Stage 1: Profiling
Task: Who are you, Where are you based and Why are you here?
Deadline: October 20, 2014, 11:59 pm EST
In today's digital world, the first impression people often have of us may come from one of many of our online profiles, e.g. on an institutional website, on LinkedIn, on Facebook, etc.The information you provide in these profiles may very well influence the impression a possible COIL partner may have of you at first glance. Therefore, we will begin our work together by asking you to take a thoughtful approach to completing a profile for this course.
We have created a Google Document for you to complete this task. The Document can be edited by you and only viewed by people who have a link. For those of you unfamiliar with this free online tool, this will also give you an opportunity to explore how it can be used.
To access your Document, click on your name below.
Nicole Simon
Julie Thomson
Christine Merilees
Lynda Carroll
14 comments:
I edited my google doc, but I don't see my name on the list. (I did join late, so that is probably why).
Task 2 -
I can see that Julie has a wide breadth of interests and is proud of her achievements. I didn't think to include my academic background, but yes it would help with potential partnerships. So here it is...AS in Biology, BS in Genetics and Molecular Biology, MS in Science Education, and a Ph.D. in Educational Technology Management and Instructional Systems Design.
I see that Christine uses her courses like me, where current situations aid in lively discussions. I also reflect back on the everyday to supplement current issues within science. This allows my students to understand that science takes place out-side the lab.
Lynda - I too use real world projects for the students. This engages them in realistic uses of their learning.
Hello everyone!
Nicole, I am extremely interested in hearing about/learning what you do for online laboratory projects. For teaching online courses, the most challenging part about it is figuring out what to do with the laboratory component. I would like to hear more!
Julie, you have - by far - the best profile photos yet! I love Clyde.
Salvador, what do you teach?
Christine, I love your topic. A close friend from Graduate school studied the creation of [Greek] ethnic identity in school children in Nicosia, Cyprus. I am not sure if he'd be interested in partnering (not sure if he's ever heard of COIL, but certainly it's someone to know. Send me a private email if you'd like some info or introductions.) My own dissertation touches on the creation of Turkish identity - including the population exchanges of the early 20th century. Although I don't deal with children, I am interested in the idea of post-conflict identity construction. More specifically, I'm interested in how that is linked to material culture, use of space, landscapes, memorials, etc. I'd be interested in hearing more!
Great, and excited to work with all of you!
Lynda,I would love to chat with you about your work and hear more about your colleague in Cyprus. I have actually been to Nocosia and would love to develop research or teaching collaborations there.
I was very interested to see the different approaches to the profiles. I felt that mine was research heavy in comparison to others, but this probably reflects the fact that I am new to a teaching position.
In creating my profile I borrowed ideas from others who had completed their profiles- I had a hard time coming up with other information to include, but you all had great ideas!
Nicole, I liked the categories you added and I appreciated that your responses were on the shorter side. And I loved your picture!
Lynda,I would love to chat with you about your work and hear more about your colleague in Cyprus. I have actually been to Nocosia and would love to develop research or teaching collaborations there.
I was very interested to see the different approaches to the profiles. I felt that mine was research heavy in comparison to others, but this probably reflects the fact that I am new to a teaching position.
In creating my profile I borrowed ideas from others who had completed their profiles- I had a hard time coming up with other information to include, but you all had great ideas!
Nicole, I liked the categories you added and I appreciated that your responses were on the shorter side. And I loved your picture!
1. I am planning on using an existing course in Multi-Disciplinary Science to teach a “Global Sustainability” course that would have interdisciplinary associations between science, culture, history, and ethics. Although, I am open to other disciplines as well. This would pair international or cross-national courses to examine local and global impacts on environmental issues as well as service learning within communities.
2. It would be vital to address campus sustainability, as this would aid all of our campuses. As a Campus Sustainability Coordinator, I feel it is vital to begin the process of a greener campus locally and take this concept globally. By looking at other campuses globally, we can work together and teach learners how to make educated choices and change.
3. Each learner participating in a service learning project will aid in the course progression and bring a sense of community. These projects will bring learners together regardless of geographical distance. Service Learning is an integral component to my science courses. As a scientist, I feel the best way to appreciate science is to be actively participating in the subject matter. Through services learning, learners can engage in science in a manner that suits their interests and skill level.
1. It would be interesting to partner with any class as the geographical location would dictate the course direction. If the partnering institution were in Europe, the difference between more urban colleges vs. suburban colleges could be studied. Campus location has an impact on how we sustain our surrounding areas. As a faculty member at a community college, our learners commute and therefore have a hard time committing to the campus.
2. If the partnering institution were in the Middle East, the difference between more geological settings could be studied. Learning where we begin from a fundamental standpoint aids in where we are going on and the impact we have on one another.
3. If the partnering institution were in Asia, the difference between cultures and geopolitical manufacturing and environmental laws could be studied. Changes begin from grassroots efforts and by working together, learners can make a difference and change perceptions.
I am interested in teaching a course on youth participation in and experience of political conflict. The 3 disciplines I would love to partner with are political science, anthropology and geography or urban studies. Partnering with political science would provide the opportunity to directly engage in conversations regarding the role of the state and the role of civilians in changing or sustaining the cycle of political conflict. Partnering with a faculty member in anthropology would allow opportunities to compare and contrast findings from studies using different qualitative and quantitative methodologies. This contrast could be particularly useful for students to engage in conversations around philosophical roots of different research paradigms. Partnering with someone in geography or urban studies would allow for conversations to center on the role of space and territory in current conflicts and post-conflict communities.
