Course Syllabus

Course: GNST 1065

Division: Administrative Division
Department: General Studies
Title: Convocation Plus

Semester Approved: Summer 2019
Five-Year Review Semester: Spring 2025
End Semester: Spring 2025

Catalog Description: Convocation Plus is a companion class for Convocation (GNST 1060). Students in Convocation may take Convocation Plus concurrently for an additional credit, and doing so allows students to further engage with Convocation content and presenters. This engagement includes attending lunch with presenters, doing additional readings, and having opportunities for discussion and reflection. Like Convocation, Convocation Plus is repeatable for credit.

Semesters Offered: Fall, Spring
Credit/Time Requirement: Credit: 1; Lecture: 1; Lab: 0

Prerequisites: None

Corequisites: GNST 1060 (Convocation)


Justification: Convocation has a rich history at Snow College and enriches the campus as a whole as well as the education of students enrolled in the course. It also has unrealized potential to allow students to be more active learners, building on the presentations with their own study. Convocation Plus provides a space for this to happen, and students in the class will have a more engaged Convocation experience.

Convocation Plus students have the same requirements as all Convocation students. However, they also complete reading assignments, engage in small-group discussions with other students and with Convocation presenters, research in response to presentation ideas, and reflect on their learning experiences. The overarching goal of this work is to allow students one more venue on campus for considering both disciplinary knowledge and interdisciplinary connections and for questioning and listening to multiple points of view.

Convocation Plus will have a low enrollment cap so that it can be offered within the current Convocation funding level and course reassignment for the coordinator. If demand for the course increases, additional resources will be needed. However, in the present configuration, the course works within current resources.

While few, if any, USHE schools have a course like Convocation Plus, the value of Convocation has been established. Additionally, a pilot of Convocation Plus has occurred at Snow to learn how to make the course effective.



Student Learning Outcomes:
Explore the disciplinary assumptions, methods, and information of different disciplines. By listening to Convocation presenters and engaging with those people and their ideas, students will explore both the value of academic disciplines and interdisciplinary connections. Students will demonstrate their learning by completing online modules on academic disciplines, question-based inquiry, and listening to multiple perspectives at the beginning of the semester. They will further demonstrate this learning by applying the module content throughout the semester.

Demonstrate social competency in discussing ideas with Convocation presenters. Convocation Plus students will have multiple experiences in eating lunch with presenters and participating in what is often a rich conversation. Students will demonstrate their competency in navigating the social and intellectual situation through attending lunches, participating in the dialogue, and reflecting on the experience.

Be self-directed learners who can integrate knowledge from multiple fields. Students will build on their Convocation work by exploring the presentations further and according to their interests. This deeper and self-directed engagement will be demonstrated through discussion, research reports, and reflections.


Content:
While precise content will vary from semester to semester depending on what presentations occur during Convocation, Convocation Plus will, each semester, have a three-part structure:
1. Online, introductory modules about the habits of the mind the class will focus on.
2. On-going work during the semester: presenting research reports, attending in-person discussions, and having lunch with presenters.
3. An end-of-the-semester class meeting and final reflection paper.


Key Performance Indicators:
At the instructor’s discretion, the following will be assigned for the purpose of assessing student learning. Completion of GNST 1060 requirements (not graded in GNST 1060)

Introductory modules  20 to 25%

Research reports 20 to 25%

Lunches with presenters 20 to 25%

Discussions 20 to 25%

Reflection 20 to 25%


Representative Text and/or Supplies:
Texts for GNST 1065 will generally be articles related to Convocation topics. These will be chosen by the instructor or students.


Pedagogy Statement:
Through discussion, writing, and reflection students will engage with topics and presenters.

Instructional Mediums:
Lecture

Maximum Class Size: 25
Optimum Class Size: 15