How Virginia Wesleyan professors are utilizing the new enhanced curriculum to engage students in innovative ways
By Leona Baker | November 10, 2011
Beginning in fall 2011, Virginia Wesleyan implemented a revolutionary new curricular structure based on a four-credit rather than the traditional three-credit system. This initiative was designed to make every course more engaging and every program more focused on helping students become successful, independent learners.
As part of the enhanced curriculum, the fourth hour of each class is designated for deeper exploration of content through out-of-class experiences and projects such as field trips, volunteer work, independent and collaborative research projects, and work with technological tools. All of these activities are stimulated by what is known as “inquiry-guided learning,” the type of learning that takes place when student are engaged in critical thinking and hands-on problem solving.
As the first semester under the new curriculum draws to a close, students and faculty continue to adjust to the logistical challenges that might be expected with such a change, but the tangible effect on the learning experience at VWC can be observed on a daily basis.
The following are a few brief snapshots of the innovative ways in which VWC faculty from various academic disciplines are incorporating the four-credit structure into their course work.
Remembering Made Real
Course: The History of the Holocaust (History)
Professor: Dr. Sara Sewell
Not long before she began teaching at Virginia Wesleyan, history professor Dr. Sara Sewell came up with an idea for a student project commemorating Kristallnacht (Night of the Broken Class), the widespread attack on German Jews on November 9, 1938 regarded as the beginning of the Holocaust. “While I had taught the Holocaust at previous institutions, I thought the small class sizes and emphasis on liberal arts learning at VWC afforded me the perfect environment to do something interesting and student-centered with this history,” Sewell explained. This semester, with the implementation of the four-credit curriculum, her students have been able to invest more time in the project, which counts as a full 50 percent of their semester grade, and Sewell has been able to focus more class time on the content of the course. As part of the course, the students independently organized two events—a presentation by Virginia beach resident and Holocaust survivor Hanns Loewenbach and a memorial ceremony honoring the victims of the genocide perpetrated by the Nazi state—both in mid-November. A story about the class project appeared in a recent edition of the Virginia Beach Beacon.
Practical Problem-Solving
Course: Algebra and Its Applications (Math)
Professors: Kathy Ames, Dr. Kristin Burney, Denise Wilkinson
Students in a 100-level college algebra class should expect to do plenty of solving for x and y. But the enhanced curriculum has given VWC math professors an opportunity to design more laboratory-based exercises that engage students in technology-focused practical applications and critical thinking even at the basic level. “It has been a very busy, but exciting time,” said Kathy Ames, who is teaching Algebra 104 along with Dr. Kristin Burney and Denise Wilkinson. Among the new projects is a weather lab in which students are asked to develop a linear equation based on temperature data using either Microsoft Excel or a graphing calculator. In another lab, students discover how to maximize the area of a garden by taking measurements and entering data into their calculators to develop an equation to help them solve the problem. In both cases, Ames explains, the discovery process is as important as the mathematical challenge. “We’re trying to get them to think about things,” Ames said, “to explore and use software to demonstrate principles they’ve learned.”
A Time to Teach
Class: Teaching Reading and Language Arts (Education)
Professor: Dr. Jayne Sullivan
In life, time may be a luxury; In learning to become an effective teacher, it’s a necessity. Education professor Dr. Jayne Sullivan says she is thrilled with the extra time afforded by the College’s new curricular structure because it gives students like those in her elementary reading course more hands-on opportunities to observe real teachers in action and reflect on what they’ve seen and heard. That’s just what they were doing on a recent visit to Providence Elementary School in Virginia Beach, one of several site visits throughout the semester. “This is organized and goal-oriented,” Sullivan explained as she broke her students up into small groups to observe the teaching of word recognition and comprehension skills, something her class had studied and would now get to see in practice. “The best learning occurs when you go through it with someone else. I believe strongly in the observation period, but the follow-up is key. We do a lot of follow-up.” With the extended timeframe, these students will be able to observe three different teachers during the semester to compare and contrast their approaches—an invaluable learning tool.
Family Violence, A Community Problem
Course: Family Violence (Sociology/Criminal Justice)
Professor: Dr. Alison Marganski
On a blustery morning in October, members of the VWC campus community witnessed a colorful and moving display thanks to students in Dr. Alison Marganski’s course on family violence. The students decorated brightly colored t-shirts with emotional messages and invited others to do the same as part of the “Clothesline Project,” a national movement designed to raise awareness about family and interpersonal violence and a great way to involve students in the issue on a tangible level. The shirts were strung along the walkway between the Hofheimer Library and Boyd Dining Hall. “Your class project may seem like a small campus activity, but it can change lives,” said Larissa Sutherland, Education and Community Outreach Coordinator for Samaritan House shelter, who visited Dr. Marganski’s class early in the semester. Sutherland emphasized that one of the primary challenges in addressing family violence is that many people are uncomfortable discussing it publicly. The shirts are a way to do that and to provide healing for victims. VWC students have participated in the project in the past, but this is the first time it has been used as part of an academic course.
Cultivating Inquiring Minds
Course: Buddhist Philosophy (Philosophy)
Professor: Dr. Steven Emmanuel
During a recent class meeting, students in Dr. Steven Emmanuel’s Buddhist philosophy course watched a portion of a Buddhist film called Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter…and Spring and discussed Buddhist ethics and practices. Dr. Emmanuel demonstrated a Tibetan singing bowl, a kind of inverted bell that emits a long, calming tone when struck or rubbed with a mallet. The bowls are commonly used as a tool for focusing the mind during meditation. Perhaps no discipline lends itself more naturally to the concept of inquiry-guided learning than philosophy. Buddhist philosophy in particular places great emphasis on self-reflection as a tool for gaining insight and understanding—often through meditation. For his Buddhist philosophy course, as well as his other courses, Dr. Emmanuel has designed a series of “reflection modules” as fourth-hour enhancements. They include a self-assessment inventory and in-class presentation, an independent research project and out-of-class reflection exercises “designed to aid students in developing a greater capacity for concentration, focus, and deeper engagement with reading/writing assignments as well as class discussion.”
Stages of Learning
Courses: Introduction to Theatre, Acting II (Theatre)
Professors: Dr. Travis Malone, Dr. Sally Shedd
The visual and performing arts are areas of study in which being “hands-on” is a bit of a no-brainer. Acting, for example, is a dynamic and collaborative discipline by nature—as is everything that goes into the production of a play. In that sense, theater courses and programs are naturally “enhanced.” However, explained theater professor Dr. Travis Malone, students can benefit tremendously from even more opportunities to engage with their craft and the community. “As part of the four-credit curriculum, the Theatre Department has implemented a Theatre Laboratory,” Malone said. “We join several times throughout the semester to meet as a group of artists for workshops and other types of activities.” A recent lab included a visit from representatives of Studio Center. They discussed internships, working on camera, voiceover work and video production work. Other labs are geared towards the audition process, a “post mortem” on a recent stage production in the Hofheimer Theater, improvisation techniques and more. The labs are open to students in specific classes, theater majors and other members of the campus community.