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(Re)Design Your Course for Civic Engagement

2023 Center for Civic Engagement and State Farm Course Development Grant
Center for Integrated Professional Development

Faculty and course instructors are invited to submit a proposal to participate in the Summer 2023 (Re)Design Your Course for Civic Engagement. Civic Engagement is one of the core values outlined in Illinois State University's mission statement, Educate - Connect - Elevate . The course design cohort model offers faculty the support of colleagues, Center for Integrated Professional Development staff, and faculty and staff from various campus civic engagement initiatives as we work to broaden ISU’s commitment to the values of citizenship, equity, diversity, and inclusion, and institutionalization of civic engagement across the curriculum. We seek to include a variety of courses from all disciplines and programs. 

Expectations

Course Instructors selected to participate in this cohort will spend the equivalent of four days (about 24 hours, both in-person and outside course design work) working to integrate civic engagement into a course they have taught and will teach again in the near future. This will include synchronous and asynchronous work (see the schedule outline). The redesign process will allow faculty to explore ways to promote active learning experiences and assessment through which students can gain an awareness and understanding of civic engagement as a lifelong responsibility. 

This redesign opportunity can also be used to develop a course that could be included in the interdisciplinary collection of available Civic Engagement and Responsibility Minor electives, further broadening ISU's commitment to the values of citizenship and institutionalization of civic engagement across the curriculum. This Course Redesign project will

  1. afford course instructors the opportunity to enhance their curricular interests through integration with civic engagement components.
  2. further broaden ISU's commitment to the values of citizenship, diversity, equity and inclusion, and institutionalization of civic engagement across the curriculum.
  3. broaden the interdisciplinary collection of available electives relevant to students' areas of study.

Attendance

Participants must be present at all sessions. If you cannot attend all meetings, we ask that you apply again next summer and allow another person who can commit to the entire workshop to attend.

Summer Institute

Please note that, due to work expectations and stipend considerations, individuals are limited to participating in one Center for Integrated Professional Development Design Cohort experience, including (Re)Design Your Course for Civic Engagement, per Summer Institute.  

Proposal Information

Potential participants will be asked to provide the following information:

  • Name
  • Rank
  • Department/School
  • Proposed course number and title
  • Anticipated semester of redesigned course delivery
  • Approximate course enrollment and student demographics (e.g., juniors and seniors, Marketing majors or freshman and sophomores, General Education course, etc.)
  • An approximately 300-word narrative explaining your interest in this redesign project. Also, explain how you envision integrating civic engagement into an existing course or in developing a course new to you. 
  • A copy of the syllabus for the course you are planning to redesign

Questions?

Contact Dr. Dana Karraker at dmkarra@ilstu.edu or (309) 438-5110.

  • Learning Goals
  • Workshop Objectives
  • Workshop Dates
  • Eligibility, Award Amounts, and Requirements

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to

  • identify civic competencies that connect with discipline and course content.
  • design a course which includes civic engagement components (learning outcomes, assignments, syllabus language describing civic engagement).
  • develop a plan for a specific course assessment where students demonstrate some aspect of civic learning.
  • formulate a plan for communicating the value of civic engagement to students (course outcomes, syllabus statements).
  • articulate the connection between civic engagement and diversity, equity, and inclusion.
  • develop a plan for possible scholarly activity (design a study, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, ideas for conference presentations in your discipline, the University-Wide Teaching & Learning Symposium, possible publication outlets, presentation at the Civic Engagement Day, design a student research project).
  • create a plan to cultivate mutually beneficial partnerships with communities.

Courses with a civic engagement focus should include some elements generally associated with civic engagement knowledge, values, skills, and attitudes (Musil, 2009). A civically educated individual

  1. gains a sense of self-awareness as a citizen.
  2. actively participates in their community.
  3. develops an appreciation of diversity.
  4. comprehends the interdependence within communities, societies, and the world.
  5. grows an understanding of the democratic process.
  6. displays critical thinking within the arena of democratic conversations and social issues.
  7. becomes effective at problem-solving and change.
  8. integrates reflection on service, social issues, and course content.

Musil, C. M. (2009). Educating students for personal and social responsibility: The civic learning spiral. In B. Jacoby (Ed.), Civic engagement in higher education (pp. 49–68). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Participation is required at all sessions.

Session I: Thursday, May 18, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. 
Introduction and conceptualization of civic engagement, pedagogical practices, and the role of civic education across various disciplines.

Asynchronous Work: May 18 - 23 
Principles of Partnerships. Complete the module posted in Canvas.

Session II: Tuesday, May 23, 9 a.m.to 3 p.m.
Developing community engaged classrooms & community partners: community visits & community needs driven & reflective service learning

Session III: Thursday, May 25, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Articulating transformational goals for the redesigned courses as well as creating and incorporating academically rigorous learning outcomes that integrate elements of civic engagement and applying active, reflective learning experiences that support learning outcomes.

Asynchronous Work: May 25 - 30
Matching learning outcomes with assessments and learning experiences. Office hours for those who would like more support with this process.

Session IV: Thursday, June 1, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Reflection and assessment as well as opportunities for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.

Session V: Tuesday, June 6, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Incorporating civically engaged learning outcomes and designing effective formative and summative assessment of student learning related to redesigned course learning outcomes.

Eligibility
This is a University-wide initiative. All tenured, tenure-track, and full-time non-tenure track instructors as well as staff with teaching responsibilities are eligible to apply. Eight (8) course instructors, from any discipline, will be selected.

Amount of Awards
Faculty awards will include a stipend of $1,000 as follows: 

  • a partial stipend of $800 will be awarded upon satisfactory completion of the summer workshop.
  • the remaining $200 will be awarded upon completion of the expectations for sharing course information, as described in the Workshop Requirements. 

Workshop Requirements
To receive the stipend, cohort participants must complete all of the following:

  1. Participants must be present at all sessions. If this is not possible, we ask that you apply again next summer and allow another person who can commit to the entire workshop to attend.

  2. A (re)deigned syllabus which includes civic engagement components (learning outcomes, assignments, specific language if the course is an elective for the minor). Syllabi will be included in a repository archiving courses that have been designed with a civic engagement focus 

  3. A plan for a specific course assessment where students demonstrate some aspect of civic learning

  4. A plan for possible scholarly activity (design a study, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, ideas for conference presentations in your discipline, ISU’s Teaching and Learning Symposium, Civic Engagement Celebration, possible publication outlets)

  5. A written reflection on the course redesign process

  6. Continued contact with the Center for Integrated Professional Development, the Center for Civic Engagement, and the Civic Engagement and Responsibility Minor to share data about the impact of civic engagement on student learning.

2023-04-17T09:05:05.60664-07:00 2023