A Living Laboratory: Revitalizing General Education for a 21st-Century College of Technology

GENERAL EDUCATION SEMINAR — Spring 2013

Join us in the Living Lab

DOWNLOAD the Living Lab Faculty Fellowship Application here

“A Living Laboratory: Revitalizing General Education for a 21st-Century College of Technology” is a five-year initiative (2010-2015) funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Strengthening Hispanic-Serving Institutions (Title V) program. Its mission is to re-envision General Education at City Tech as a “living laboratory,” using City Tech’s signature strengths: hands-on experiential models of learning and our vibrant Brooklyn Waterfront location.

The grant has four interrelated activities:

1) The General Education Seminar: brings together diverse groups of Faculty Fellows to revitalize General Education through place-based learning and high-impact educational practices;

2) The OpenLab (https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu): creates an innovative digital platform to support open teaching and learning at City Tech, and enhance the intellectual and social fabric of the college community;

3) A Culture of Assessment: integrates comprehensive outcomes assessment into the Gen Ed curriculum;

4) The Brooklyn Waterfront Research Center: builds an endowment to support student and faculty research at this newly-created City Tech institution.

We are seeking faculty members to join the General Education Seminar in Spring 2013 and become part of a growing interdisciplinary community of Fellows who are enthusiastically engaged in this transformational effort.

The Gen Ed Seminar

Each year, 18 Faculty Fellows participate in an intensive seminar during the Spring semester, exploring innovative pedagogical approaches that they then incorporate into their courses in the Fall. In the second year of their participation, Fellows recruit and mentor colleagues through a series of public workshops, events, and reports, and reflect on what they have learned.

Two cohorts have taken part in the Seminar to date – the first explored General Education concepts through the lens of the first-year student experience, the second examined collaborative field-based research.

The third cohort will address the first and third years of the student experience at City Tech, focusing on real-world problem-solving and community-based learning.

Among the questions seminar participants will consider are these:

– What changes can we make to the first- and third-year experience that will not just prepare our students to succeed at City Tech, but also support creative, original, and critical thinking through the use of high-impact educational practices?

– How can we use one of City Tech’s greatest assets — its location within the “living laboratory” of the downtown Brooklyn waterfront — to create hands-on, place-based learning opportunities with our students?

– How can we use the City Tech OpenLab, an open-source digital platform, to customize learning experiences for our students that will engage them in the intellectual fabric of our College and make their achievements visible to our own community and to the wider public?

The Schedule

Spring 2013
Fellows will participate in weekly activities, attend public college-wide events, and plan the first or third-year courses they will teach in Fall 2013. Fellows will also commit to using the OpenLab actively for all seminar-related work and teaching. Participating faculty will receive a 3-credit course release during this semester.

Fall 2013
Fellows will implement what they have learned in their classrooms and on the OpenLab.

Spring 2014
Fellows will mentor colleagues in their departments to apply seminar findings to additional courses and sections.

Fall 2014
After a thorough examination of both theory and implementation, the seminar cohort will write a final report with recommendations for specific courses and the broader vision of general education at City Tech.

Eligibility
To take part in the seminar, faculty must be:
– full time;
– able to make a two-year commitment (January 2013 through December 2014);
– available on Fridays in Spring 2013 to participate in grant activities; availability will also be required on several Fridays through Fall 2014;
– teaching a first- or third-year course in Fall 2013;
– willing to work in a highly collaborative environment;
– willing to use the OpenLab (https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu) for seminar-related activities and teaching (training and support will be provided);
– approved by their department chair.

Compensation
Faculty Fellows will receive 3-credits of release time during the Spring 2013 semester.
Work done as part of this project is vital service to the College.

Application Process

Fellows will be chosen based on the strength of their statements of interest and their commitment to participate fully in all activities. We seek to convene a heterogeneous group of faculty members who bring intellectual vitality and a passion for teaching to this work.

To apply, please complete the application form: http://tinyurl.com/genedseminar

Application Deadline: 12pm, October 11, 2012

Further Information
Please contact Karen Goodlad, Living Lab General Education Seminar Co-Director, at kgoodlad@citytech.cuny.edu or x5638 if you have questions or need additional information.