UNIVERSITY STUDIES 105: 03
THE LEARNING COMMUNITY EXPERIENCE
FINDING YOUR FOCUS LEARNING COMMUNITY
Fall 20008


Instructor: John R. Sopper
Office: 113 Grogan Hall
Phone: 334-5898
HYPERLINK "mailto:jrsopper@uncg.edu" jrsopper@uncg.edu
Office Hours: Monday 6:30-8:30
Tuesday 2-5 (or by appointment)

Peer Academic Leader: Marie Henry
Room # 207
Phone: 704-906-0594
HYPERLINK "mailto:mrhenry2@spartan.uncg.edu" mrhenry2@spartan.uncg.edu



Course Description: This course is intended for students enrolled in the “Finding Your Focus” (FYF) learning community in Grogan College. The FYF learning community is organized in large part around developing increased self-awareness--that is-- identifying your passions, core values and consistent personality traits in order to help students identify and more successfully pursue academic, personal and career goals that are particularly meaningful to themselves. FYF and this section of UNS 105 seek to serve students with diverse academic, career and personal interests by offering them opportunities to reflect on their values and goals, develop a specific educational plan and leadership development plan, and receive support, encouragement and guidance from faculty and peer mentors who will help you define and follow your educational and leadership development plans. In addition, in this course you will learn about important campus resources, work on improving fundamental academic and professional skills, (e.g. writing and oral communication skills), engage issues of diversity, develop capacities for informed civic engagement and greater global awareness, and develop team work and leadership skills that transfer into many different areas of study, work and personal life.

Leadership Challenge: Importantly, as an FYF student, you are automatically enrolled in the UNCG Office of Leadership and Service Learning’s “Leadership Challenge Program”, and by successfully fulfilling the requirements of this course, you will complete all of the requirements for the “Bronze” level of Leadership Challenge. This is an important opportunity to learn more about yourself as a leader, develop transferable skills, identify specific goals and work in a focused way to achieve your goals. Details about this program are available at HYPERLINK "http://olsl.uncg.edu/explore/leadership/programs/challenge" http://olsl.uncg.edu/explore/leadership/programs/challenge

REL 251: Religious Social Ethics: As an FYF student you are also concurrently enrolled in REL 251: Religious Social Ethics—a General Education Core course that fulfill the Philosophical, Ethical and Religious Principles requirement at UNCG and that provides an excellent opportunity to reflect on your core values, develop ethical decision-making skills, engage with a diversity of viewpoints and gain greater global awareness. In this course you will study religious and cultural differences, examine social, economic, political and environmental problems in a global perspective, and participate in community service and service learning activities in which you act to address and contribute to solving the problems analyzed in class. In these ways, REL 251 provides opportunities to practice and apply leadership skills and competencies that are also part of your UNS 105 experience

Summary: UNS 105, Leadership Challenge and REL 251 work together to provide a comprehensive and integrated program of academic and co-curricular activities that form the core of your Grogan College learning community experience.

Student Learning Outcomes: By completion of this course, successful students will have achieved the following objectives to a level appropriate for first year students.

1. Campus Resources: Students will be able to identify access and make effective use of key campus resources and services that support personal and academic success (e.g. the Writing Center, Speaking Center, Library, Student Success Center, the Wellness Center, the Office of Leadership and Service Learning and the Career Services Center).

2. Time/ Task Management and Self Management: Students will learn to plan, organize and manage time and learn to take personal responsibility for using the resources available to them in order to obtain needed information and tools to solve problems for themselves.

3. Effective Communication: Students will learn to communicate in a professional and effective manner both orally and in writing (e.g. give effective presentations and write better papers to a level appropriate for first year students)

4. Critical Thinking & Creative Problem Solving: Students will also improve basic college level competencies and skills in key areas such as critical thinking and creative problems solving. They will learn to look for the root causes of problems, to consider and weigh alternative perspectives, and articulate clear reasons for their choices and point of view.

5. Self-Awareness, Ethical Decision Making, Global Awareness and Civic Engagement: A basic idea behind FYF is that knowing yourself and identifying your strengths and weaknesses as well as your abiding passions and values helps to provide a clear direction for your life at UNCG and beyond. Therefore, in this course students will improve their self-awareness and deepen their ability to reflect on how their passions, values, and personality bear on the development of their leadership abilities and ability to work effectively with others. Students will also become more informed about important issues facing contemporary society and the larger global community, and relate their values and passions to taking action in the world as engaged citizens.

