Connections—April 2008

The Hubbard Center has produced print copies of our newsletter Connections for almost ten years. The primary purpose of the newsletter is to facilitate networking and the sharing of information that promotes professional growth. We have now decided to stop distributing print copies of the newsletter, but instead electronically post articles on this website.

Articles in this issue:

The New General Education Model
The Office of Student Research
Book Review: The Art of Changing the Brain
GIS and Google Earth: Two Tools to Map Any Discipline

The New General Education Model

by Mike Mayfield, Faculty Coordinator, General Education

In January of 2005, the General Education Task Force began work on developing a signature general education program for Appalachian State University. After reviewing various models, the Task Force developed a curriculum model that will be instituted in Fall 2009. Following are questions that Appalachian faculty members have frequently asked about the new program. More information about the program is available by visiting the General Education website at http://www.generaleducation.appstate.edu/.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Can you propose existing courses for inclusion in a theme?
Courses offered as part of the new Gen Ed curriculum must meet the General Education goals and outcomes approved by the Provost and AP&P. In order for current courses to be approved for inclusion in the new curriculum, departments or programs must show evidence that the course(s) accomplish those goals and learning outcomes. Some courses will require modest retooling, some will require substantial revision, and in some cases departments will find that it makes more sense to design new courses to fit into the new curriculum.

Do all general education courses have to be small courses?
The thematic perspectives in the new curriculum will feature a mix of class sizes similar to what is currently offered as part of the core curriculum. That mix will continue to include large classes, but it will be important to develop means by which students in those large sections understand the connections between that large course and the theme that is being studied. A few examples of such linkages include the use of a writing consultant for two courses that constitute a theme, using common outside speakers to address theme components, and having students from each course in a theme attend lectures, films, and performances.

Will all courses be team-taught?
We do not anticipate a significant increase in the number of traditional team-taught courses in general education. Most courses taught as parts of themes will be taught by a single instructor, with thematic linkages provided through innovative means (see above for examples of ways to link courses).

What are the incentives for teaching general education courses?
Faculty members will have the opportunity to develop courses and themes that reflect their research interests. Rather than teaching survey courses, they will be able to focus on topical issues from the perspective of their own training and research. Furthermore, we believe that the rewards of engaging students in creative shared learning across disciplines are substantial.

What are the incentives for departments to offer general education courses?
The most obvious benefits to departments revolve around resources. All undergraduate students will take the new Gen Ed program, so the number of Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) represented is huge. Many students arrive at Appalachian without a pre-determined major and those students typically select a major from positive experiences in Gen Ed courses. Furthermore, departments will be able to gain full-time positions or upgrade part-time positions by participating in Gen Ed and other University College offerings.

How long can a course be taught before it comes up for review?
Courses and themes will be approved for an initial three-year offering and if approved for continuation can be renewed as a curriculum offering.

The General Education Program will be reviewed every five years by a team of internal and external reviewers who have recognized expertise in assessing general education.

Can you count major courses as general education course also?
Yes, provided there is evidence in the course design and syllabus that general education goals and outcomes are being met and if that course is also available to students who are not majors in that program.

How much double counting is allowed?
Students may count up to nine semester hours taught in their major department toward completing general education requirements.

How do I find partners to develop themes for the Perspectives areas of the general education curriculum?
The General Education website (www.generaleducation.appstate.edu ) will host a clearinghouse link based on postings of individual faculty and faculty teams who have ideas for themes in the Perspectives. In addition, faculty will have access to reports taken from the faculty activity reporting project (Insight) that highlight research interests, publications, and professional activities related to disciplinary and interdisciplinary efforts.

In addition, from time to time the General Education Program will offer workshops on “Developing Themes in the Perspectives,” which will provide an arena for faculty to meet and discuss ideas.

Do pilot courses have priority in the new curriculum?
General education pilot courses were approved by a subcommittee of the General Education Task Force for the purpose of benchmark testing of the new goals and learning outcomes. Pilot courses for the new First Year Seminar (FYS) are currently being evaluated by the staff of the new Office of General Education. Faculty members who have developed and taught those courses have invested time and energy that will likely prove very helpful when the new themes are developed and the new FYS is offered. However, all courses and themes will be submitted for approval by faculty coordinating committees. Courses developed as pilots will not be granted any direct advantage over other proposals. Faculty members who wish to offer their pilot courses a second or third time under the current core curriculum must follow standard procedures, beginning in their department.

What is the approval process for a course or theme?
The Academic Policies and Procedures Committee (AP&P) approved a new administrative structure and procedure for proposing courses and themes at its March 5, 2008, meeting. That set of recommendations has been forwarded to the Provost for approval. Until that permanent process is in place, courses and themes will be submitted to temporary faculty coordinating committees that have been established through University College.

