I heard some snippets about how class went on Monday, and look forward to hearing more. This week I was in Ann Arbor during class time, helping to facilitate a town hall around curriculum reform. We’ve been pushing for more transparency and student leadership in the process, so I hope the Monday and Tuesday gatherings were helpful.
I joined the curriculum committee about a month ago. It has been an interesting time to tap in, because the reforms we’re talking about now are more than tweaks and changes – we’re talking about a cultural shift and big change to how SSW structures curriculum. While I recognize there is some resistance to this, I think students have been energized by the prospect of informing change, even if we won’t be here to experience the full transformation.
There was great feedback at both sessions, much of which we have talked about before but was important to push for again. A key point was the need to get away from Eurocentricity in curriculum / teaching and to not burden students with marginalized identities with speaking for their group / teaching, which is exhausting and takes away from their learning. Students highlighted courses like Afrocentric approaches and Microaggressions as courses that need to be more available to students or required.
Another theme was the need for more / better support from advisors and help with planning coursework, making sure requirements are being met, and making sure coursework support career goals. Some ideas are to create separate positions for people devoted to advising, rather than having faculty do it. We also talked about student cohorts for peer-to-peer support.
Other themes that came up were the need for more support and flexibility in taking coursework outside of the school, preference for shorter courses with lower credits, the need for more consistency across course sections, the need for more variety in practice area courses (mentioned by students in IP and in CO), more support for commuters and part-timers (e.g. hybrid courses, online alternatives, classes at other campuses), and skills-based practice/coursework.
To view curriculum materials, check your inbox for a link to the shared Google Drive folder, which includes the slides, meeting minutes, handouts, and additional materials. You can also fill out the Town Hall Curriculum Feedback survey to share ideas, questions, and reflections about curricular reform. (comments are anonymous!)
The Dust of Earth 