6. Leadership Skills: Students will be able to identify and explain the main leadership competencies identified by the UNCG Office of Leadership and Service Learning, and they will devise and follow a personal leadership plan aimed at improving their mastery of these core leadership competencies to the Bronze level of the Leadership Challenge program at UNCG. (i.e. Self-Awareness, Relationship Development, Task Management, Creative Visioning, Effective Communication, Diversity, Community Engagement and Ethics)

7. Diversity: Students will learn about the importance of understanding and learning from others who are different and reflect on the way that human diversity can contribute to their personal, academic and professional success. Therefore, the FYF experience pays particular attention to recognizing, learning about, experiencing and appreciating diversity.

Teaching Strategies and Methods:

Workshops with Key Campus Services: In order to make students more aware of the resources and campus services available to them at UNCG to support their personal and academic success, I will arrange workshops at key UNCG services such as the Library, Writing Center, Speaking Center, Career Services Center, Student Academic Services, Student Success Center and Wellness Center. By means of these workshops, students will learn about and begin using these campus resources. I will also plan and coordinate cultural field experiences that introduce students to the offerings of the Concert and Lecture Series or other similar cultural organizations on campus, (e.g. School of Music, the Office of Multicultural Affairs and Department of Theater productions).
Class Lectures, Reflection Papers and Activities on Core Academic Competencies: In order to improve basic competencies and study skills, I will provide exercises on core topics (e.g. motivation and goal setting, time management, effective reading, note taking,). I will also make students aware of the academic skills assessments, study skills workshops and tutoring services offered by the Student Success Center and the Learning Assistance Center. Finally, students are required to write reflection papers on various class activities and experiences. These papers are designed to practice and reinforce such writing and thinking skills as organization and paragraphing, clarity of thought and expression, word choice, and the effective use of illustrative examples.

Learning Community Collaborative Project and Group Presentations (LLCP): Students in this course are required to collaborate in small groups with students from the Entrepreneurship learning community. The purpose of the collaboration is to network and build relationships, and to practice communication, leadership and team skills while learning about and taking action on important problems of ecological degradation and sustainability. Each student team must develop a class presentation on potential solutions to campus sustainability challenges that the student teams identify. The presentations must involve research on a topic developed by the students in consultation with me, and the student teams must present their findings to the rest of the students in Grogan College using skills of good presentation taught by the UNCG Speaking Center. Presentations must successfully INFORM, RAISE AWARENESS and STIMULATE CRITICAL THINKING AND DISCUSSION. This activity reinforces core academic skills, time management and planning skills, team work and leadership skills, communication skills and it build collaborative relationships among the students in Grogan College.

TeamQuest and Office of Leadership and Service Learning Activities: To develop self-reflection and self-awareness, make students aware of the core leadership competencies, and teach team building, communication, collaboration and leadership skills, I will partner with the Office of Leadership and Service Learning to provide workshops and other activities that satisfy the requirements of the “Bronze” level of “Leadership Challenge”. The Bronze level activities focus on developing self-awareness and self-reflection through various personality assessment tools (e.g. the MBTI sorter), structured reflection papers, participation in interactive and skill building leadership workshops, special interest speakers and discussions groups, immersion training experiences (e.g. AWAKA) and the development by students of a personal leadership development plan. In addition, I will take students to the TeamQuest experiential learning and challenge course for additional work on leadership and team building skills.

 

Personal Development Plan and Peer Coaching: In this course, students work with our learning community’s assigned Peer Academic Leader (PAL) to devise and follow a personal education plan for the semester. Once they identify the specific learning goals on which they wish to concentrate, each student will meet with their PAL at midterm and at semester’s end to examine their progress, reflect on what they are learning from the process and to receive constructive feedback and peer coaching. The PAL will share their observations of each student’s effort and progress with me. This exercise teaches self-reflection and self-awareness, personal responsibility and self-direction as well as planning and communication skills.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

1. ACADEMIC HONOR CODE: By the singular act of registering for this course, you are agreeing to abide by the UNCG Academic Integrity Policy. All written work submitted must be original and produced by the student/team for this class only. If you are for any reason unfamiliar with the contents of the code, please review it on the school’s website link: HYPERLINK "http://academicintegrity.uncg.edu/complete/"http://academicintegrity.uncg.edu/complete/. Violations will be pursued.