The Office of Student Research:
The Teacher-Scholar Model

by Alan Utter, Director, Office of Student Research

Appalachian’s Office of Student Research (OSR) was established in 2005 to expand the opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to engage in research and mentored scholarship. In its first two years of operation, OSR has funded over 500 undergraduate and graduate student research and travel grant applications totaling approximately $120,000. The number of Appalachian students engaging in research and creative endeavors increased by 40% during this time period.

The following is a list of grants for students that are available through OSR:

Research Grants

OSR Research Grants: Faculty- or student-initiated projects from a variety of disciplines are awarded up to $500.
International Student Research Grants: Awards up to $1,500 are available to undergraduate or graduate students to conduct projects that have an international focus.
Graduate Student Research Grants: Awards up to $400 are available to graduate students for completion of their capstone/exit research project, product of learning, thesis, or dissertation.
BeActive NC/Appalachian Partnership Grants: These projects, awarded up to $1000, examine potential benefits of regular physical activity/exercise from a physiological, psychological, epidemiological, sociological, economical, or public health perspective.
Public Service Research Program Grants (PSRP): Awards up to $500 are available to undergraduate students who would like to connect public service with their academic work/research interests through a senior thesis.
GSAS Research Grants: Graduate Student Association Senate awards research grants up to $500.

Travel Grants

OSR Travel Grants: Awards up to $300 for presentation of accepted research or creative endeavors at professional meetings or conferences.
Graduate Student Association Senate (GSAS) Travel Grants: Graduate Student Association Senate awards travel grants up to $500.

Essential to successful student research endeavors are faculty members who are willing to work side-by-side with students to help them acquire skills and competencies such as identifying and analyzing problems, finding and evaluating evidence, and developing and weighing competing interpretations and conclusions. Following are three examples of recently funded student research projects:

The Fates in Figurative Sculpture: A Senior BFA Exhibition Installation Incorporating Concepts of Mythology and Philosophy into Figurative Sculptures
Student: Erin Souther, Art
Faculty Advisor: Lynn Duryea, Art

A Phylogeography of Sibbaldiopsis tridentata
Student: Gerald Bresowar, Biology
Faculty Advisor: Gary Walker, Biology

Nutrient Intakes of Prepared Meals from Food Assistance Programs in Watauga and Wilkes Counties
Student: Kayce Boggs, Family and Consumer Sciences
Faculty Advisor: Sarah Jordan, Family and Consumer Sciences

OSR will host the 11th Annual Celebration of Student Research and Creative Endeavors on April 24, 2008, in the Plemmons Student Union. Applications are currently being accepted through the OSR webpage. OSR will also host the 4th Annual State of North Carolina Undergraduate Research and Creativity Symposium on November 22, 2008. For more information on these events please visit: http://www.osr.appstate.edu/ or contact OSR at 262-7655.

Book Review: The Art of Changing the Brain

by Jenn Andrus

Thinking and learning are the products of neurobiological processes. However, thinking and learning can actually alter the brain as well. Understanding neural processes can offer a powerful foundation for rethinking ones’ teaching practice and ones’ philosophy of teaching. In the book The Art of Changing the Brain, author James Zull manages to leave the reader with an understanding of neurobiology that is far from reminiscent of undergraduate lectures past with clear links to the philosophy and practice of teaching. He writes in an approachable and anecdotal fashion that allows the reader to learn easily about the topic. Among classroom stories and topical humor, Zull links learning to the brain and back to the classroom. About this link he notes,

“Often our perspective of teaching is from above. We view the learner as needing our help…we can forget that the actual learning takes place in the brain and the body…when we turn this around…we may see things differently” (pg. xxii).

Amid theory and verity, the book offers practical advice for taking advantage of the biology of the brain while teaching. This book is friendly and instructive for all educators, at all levels, even the scientifically challenged.

The book is divided into three parts. Pare One explores the function and composition of the brain and the relationship with learning. Part Two outlines the physical changes associated with learning and reminiscent of Parmenide’s claim that “northing comes from nothing” we are reminded that all new knowledge is built from prior knowledge, and instruction must work under this tenant. Part Three revisits the brain’s structures and roles and how they are each specifically related to learning. Specific processes such as the sensory experience and emotion are explored and explained as to how they can deepen the learning process.

“The human brain is a learning organ; learning is what it does. The main task of the teacher is to help the learning find connections. Once a student encounters things that connect with her life, her emotions, her experiences or her understanding, she will learn. She won’t be able to help herself. Her brain will change” (pg. 242).

