Hi all, This is great timing as I am in my second round of 'becoming one of my students'. I have again travelled to a foreign place and begun to learn the culture and language of the place and reflect on the values that drive my curriculum development and implementation. The experiential learning around this has been powerful and I am wondering how such an experience of looking at myself as a learner and a teacher at the same time might be of use in the academic realm? The questions/concerns/ideas that have come up during this particular experience mainly have to do with: 1. How much curriculum is based on the instructor's knowledge vs. what the students need? 2. How much time is spent in reinforcing skills/knowledge/attitudes and how are those competencies measured? 3. How can/are different courses transferring skills/knowledge/attitudes for more in depth learning experiences? 4. How flexible are faculty when the 'program/course' needs tweaking Any thoughts would be appreciated. emma Life is full of obstacle illusions. Grant Frasier Emma Bourassa English as a Second or Additional Language/ Teaching English as a Second Language Instructor ESL Department Thompson Rivers University 900 McGill Road. P.O. Box 3010 Kamloops, B.C. V2C 5N3 (250) 371-5895 fax 371-5514 [log in to unmask] >>> From: Dee Fink <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Date: 09/06/2010 1:22 am Subject: New Listserv on "Designing Better Learning Experiences" For your Students Hello All, First, I would like to thank all of you for signing up on the new listserv on our "Designing Better Learning Expeirences" website. The response has been quite encouraging. As of today (Wednesday morning), over 60 people are on this list! Second, I would like to encourage you to start posting some *questions, concerns, or insights* to the listserv. Given the fact that you care so much about your teaching and your students' learning, it will be wonderful to read both the questions you ask and the comments/observations/experiences that you have to share! You can post a question or comment to the list simply by sending an email to: [log in to unmask] Then, if you want to respond to someone else's posting on the list, you can do this by clicking on "reply to all" on your email browser. I know many of you have questions about how to appply the principles of good course design. And if you do, almost for sure other people have the same question. Let's help each other by raising these questions and letting everyone help us/you find solutions! My Best, Dee Fink -- *********************** L. Dee Fink 234 Foreman Ave. Norman, OK 73069 Phone/FAX: 405-364-6464 Email: [log in to unmask] Website: www.finkconsulting.info **National Project Director: Teaching & Curriculum Improvement (TCI) Project **Senior Associate, Dee Fink & Associates Consulting Services **Author of: Creating Significant Learning Experiences **Former President of the POD Network in Higher Education (2004-2005)