2. ATTENDANCE AND ACTIVE AND INFORMED PARTICIPATION: Students
are required to attend all class sessions and to arrive on time for the things we do together. Only sudden and unavoidable emergencies and sever illnesses count as valid excuses for missing class. Students are not to make plans or appointments during class time unless arranged in advance with me. Also respectful attentive and constructive participation in class activities, lessons, discussions, fieldtrips and projects is required and assumed. This course is informed by the learning community concept, according to which students and teachers work collaboratively, as partners in a common intellectual venture that students have chosen to take on, and for which they have applied and into which they have been admitted. Therefore, students are expected and required to take an active interest in the class, to contribute in positive ways, to conduct themselves in a professional manner, to be responsible members of a community and to reflect a commitment to learning. Failure to do so will result in a reduction in your final grade.

3. CULTURAL FIELDTRIPS: You are required to attend 2 cultural/educational programs during the semester and to write a brief 2-3 page typed summary and response to the events. Also, one of the fieldtrips must ne one that you attend with our PAL and members of your own and/or another Grogan learning community. Also, at least one of your fieldtrips must be an engagement with diversity where you learn about and interact with a cultural background/tradition significantly different from your own. You must bring a ticket, program or other evidence of your participation. You may choose from campus theater productions, School of Music concerts, film festivals, poetry readings, offerings of the Multicultural Resources Center, the International House in Philips Hawkins or the Concert and Lecture Series.

4. TEAMQUEST AND THE LEADERSHIP STRETCH ZONE CHALLENGE: Team Quest is an outdoor, experiential challenge course and leadership development activity. We will complete 2 sessions at TeamQuest, an initial introductory level activity aimed at building group cohesion and collaboration, and a Stretch Zone activity specifically designed to meet the requirements of the Office of Leadership and Service Learning’s “Leadership Challenge” Program. You are required to participate in both sessions.

 

5. OLSL E-LIBRARY RESOURCE SUMMARIES: The Office of Leadership and Service Learning maintains an e-library of leadership resources (readings and video clips). You must read or review at least 3 of these resources and write a brief (1-2 page) typed summary / list of the main points covered by each reading assignment, and explaining specifically and coherently how learning about the topic of the e-library reading or video fits into helping you achieve your Personal Leadership Development Plan.

6. LEADERSHIP COMPETENCY REFLECTIONS: UNCG has organized its leadership education efforts around eight major competencies that are typical of effective leaders. You are required to write a 2-3- page typed reflection on four different competencies and how what you are learning and experiencing about each competency helps you achieve your Personal Leadership Development Plan.

7. PARTICIPATE IN ONE CHALLENGE FORUM: In the course of the semester, you must participate in at least 1 “Challenge Forum” sponsored by the Office of Leadership and Service learning and write 2-3 page typed summary of what you learned from the Forum that can help make you a more effective leader and Achieve your Personal Leadership Development Plan.

8. LEARNING COMMUNITY COLLABORATION PROJECT AND PRESENTATION: Helping you meet students from other learning communities and to develop team work and collaboration skills is a major goal of the Grogan College experience. Another goal is to provide opportunities for you to develop the critical skills associated with planning and completing a long term project, and giving an effective and professional presentation. One of the most important ways that we accomplish these goals is through the “learning community collaboration project and presentation”.

As a member of FYF, (Finding Your Focus) you will be paired with students in the Business and Entrepreneurship Learning Community. In small groups, composed of several students from each learning community, you will be required to brainstorm, conceive, plan and carry out a presentation (to be given to the rest of Grogan College in the beginning of November). Your presentation should inform and instruct the rest of us about some topic relevant to your interests and the LC topics of your team mates.

Time in UNS 105 will be devoted to getting our learning communities together for brainstorming and planning. We will also be visiting the Library for a session on researching your topic. We will go to the University Speaking Center for a workshop on presenting skills. Finally, each group will also be required to “run-through” your presentation at the Speaking Center and receive specific and personal coaching from the Speaking Center staff prior to the date you give your presentation for a grade. DUE by 11/19/08.

