How do I do this course?

Let’s face it, it’s going to be a weird semester. I am hoping that we will figure out together how to make the best of it. Nobody really knows how best to teach or learn during a pandemic, but I am confident that we can build something unique. Even if there wasn’t a pandemic going on, this course will be a bit different from what you are used to, and I don’t mean the usual lecture about the difference between high school and college. My approach to teaching this course is to use the methods and philosophy of open pedagogy.  

What the heck is open pedagogy? It depends on who you ask, but for me, open pedagogy involves a few key features. First, it’s about professors like me giving students much of the control and agency over what and how they learn.  Secondly, it emphasizes students contributing knowledge, not just consuming it (like memorizing stuff and spitting it back on a test or paper).  And finally, it’s about sharing knowledge in an open way, using digital tools and open licenses, allowing us to connect and learn with a larger world outside of our classroom. Long before the pandemic I have taught emphasizing the values and tools of critical digital pedagogy. It’s kind of like putting the “gluten-free” label on food that was always naturally gluten-free anyway (like popcorn), but now we are are highlighting a thing with mainstream appeal.

This course website will be your Go To. I will use canvas mainly to post announcements, share files with you and receive files from you (check out the canvas modules section). You always have the option to submit things there, and send messages, which will remain private between the two of us.

About Writing

I am not sure what comes to your mind when you think about a “writing class” or a class that involves a lot of writing. If you have any notions that we will be fixated on grammar, and proper sentence and paragraph structure, then let me dispel that for you right now. We will not. Writing is communicating. Learning to write well means finding ways to get your ideas across effectively. When you write an email, or a social media post, or even a text, do you feel satisfied that what you’ve written is communicating clearly what you wanted your reader to know? 

This is the main question: What do I want to say? Those other things about grammar, etc., come more naturally after thinking about that. When you read your own writing, you can ask yourself:  Is this what I was trying to say? Could I say it better? Can my audience understand it? (or do I even want them to?). Like learning to ride a bike or play a musical instrument- writing takes practice. And its ok to fall down or play some bad notes because that is the only way you are going to get better at it. So don’t be afraid to write what seems like crap at first. It will get better the more you do it.

What about my Grade??

Grades are a complicated thing.  I want to shake up your usual notions about what grades are and how we can use them to be less reward/punishment oriented, and more towards thinking about learning.  To that end, you will assess your own progress and give yourself grades, and I will stay in dialogue with you about the meaning of those grades.  This will happen on 3 self-assessment forms that you will complete this semester. There won’t be any quizzes or exams but there will be assignments. The schedule and the class spreadsheet will help you keep track of what’s due when. Please just ask if you are ever confused about anything.

Attendance

I don’t record or dock points for attendance anyway, but especially during a pandemic it seems pretty crazy. Students in this course have the ability to discern for themselves what is helpful to their learning, there is no ‘policy’ for attendance. So I don’t “take attendance” but I certainly notice who is there, and by “there” I mean literally as well as virtually. I hope you don’t miss classes or miss out on engaging in this work, because well, you will miss stuff and this can impact your learning. Beyond that, we will miss you.  I like to think of our class as a community, and when someone is missing, that affects all of us.  But I know that things happen, life doesn’t just stop because you have this class. Mostly I want you to want to come to class or show up online. If you find that you don’t, I hope you will let me know why.  I will ask you to assess your attendance when you fill out your self-assessment forms. 

Basic Needs

Any student who faces challenges securing their food or housing and believes this may affect their performance in the course is urged to contact the Dean of Students (deanofstudents@keene.edu), Gail Zimmerman, for support. Furthermore, please notify me if you are comfortable in doing so. This will enable me to provide any resources or information that I might have.

Note also that The Hungry Owl offers free food and personal care items to all students that may be in need.  Any student may pick up items at satellite locations at the Spaulding Gym, Rhodes, Elliot Center or Science Center (see bookshelves on the 3rd floor) or at the main location in Joslin.  Please see the Hungry Owl Facebook and Instagram and Twitter accounts for up to date information or stop by the Joslin House location (basement) to look at the bulletin board.  All student information is kept confidential. 

Official KSC Policy and Commitment to Privacy Protection

In this course we will be using various interactive web tools which have been selected to continue teaching and learning outside the physical classroom. These tools push us towards a better understanding and a better utilization of the changing landscape of online media. Assignments published on the web, unlike traditional “paper” assignments, can be shared, distributed, and critiqued by a global audience. Protecting individual privacy, as a matter of policy and practice, is of utmost concern to Keene State College. Therefore, information such as grades, the professor’s formal analysis of student assignments, or other information that should remain private will never be communicated through public channels on the web.

You should be aware that most applications used by Keene State provide a variety of options for maintaining and controlling access to your work. You are responsible for understanding the various privacy options the technology allows, and choosing options appropriate to your needs. You may also wish to license your material in ways that make it more easily shared and ensures that course-related assignments are not only credited appropriately, but that you determine the rights associated with your intellectual property (for more information about licensing your content please visit http://creativecommons.org).  (we will talk about this in class). 

If you are particularly concerned about your privacy, contact me in person or at kcangial@keene.edu to talk about your options.

Student Technology Support

Stay tuned for more information about student technology fellows that can provide some help. This domain site created by Emily Whitman has some tutorials.

Professor Info and Office Hours

Instructor:   Dr. Karen Cangialosi

email:  kcangial@keene.edu

twitter:  @karencang

I won’t have regular in-office hours this semester, but I will hold open zoom hours to be announced each week. I am available on twitter (just write @karencang then your message), via canvas message, email or we can arrange a zoom video conference nearly anytime you want. Just let me know.

Textbook:  what? no textbook? Nope, it’s all freely available online. 0$