Grant Summary
$215,000 over 36 months to University of Kansas, Park University, Elon University, and Rockhurst University to develop humanities courses that use time outside of class for first exposure and processing of knowledge so that time in class is liberated for interactive learning aimed at advanced understanding. The project will convene local seminars for developing and sharing redesigned instruction that uses face-to-face time for engaged learning. All participants will meet once each year to build inter-institutional working groups to provide feedback on instructional designs and on evidence of student understanding. Each participant will maintain a reflective, electronic portfolio of course materials, including a syllabus, descriptions of learning activities in and outside of class, assignments, and samples of student work. Peers will review the course portfolios and engage in virtual and face-to-face meetings to analyze and learn from the experiences. A public repository of the portfolios will make the products of this project available, and participants will gather in a writing residency to craft reports suitable for a variety of public venues.