The idea is that by the end of this Project, you will have met and worked collaboratively with your fellow students, learned and practiced team work, time management and long term planning skills, and improved your researching and public speaking/presenting skills. YOUR LEARNING COMMUNITY PROEJCT ALSO COUNTS AS YOUR BRONZE LEVEL LEADERSHIP CHALLENEGE PROJECT.

9. REPORT/SUMMARY & EVALUATION OF LEARNING COMMUNITY PRESENTATION: you must attend the presentations of another learning community and write a 2-3 page summary report and evaluation of their work.

10. SUMMARY PAPER (Counts for Leadership Challenge)

11. LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE ELECTIVES: Choose 2 different Electives from the Leadership Challenge “Bronze Challenge Track” to complete your Bronze Level.

12. GROGAN COLLEGE FIRST-YEAR STUDENT DEVELOPMENT PLAN: Meet with our PAL to discuss and complete your First-Year Educational -Development Plan within the first 3 weeks of the semester. Meet with our PAL at Midterm to review and reflect on your progress and receive personal coaching and feedback. Submit a self-assessment” of how well you achieved your plan goals by READING DAY (12/9/08)

GRADING/EVALUATION

1. Attending class regularly, being on time, being prepared, being attentive and respectful toward classmates, instructors and outside guests, and getting actively and constructively involved in class activities and lessons through out the semester counts for 20 points (20%) of your final grade.

2. Satisfactory completion of the 2 required cultural fieldtrips, all required reflection papers, participation in the required Challenge Forum, satisfactory completion of the Leadership Challenge summary paper and other homework assignments counts for 40 points (40%).

3. The Learning Community Collaboration Project counts for 30 points (30%) of your final grade, (includes satisfactory participation in and contribution to the group’s effort, submission of your LCCP Needs Analysis, LCCP Potential Solution Analysis, Solution Decision and delivery of your presentation and submission of a review and evaluation of another LC’s presentation).

4. Satisfactory completion of the necessary “Electives” required for the Bronze level of Leadership Challenge counts for 10 points (10%) of your final grade.
 Class Meetings and Lessons

8/19/08 MOVE IN DAY
Activities: Get Settled into Grogan Hall,
Meet other students and your PAL, Marie Henry, and Amanda
Fallon, the RA on your Floor. Hand out TeamQuest forms

8/21/08 FYF Community Meeting and Social Hour
Activities: Meet and Greet, Introduce TeamQuest activity, complete and collect TeamQuest Forms.
ASSIGNMENT: Participate in TeamQuest activity on 8/23,

8/23/08 TEAM QUEST EXPERIENCE
Activities: Bond and build effective leadership, communication and team work skills with other FYF students and fellow Groganites. Half Day team building and leadership development course at Piney Lake facility from 7:45 am to 1:00 pm. Transportation and lunch after the program will be provided by Grogan College.

8/27/08 Introducing The “Finding Your Focus” Learning Community and UNCG’s “Leadership Challenge Program”
Activities: Review the learning objectives of FYF and the UNS 105 syllabus, meet Preston Yarborough, Assistant Director of OLSL, introduce UNCG”s Eight Leadership Competencies and the Leadership Challenge Program, discuss the SMART goals concept, complete and score MBTI Indicator forms and your Leadership Profiles. ASSIGNMENT: Write a 2 page (typed) reflection paper on your TeamQuest experience (due 9-3-08)

HAPPY LABOR DAY: CELEBRATE THE VALUE OF
HUMAN LABOR AND REMEMBER THOSE WHO MAKE
THE THINGS WE USE. PLAY SAFELY!

9/3/06 Exploring Identity and Learning From the MBTI Sorter
Activities: Process and discuss the results of the MBTI Sorter with Preston Yarborough. Work on Leadership Development Goal Sheet. ASSIGNMENT: meet with our PAL Marie Henry to complete your Grogan Student Development Plan. Also, locate and read or view one resource from the OLSL e-Library and write a 1-2 pg typed summary/list of the Key Points (50%) and give an explanation of how the topic applies to achieving your Grogan Student Development Plan (50%). (Both due 9/10/08).

