success
• Collaboration among faculty, students, student affairs staff and academic administrators
• Clear, mission-consistent learning goals and outcomes
• Significant academic content
• Assessment incorporated from the outset
• Upper-level students included in planning and implementation
• Preparatory and ongoing training for instructors
• Strong relationships with community partners
C.f. Mary Stuart Hunter and Carrie W. Linder. “First-Year Seminars.” In Challenging and Supporting the First-Year Student:
A Handbook for Improving the First Year of College. Eds. Upcraft, Gardner and Barefoot. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2005.
Questions?
Feel free to:
•
Email us at: firstyear@depaul.edu
•
Visit: http://liberalstudies.depaul.edu/FirstYearProgram/index.asp
•
Or contact:
o
Doug Long, Director, First-Year Program
dlong@depaul.edu, 773.325.4569
o
Michael Edwards, Asst. Director for Academic Administration, First-Year Program
medward4@depaul.edu, 773.325.1187
o
Sarah Miller, Asst. Director for Student Administration, First-Year Program
smille28@depaul.edu, 773.325.7573
o
Alex Miller, Associate Director, Office of New Student & Family Engagement
amille82@depaul.edu, 773.325.2273
Outline: Drawing on Community Resources / First-Year Program, DePaul University
12 of 12