The Syllabus Project

The Syllabus Project Faculty Learning Community (FLC) is a 10-month learning community that will bring together faculty from our 10 Areas of Study to explore one of the key components of the teaching and learning process – the syllabus!

In researching the ‘purpose’ of a syllabus, we find it described as the ‘guide’ or ‘agenda’ for what will happen in a course during the teaching period — Indeed, the word “syllabus” is a Late Latin term meaning “list.” It has traditionally contained details about the course logistics, contact information, course objectives, assessments, what activities will take place throughout the semester and all related student expectations and requirements.

Researchers have found that there are three purposes that it serves:

1. as a record of the course,
2. as a contract between the instructor and the student, and
3. as a learning tool (Parkes & Harris, 2002).

This learning community will focus on the third purpose – the syllabus as a learning tool. Faculty teams will explore instructional and information strategies with the syllabus in mind that help students feel belonging and consider their strengths, skills, values, interests, and needs to find purpose and pursue meaningful work and careers. Participants in the Syllabus Project FLC will connect, collaborate and foster a culture of care through a learning community using equity, diversity, and inclusion frameworks and the power of purpose and belonging (EDI-PB) in course syllabi.

FACULTY TEAMS

Team 1: Lifelong Learners
Color: Orange

Angela Hadlock – Interdisciplinary Health Sciences
Anne “Shellie” Withrow – Interdisciplinary Health Sciences
Sherry Blum – Interdisciplinary LA: Philosophy/Humanities

Team 2: STEMsters
Color: Turquoise

Brooke Hollingsworth – SEM
Paula Talley – SEM
Samantha Soebbing – SEM

Team 3: The Facilitators
Color: Blue

Devin Preston – Interdisciplinary SEM: Biology
Tolly James Jr. – Interdisciplinary DMCAT
Rodney E Rohde – Interdisciplinary SEM: Biology

Team 4: LDL
Color: Green

Diane Echevarria – Interdisciplinary Foreign Language
Laura DiMeo – Interdisciplinary RTF
Stacy (Liz) Hundley – Interdisciplinary Hospitality

Team 5: Co-Defenders
Color: Purple

James M Gividen (Mike) – LA: Government
Vanessa Faz – LA: Government

Team 6: Labor ipse voluptas, Color: Red

Don Morris – LA: SDEV/EDUC
Marissa Burrill – LA: SDEV/EDUC

Team 7: The Orange Zone
Color: Orange

Corinne Coons-Gallagher – LA: SDEV/EDUC
Natalia Almanza – LA: SDEV/EDUC
Paul Smith – LA: SDEV/EDUC

Team 8: KASH-in for Belonging!
Color: Yellow

Amber Sarker – Interdisciplinary LA: SDEV/EDUC
Heather Syrett – Interdisciplinary LA: SDEV/EDUC
Kendall Dingee – Interdisciplinary LA: CLS
Stephanie Frausto – Interdisciplinary LA: CLS

Team 9: Illuminators
Color: Slate PS

Anja Ketcham – LA: CLS
Susan Meigs – LA: CLS
Virginia Villareal – LA: CLS

Team 10: Lavender
Color: Lavender

Amy Velchoff – LA: Interdisciplinary Studies / Sociology
Ariana Cortes – LA: Sociology
Jackie Burns – LA: Interdisciplinary Studies / Sociology

Application

Participation is by application only and open to all full-time and adjunct instructional faculty. Applicants are welcome to apply as individuals or as Area of Study teams of 2 to 4 members. All accepted faculty will form teams of at least 2 members. Each accepted faculty will also receive a $1020 stipend. The FLC will include 40 individuals across 10 areas of study.

The deadline has passed and applicants have been notified.

Schedule

Opening Seminar: “Purpose and Belonging-Informed Educator”

Date: July 27th and July 28th, 2022

Time: 8:30am – 12:00pm

Location: Eastview Campus (EVC) Multipurpose Room 8500, 3401 Webberville Rd, Austin, TX 78702, USA

The opening seminar will be in-person.

FLC Meeting Dates

The monthly presentations by key experts on EDI syllabus strategies from September through March will be 1-hour sessions from Noon to 1:00 pm over zoom.

The closing presentation event on April 21, 2023 (Noon to 2:00 pm) will be hyflex. FLC participants will be presenting.

Location: TBD.

PLEASE NOTE:
This is a tentative schedule and dates are subject to change.

FALL 2022
September 23
October 21
November 18
December 2*

*The December session will be from Noon-2:00 pm for team collaborations.

SPRING 2023
January 27
February 24
March 24
April 21**

**The April session will be from Noon to 2:00 pm and will be the closing presentation event.

Contact

If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Susan Warner-Sanchez, susan.warner-sanchez@austincc.edu.