2021-2022, Issue 1 Fall
Core Faculty Newsletter
2021-2022, Issue 1 - Fall
Dear Colleagues,
Welcome back. As the new Director of the Core, I hope to build upon Dr. Lauren Poor’s excellent work as we enter a new stage of the Arts & Sciences unified core curriculum: assessment. How are we doing? Is the Core doing what we set out to do?
I have a confession. I have taught courses in this Core since its implementation in fall 2019, but I never actively reflected on what it meant to be a Core faculty member. This past year—of uncertainty, anxiety, change, grief, slowness— forced me to pause “business as usual” and look up. And what I noticed was my students and their overall well-being. Committing, or recommitting, to the vision for the core curriculum as faculty can guide us (all 397 of us, teaching 844 sections) to think differently about the students represented in the 27,776 total seats in the unified core curriculum. How are our students doing? Are they learning what we set out to teach them? Are they becoming the kind of people with the shared knowledge, skills, and virtues that the Core originally envisioned?
In this fall edition of the Core Faculty newsletter, our contributors ask us to consider different ways of taking stock of where we are and how we are doing. Dr. Christopher Richmann, Assistant Director for the Academy for Teaching and Learning, reflects on the ways in which teaching during the pandemic has contributed to our pedagogies in perhaps lasting ways. We also learn more about our progress towards our goals to increase opportunities to teach with an eye towards diversity, equity, and inclusion. Debra Wainscott, International Student Academic Support Specialist, likewise helps us see how we can better support our international students and make our Core courses more inclusive spaces. I invite you to pause and to consider how we are doing and where we might course correct. At the end of the day, assessment is a pulse check, but it is primarily a plan that directs our next steps.
I also ask that you join me in recognizing Dr. Jacquelyn Duke, Senior Lecturer in Biology, who has the honor of being our Faculty Spotlight for fall 2021. For the past 15 years, she has taught Biology courses to non-majors and helped them develop the kind of scientific literacy that shapes how they interpret information and investigate questions of faith and science. Thank you, Dr. Duke, for your many contributions to the A&S Core. And thank you, each of you, for all you have done that is visible but also all that has been done behind the scenes to make transformational education at Baylor possible.
For more information on the core curriculum, including the Core vision statement, descriptions of the required course objectives for Common courses and Distribution Lists, and a Baylor password-protected plan for Core assessment and faculty resources, visit www.baylor.edu/ascore.
Sincerely,
Danielle M. Williams, Ph.D.
Director of the Core, College of Arts & Sciences
The Teaching Corner: Pedagogy and the Core
Pandemic Teaching: What to Continue
Dr. Christopher Richmann, ATL Assistant Director
College courses are about students learning something new. At least that’s the operating assumption of most faculty. But I think it’s safe to say every college teacher learned a few things in the last eighteen months. As we imagine teaching in more familiar settings this fall (subject to health conditions, of course), the question becomes: what did we learn that we should continue? Identifying the philosophical wisdom and practical techniques we’ve acquired and intentionally carrying these forward is not an attempt to find a pandemic “silver lining” but simply to honor the ways we’ve developed as teachers.
In reading the literature on pandemic teaching and speaking with faculty, I see four categories of instructor learning that, I suggest, ought to lead to enduring pedagogical approaches. This is by no means a definitive list; nor are these categories wholly tidy. (I hasten also to acknowledge that many Baylor instructors were practicing and advocating these approaches before the pandemic.)
First, we learned about students. In terms of both general statistics and the specific experiences of our individual students, faculty have been more interested in who their students are. Even simply seeing students’ monikers on Zoom clued some instructors in to the power of being able to consistently call them by name. Many instructors took the initiative to survey students to gather useful information about the perspectives students bring and the challenges they face. In short, we began to teach students instead of classes. This knowledge led to more focused assignments and more humane interactions between instructor and students.
Second, we learned how to communicate better. We recognized that frequent, relevant, and friendly communication with our students makes them feel connected and improves their performance in the class. Some instructors committed to weekly emails; others used scheduled announcements on Canvas or group messaging apps like GroupMe or Slack. Understanding that text sometimes does not convey the personal touch, some instructors recorded short videos for regular communications or assignment details. Many came to recognize the power of sending a note to students who are struggling after the first major assignment.
Third, we learned technological tools. With video conferencing now in our toolkit, many instructors plan to continue some form of Zoom office hours to increase accessibility and efficiency. With this technology, we also learned that guest speakers could be brought into our classes virtually without the expense and logistics of an in-person guest. Why not send an inquiry to that top scholar or industry executive, requesting a brief presentation or Q&A over Zoom with your class?
Faculty were also adventurous in trying tools we’ve had access to for some time, like discussion boards and Google docs. Others ventured further, using video discussion tools like Flipgrid or digital annotation tools like Hypothes.is. Some of it worked; some of it didn’t. But even a technology “fail” can refine our teaching. (For example, I ventured into the discussion platform Packback; although I don’t feel that, for my class’s purposes, it was worth the student expense, the experience inspired me to make better use of discussion boards on Canvas). The important thing is that faculty experimented and are now able to think more critically about their technology choices.