In late January and early February 2008, the Hubbard Center offered a book-based discussion group that was met with an overwhelming response for participation. Over thirty participants from fourteen different disciplines attended the two-session discussion group, under the facilitation of Mark Zrull, PhD, professor in Appalachian’s Department of Psychology.

Consistent with external reviews, participating Appalachian faculty felt the book was accessible and relevant to a wide variety of disciplines in higher education. They said that understanding the biology of learning “makes sense,” and that Zull’s delivery in The Art of Changing the Brain “makes it make sense.”

The Art of Changing the Brain is available from Belk Library.

Zull, J.E. (2002). The Art of Changing the Brain. Sterling, VI.

GIS and Google Earth:
Two Tools to Map Any Discipline

by Christina Tadlock

Did you know that Google Earth and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can be applied to virtually any academic discipline? Which one you choose depends on your instructional and research needs. For example, images from Google Earth and GIS can be imported into PowerPoint presentations for lectures. Also, you and your students may use these tools for research projects, for example, to identify locations and examine different characteristics such as population, land value, per capita income, and infant mortality.

GIS is a complex software package that is used for mapping, long and short-term planning, and decision-making. Since many businesses, companies, and organizations depend on the program, GIS is a very marketable skill for students to acquire. In contrast, Google Earth is less complex software that allows users to find unfamiliar locations and examine three-dimensional representations. Students and faculty can master this software more quickly than GIS by using the online tutorial.

What is Geographic Information Systems (GIS)?
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are computer programs that allow users to store, analyze, and manipulate spatial data. Effective GIS practice allows users to look at different layers of data and aids in good decision-making in environmental science and government practice. For example, GIS can be used for emergency management by allowing the user to determine all the people living in a flood zone as well as potential evacuation routes.

What is Google Earth?
In contrast, Google Earth is a simpler geographic information technology that stitches aerial photographs together over top of a three dimensional representation of the Earth’s surface. Since its release, Google Earth has brought much more attention to the field of geographic technologies through its easy-to-use web-based design.

Google Earth is very basic in terms of its features, because it is primarily used for showing locations of places and significant physical and cultural features on the Earth. For example, Google Earth allows users to search for specific geographic locations or features by name and address information. If you want your students to research information on Darfur, students may use Google Earth to search for specific areas of conflict in this African region. Clicking on the spatial locations in Darfur can link students to images and information about specific examples of incidents of terrorism. Students can find out political information, health information, and much more about Darfur. Google Earth also “flies” you into 3-D models of terrain, roads, and buildings—a great feature when planning courses that involve travel to unfamiliar locations.

Comparisons
These two geographic tools are quite different from each other in terms of cost, level of ease, quality, tools and features, and data availability.

	GIS	Google Earth
Cost	Free to faculty and staff on campus; Appalachian holds a site license. Available at low cost to students.	Free to faculty, staff, and students via the Internet at http://earth.google.com.
Level of Ease	Training required.	Minimal training required. Click on “Product Tour” for the online tutorial.
Image Quality	Very good image quality; professional looking maps, graphs, and 3-D images. Users can control scale of aerial photographs so graphic quality is appropriate for use.	Good quality, but not all areas are covered with aerial images that provide quality graphics on a fine scale. Limited in graphic capabilities.
Tools and Features	Offers many tools and features. Users can add data into program and analyze it using a suite of tools for spatial analysis. Can be used to create an array of high quality maps and color graphics that may integrate maps, text, and images into professional quality cartographic products.	Offers fewer tools than GIS. Primary features locate places and significant cultural features. Can create 3-D models of buildings using Google’s 3-D modeling program Sketchup.
Immediate Data Viewing	Data needs to be selected and added by users.	Data can be viewed immediately.
Other Features	Ability to add layers. Analytical. Ability to add data files on many different themes. Supports vector and raster (grids).	Space and Astronomy Feature. Vector based. Vector is a built environment (land parcels and property records).

Sources:

Badurek, Chris (2007, November 2). [Interview with Chris Badurek]. Interviewed November 2, 2007.

Cullingworth, J. (1997). Planning in the USA: Policies, Issues, and Processes. New
York, NY: Routledge.

ESRI. (2008). What is GIS? Retrieved January 21, 2008, from: http://www.gis.com/whatisgis/.

Google. (2007). The Google Earth Product Family. Retrieved November 30, 2007, from: http://earth.google.com/products.html.

Google. (2008). Sketchup. Retrieved January 21, 2007, from http://www.sketchup.com/.

NCGIA. (2008). GIS History Project. Retrieved January 21, 2008, from http://www.Ncgia.buffalo.edu/gishist/.

The Hubbard Center electronically publishes our newsletter, Connections, three times each semester. Please contact Kathy Isaacs, editor, with any comments or questions.