Three possible geographic locations for my partner class are: 1) Cyprus- thank you Lynda for this suggestion; 2) Northern Ireland; and 3) Croatia. I would like to partner in Northern Ireland or Croatia because I have been conducting research in both countries for years and both countries have communities that are still struggling with post-agreement/post-war segregation and education issues. Both of these geographical locations could provide interesting conversations about current issues in education and policies implemented to promote diversity in schools and classrooms. Cyprus is still experiencing Turkish occupation in the north potentially providing different conversations about the experience of inter-ethnic tension. Across all three sites I would expect engagement regarding issues of identity development, civic participation, and intergroup experiences. I imagine students and faculty in Cyprus to provide engagement in conversations about the experience of occupation and how they are affected by regional issues.
I only teach one course a semester so I am limited by that constraint. I would like to develop a COIL component to my Introduction to Archaeology course, but I am very flexible in terms of what I would like to work on with a global partner. Three themes that would compliment what I teach in that course could include any of the following:
1. Cultural Heritage Management: This theme could examine how different communities play a role in promoting, protecting, or otherwise managing cultural heritage or resources. For example - What role does cultural heritage, historic space, monuments, or other intangible heritage play in urban planning? What legislation exists to protect heritage? How are national, regional, or local museums funded and organized? How are resources protected? For the more science based fields, are there new trends in scientific analysis, survey, etc that are being applied to this field?
2. The Politics of the Past: This theme could examine how the past is used for understanding the present - whether that past is understood through history, archaeology, oral history, folklore, etc. How are ethnic identities or national identities constructed using our conceptions of the past? Or how is interpretations of data potentially be influenced by current political conditions? How are landscapes, monuments, or public spaces politicized? How can the past be contested?
3. Consuming the Past: This theme could examine how archaeology or historic spaces have become commodified, or how heritage is marketed, or otherwise affected by economic considerations, such as (but not limited to) the tourism industry, effects that archaeological sites or work can have on local communities, or the economics of illicit antiquities trade.
Hi Everyone,
Sorry for the delay in adding to this thread. I am finding balancing my teaching commitments very challenging right now.
All of your profiles are great and you have such interesting subject areas. We all come from very different disciplines, which is also great.
For task 2 - we have been asked to engage in a discussion on collaboration and exchange on the three topics, so here goes my thoughts:
1) I think that professors and students can both benefit from working with others across cultures. We have had some challenges in our Coil Project so far:
I am currently involved in a Coil Project with one of my modules but my colleague is leading on the project. We have a collaboration with Kansai University in Japan. The students are creating a wiki based on researching the innovative practices of a company which trades between Japan and Scotland. This will hopefully help them to develop their cultural intelligence. Many of our students have not travelled much, they often don't get the opportunity. We have had to give them some support to understand the Japanese way of life to help them interact with the students.
- How we benefit from this was asked? I think in preparing our students, in interacting with academics from differen institutions, we are constantly learning.
2) I agree Give and Take is needed and in the Case Study: Critical Terrorism Studies, the two professors stepped out of their confort zone and got to understand their collaborators different methodology approach
3) The people we work with can influence the choices that we make for sure. We can be more innovative by learning new ways and being inspired by others.
As for a course, I am interested in Innovation so a COIL course between three institutions where students have to come up with product ideas and a business model may be interesting, the students could come from different disciplines e.g. business, engineering and health to give an interdiciplinary nature to the project.
The locations could be the UK, Asia and USA as an example.
Best wishes,
Julie
Nicole, I like your considerations on the locations for the project i.e. ensuring difference between cultures as well as geopolitical manufacturing and environmental laws could be studied. Which has additional challenges for the students.
Lynda,
Thanks for your comment on Clyde - he is a great character and designed by a school child too.
I saw your mention of the challenges associated with e-learning and a laboratory class. I still think nothing beats hands on practical experience for this type of thing. However, nowadays you can video experiements and there are also interactive tools. I have seen a clever microscope that you can click on to change the resolution etc.
Best wishes,
Julie
Hello Julie, I see in one of the responses you mentioned the collaboration between institutions and you posted health as an interest topic.....Sounds interesting tell me more about it I am group 7. Joan
I think that if partners develop a common theme or learning goal, some of our issues can be resolved. This would allow us to span multiple disciplines without having to narrow ourselves to a particular discipine. Again, I am open to any partner, I can adapt my course to a common theme.
I am sorry - I didn't realize I should include potential geographic areas of partners in my response. But I am honestly very open to any geographic area, and I think my themes could be applied to any country.
My own research focuses on the Middle East, so partnering with someone from that region would be especially rewarding for me, personally. Since I am interested in how the recent past has shaped the construction of the modern Middle East, this would be a collaboration I would really like to explore.
In terms of the demographics of my college, there might be some interest in Latin America, since there are some international students, or students who trace their heritage back to that part of the world. Plus, Spanish is one of the major foreign languages taught in New York State, so there might be a better chance that students could be able to utilize primary sources in Spanish.
I am, however, really open to any collaboration.
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