9/10/08 The Learning Community Collaboration and Presentation Project (LLCP)
Activities: Meet with the Building Entrepreneurship learning community and go over the purpose and requirements of the learning community collaborative projects (LLCP). Form Teams and Brainstorm ideas. DUE: OLSE e-library resource paper, Grogan Educational Development Plan. ASSIGNMENT: Hold first meeting of your collaboration Team before the next class meeting on 9/17/08. Write up and sign a list of AGREEMENTS to regulate how your team will work together. (hint: draw on your TEAMQUEST experience.
Agreement/ Contract due 9/17/08.

9/17/08 Leadership Development Planning
Activities: Collect LCCP Team Agreements. Complete Leadership Development Plans and participate in “Core Values” and “Social Identity exercises”. ASSIGNMENT: Choose one of the eight UNCG Leadership competencies and write a 2-3 page reflection paper on specific ways that you can act to develop this
competency.

9/18/08 For Your Information: Office of Multicultural Affairs Panel on Civil Rights and Human Rights, 4:00 pm Multicultural Resource Center, EUC. (counts for one of your required cultural activities).

9/24/08 Wellness Center Workshop
Activities: Go to the Wellness Center in the Gove Student Health Building for an orientation to the Center’s Services and a workshop on Nutrition, Healthy Eating and Sustainability. ASSIGNMENT: Compete your LCCP Needs Assessment and write up your 2nd summary/list of Key Points of a resource from the OLSL E-Library and explain how the topic is relevant to your Leadership Development Plan. Both are due on 10/1.

10/1/08 Active Listening
Activities: Active Listening Exercise with Preston Yarborough.
DUE: LCCP Need Analysis and OSL E-Library resource review are both due. ASSIGNMENT: Complete 2nd Leadership Competency reflection paper.

10/8/08 AWAKA PROGRAM
Activities: We will participate in the AWAKA Scenario offered by the Office of Leadership and Service Learning’s Leadership Challenge Program. ASSIGNMENT: Complete your group’s LCCP Potential Solution Analysis—due 10/15/08.

10/15/08 Effective Information Gathering and Research Skills
Activities: Meet at the Jackson Library City Lab for a workshop on how to use modern research tools for your collaboration project and all of your class papers and related assignments. DUE: Collect LCCP Potential Solution Analysis.
ASSIGNMENT: Meet with our PAL before 10/22 to review and discuss the progress you are making on your Grogan Student Development Plan. Complete 3rd Leadership Comp. reflection.

 

 

10/22/08 Speaking Center Workshop
Activities: Meet at the Speaking Center facility in the Basement of the McIver Building for an overview of using the Speaking Center--(not in the MMHR building—that is only the administrative office of the Speaking Center. Your meeting with our PAL must be completed before class time today. ASSIGNMENT: Schedule a time for your collaboration team to do a practice session at the Speaking Center. Must be completed by 11/19/08. DUE: Must have reviewed your Student Plan with Marie by today.

10/29/08 Getting Ready for Next Semester: Academic Advising and Course Registration Workshop with Student Academic Services
Activities: Meet in Bryan room 110 with the Entrepreneurship learning community for an academic advising workshop with staff from Student Academic Services. DUE: Collect LCCP Solution Decision. ASSIGNMENT: Complete 3rd OSL-E-Library resource review by 11/5/08.

11/01/08 LEADERSHIP STRETCH CHALLENGE @ TeamQuest
7:45 am—4:00 pm

11/5/08 Career Services Workshop
DUE: 3rd OSL-E-Library resource review.
ASSIGNMENT: Complete 4th Leadership Competency Reflection

11/12/08 Writing Center Workshop on your Summary Paper
Activities: Meet at the University Writing Center for workshop
ASSIGNMENT: Attend the presentations of another LCCP and write a 2-3 page typed review of the topics covered and the strengths and weaknesses of the presentations you observe (using the Speaking Center Guidelines for an effective presentation)

11/15/08 Alternative Date for Stretch Challenge @ TeamQuest

11/19/08 NO CLASS MEETING WORK ON PRESENTATIONS

11/20/08 Learning Community Presentations 6-9 in Grogan Basement.

11/26/08 Thanks Giving Holiday / No Class

12/3/08 Last Class / FYF Celebration and Course Evaluations
DUE: Summary Paper.

12/9/08 DUE: Your review of another LCCP project, your write ups of your 2 Cultural Fieldtrips and your final self assessment of the progress you made toward the goals identified on your initial Grogan College First Year Student Development Plan are all due.