Finally, we learned about intentional course design. At heart, this means designing a course with the students’ experience in mind. Faculty learned how to use modules on Canvas, explicitly link assignments with learning objectives, and establish a consistent “cadence” in the flow of learning activities and assignments—all of which reduce extraneous work and cognitive load for students.
The inclination to return to “normal” is understandable. But rather than running from anything that reminds us of pandemic teaching, let’s embrace what we’ve learned. As a society—and specifically as instructors—we have the opportunity to determine the meaning of the pandemic. I encourage you to envision it not as a whole we climb out of, but a hill we build upon.
To learn more about different ways that the pandemic has shaped our teaching practices, watch this Seminar for Excellence in Teaching, “How COVID-19 is Making Me a Better Teacher.”
Diversity and the Core
Diversity & Inclusion in the Classroom
Dr. Kimberly Kellison, Associate Dean for Humanities and Social Sciences
Dr. Elizabeth D. Palacios, Special Assistant to the Vice President for Student Life for Division Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging
Faculty members teaching in the Core Curriculum incorporate diversity and inclusion into their teaching in multiple ways. In addition to the common readers for English, History, and Religion, which emphasize a variety of texts from different sources and voices, pedagogical conversations about diversity and inclusion have continued on the department level, the college level, and the university level.
- In Spring 2021, Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum, psychologist and author, spoke about race and higher education.
- The university offered a webinar series "Our Voices" for Hispanic/Latinx, Asian/Pacific Island Students, Black, and Women's Heritage/History months. These webinars are available on the Academy for Teaching and Learning resource page.
- If you are interested in getting involved with student conversations and support, Latinas Unidas, My Sister Myself, and MISTER are wonderful opportunities to engage with students. If you would like to get involved with ongoing committees, the Latino/a/x Student Success Initiative (LSSI) are focusing on serving our growing Latino/a/x students and preparing for becoming an HSI (Hispanic Serving Institution). Please contact Dr. Palacios for more information.
On the college level, the College of Arts & Sciences Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, which met throughout the 2020-2021 academic year, presented its recommendations to Dean Nordt in May, 2021. One of the A&S committee's goals is to make curricular recommendations that, along with the diversity component of the Core Curriculum, will strengthen and enhance the College’s commitment to diversity and inclusiveness in the classroom. Once approved by Dean Nordt and the A&S Council of Chairs, the committee’s full set of recommendations and action steps will comprise Pillar Five of the College’s Five Year Plan, A&Spire to Illuminate.
As we work toward inclusive classroom environments for our students, there are numerous occasions for you, your colleagues, and your students to participate in diversity opportunities at Baylor and in the wider academic community, including:
- September 15, 12pm - Hispanic Heritage Celebration Luncheon
- September 16, 6pm - M.I.S.T.E.R
- September 20 - Leave Your Mark: Cultural Humility Training
- September 21, 6pm - Hispanic Heritage Neighbor Night
- October 6, 6:30pm - Hispanic Heritage Banquet
- October 7, 6pm - My Sister, MySelf
- October 15, 6pm - M.I.S.T.E.R.
- October 19, 6pm - Asian & Pacific American Heritage Neighbor Night
- October 20, 12pm - Asian & Pacific American Heritage Celebration Luncheon
- October 28 - Leave Your Mark: Cultural Humility Training
- November 4, 6pm - My Sister, MySelf
- November 11, 6:30pm - Asian & Pacific American Heritage Banquet
- November 11 - Leave Your Mark: Cultural Humility Training
- November 18, 6pm - M.I.S.T.E.R.
If you have any speakers or events that you would like to publicize that relate to multicultural experiences, please send us your information to share with our campus community. For faculty resources, you may also visit the A&S Core Diversity & Inclusion webpage.
International Student Academic Support
Debra Wainscott, ISAS Specialist
Having international students in our classes can be beneficial to everyone in a class —the international student, the domestic student, and even the professor. The increasing intentionality and awareness of our international student population has allowed us to welcome about 1,000 international students from around 80 different countries. While these are great strides toward a more global campus, it also means there are different experiences/challenges we may encounter in our Core classes.
The International Student Academic Support (ISAS) office is one way we are trying to help bridge that gap between what happens in the classroom and what specific needs an international student may have. More than 150 students have now matriculated from the Global Gateway Program (GGP), an English pathway program for international students who are fully qualified to enter Baylor undergraduate programs but still need to improve their English. Students in this program take English for Academic Purposes courses while simultaneously starting Baylor classes.
Immediately after completing the GGP, these students are in many of the Core classes, and while they are prepared and ready for a “full-Baylor” semester, it can still seem very daunting and challenging for them. Utilizing the ISAS office can help students navigate assignments they don’t understand, get help on test preparation, or simply help connect them to the right resource. This office is also a great tool for Core faculty to refer students for help or required assistance for assignments.
A few things to consider as you get to know your international students in your Core courses:
- Clearly and explicitly give instructions. Offer lists or bullets instead of long verbiage. Try to rephrase questions or instructions, and incorporate more visuals.
- Be mindful that new students will not know acronyms, abbreviations, common “Baylor-ese.”
- Consider utilizing ISAS to add instructional resources to Canvas and other digital platforms.
- Build rapport with your students. Ask them repeatedly how to say their names —and practice. It’s okay to make mistakes. Ask questions and try to learn something about where they are from.
- Go out of your comfort zone to help enlarge theirs.
- Take advantage of the ISAS office.
Virtues and the Core
The unified core curriculum in the College of Arts & Sciences is designed to be "taught within a community of Christian scholars, enables men and women to acquire the knowledge, skills, and virtues needed to uncover and recognize truth, to deepen their faith, to live virtuously, to strengthen their communities, and to affect the world in transformative ways." To that end, the core curriculum aims to "inspire moral, intellectual, and spiritual virtues." The virtues intentionally pursued in the A&S Core Curriculum are:
- Humility
- Courage
- Rigor
- Integrity
- Respect
- Justice
- Empathy
- Compassion
- Responsibility
- Patience
- Wisdom
- Faith
- Hope
- Love
For more information on the Virtues of the Core, please visit the Core Virtues webpage. If you have designed an assessment for your Core course that evaluates how students are engaging with one or more of these virtues, please contact us. You may be contacted to work with your UPD as part of a larger assessment project.
Creative Arts Experience
Jennings Sheffield, CAE Committee Chair
Kaity Briscoe, CAE Director
The Creative Arts Experience (CAE) engages students in all of the arts offered at Baylor University. Through participation in CAE events, students will
- encounter a wide variety of fine arts events sponsored by Baylor;
- grow and mature in the reception, interpretation, and appreciation of the arts throughout multiple semesters at Baylor; and
- develop cultural literacy, critical thinking, social skills, human empathy, and patronage of the arts.
The goal of the Creative Arts Experience is to involve students actively in the fine arts community on campus, preparing them for a deep and meaningful engagement with the fine arts throughout life.
As we have previously shared, the pandemic presented quite a challenge for the arts. However, as individual faculty members and entire departments rose to the challenge, the CAE was able to create new ways to deliver and record attendance for these virtual events. We are pleased to say, as a result of everyone’s extraordinary efforts, the CAE hosted 284 synchronous, asynchronous, and in-person events that served over 11,101 Baylor students. The CAE will continue to offer in-person, synchronous, and asynchronous events as we move forward in all categories to provide maximum levels of access and opportunities for our students.
CAE faculty sponsors are already planning several exciting events for the Fall of 2021. We are especially excited to be welcoming Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. to campus this fall for the 2021 Beall-Russell Lecture, and hope you can join us. To see other upcoming events and to get inspired to sponsor your own check out our current listings here.
We are delighted to announce our new full-time CAE Coordinator, Gracie Beard. Gracie graduated from Baylor in 2016 and joins us from the Dr Pepper Museum where she served as Communications Manager. Gracie brings a wealth of experience that we are lucky to have as we continue to build and broaden the CAE.
Faculty members who would like to propose additional CAE events may do so here.
Common Readers
If you are a faculty member teaching a Core course in the Departments of Religion, History, or English, consider adopting a common reader for spring 2022. Published by Baylor University Press in collaboration with Baylor faculty, these texts contribute to one of our overarching goals to “provide a shared foundation of knowledge drawn from the rich and diverse liberal arts tradition.”
If you are interested in developing a textbook or reader, please contact Baylor University Press Interim Director David Aycock.
Opportunities for Engagement
- September 15, 12pm - Hispanic Heritage Celebration Luncheon
- September 16, 6pm - M.I.S.T.E.R.
- September 20 - Leave Your Mark: Cultural Humility Training
- September 21, 6pm - Hispanic Heritage Neighbor Night
- October 6, 6:30pm - Hispanic Heritage Banquet
- October 7, 6pm - My Sister, MySelf
- October 15, 6pm - M.I.S.T.E.R.
- October 19, 6pm - Asian & Pacific American Heritage Neighbor Night
- October 20, 12pm - Asian & Pacific American Heritage Celebration Luncheon
- October 28 - Leave Your Mark: Cultural Humility Training
- November 4, 6pm - My Sister, MySelf
- November 11, 6:30pm - Asian & Pacific American Heritage Banquet
- November 11 - Leave Your Mark: Cultural Humility Training
- November 18, 6pm - M.I.S.T.E.R.
- If you would like to receive the MA Times, please sign up here.
To view more opportunities for engagement and further details, please visit the Opportunities for Engagement webpage.
DR. DANIELLE M. WILLIAMS, Office of the Core, 254-710-4558, Danielle_Williams2@baylor.edu