Diego Palacios

ENGL4183

05/09/16
Revised Final Version

Cover Sheet
Carl DuPont, carldupont@gmail.com
Jeanmarie Higgins, jhiggi16@uncc.edu
Jonathan Mayhorn, jpmayhor@uncc.edu

Draft date
February 6, 2016

Status:
More information will be added under Evolution/Story for SLO3 Cultural Awareness
Second Case Study for SLO3 Cultural Awareness

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I. Commitment to Success
a. Evolution/Story
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte seeks to leverage its position as the states main
urban research university to provide a robust intellectual environment that values social and
cultural diversity, free expression, collegiality, integrity, and mutual respect (University of North
Carolina at Charlotte). In order to achieve this goal successfully, the University seeks to engage
incoming students in their first semester through the Prospect for Success (PFS) courses in
order to integrate these principles into their own concept of success for them and the institution
that seeks to serve them. This SLO is commitment to success.

According to the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) successful students will be able to:
set specific and realistic goals,
identify strategies for achieving those goals,
Identify support networks for achieving those goals, and
Take responsibility for achieving success (QEP).
Engaged students who are capable of setting goals, strategizing, and achieving those goals will
form a student body with higher academic achievement in the freshman year and a higher
likelihood to graduate in a timely fashion (QEP). In this respect, the academic goals of the
individual student and the institutional should coalesce. Ultimately, performance outcomes will
be charted as performance metrics reported annually to the University of North Carolina system
and success will be measured through one-year, four-year, and six year retention rates, as well
as attempted hours per baccalaureate degree (QEP)
b. Documentation/Theory/Strategies
In order for students to succeed, they must develop intellectual and academic competence.
Two important ways to define that success are a favorable grade point averages of completed
courses and progressing to the second year of enrollment (Ishler & Upcraft).
Retention is an important metric for the University. Research shows that in order for first-year
students to persist into their second year, they need for feel incorporated into the intellectual and
social communities of the institution (Ishler & Upcraft). The PFS courses are intended as one of
the myriad of communities that students encounter, with this one being specifically geared to
foster a scholarly community in a student body that is increasingly demographically diverse and
is capable of vastly differing conceptions of how such a group should behave (Ishler).
For the benefit of the students, the structure of the PFS course is adaptable in order to be
institution specific and discipline specific, as well as being systematic in order to communicate
the ideals of academia and guide students towards practical methods of establishing and
achieving goals. This entails equipping students with functional skills to navigate college life,
complete assignments, and conceptualize their course of study, as well as directing students to

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the resources available at the University to support them when they experience personal,
mental, social, and academic challenges.
Students who are active partners in the learning experience become exceptional; they are able
to identify what they want to achieve and have the skills, knowledge, and motivation needed to
accomplish those goals (QEP).

SLO 1: COMMITMENT TO SUCCESS

GOAL SETTING
3 = Goals are specific
and realistic

STRATEGIES

1 = Goals stated by are

not specific or realistic

3 = Articulates several (3+)

specific strategies for achieving
goals
2 = Articulates a few (1-2)
specific strategies for achieving
goals
1 = Articulates only vague
strategies for achieving goals

0 = No evidence

0 = No evidence

2 =Goals are somewhat

specific and realistic

CHANGE Adaptation with

experience
3 = Recognizes and specifically
describes the need to make
changes in light of experience.
2 = Recognizes the need to make
changes in light of experience
1 = Shows limited recognition of
the need to make changes in light
of experience

1 = No evidence

c.Case Studies
Example 1
Foundations in Dance: SETTING PERSONAL GOALS Project
At the beginning of the semester:
1) Write a one-paragraph biography as you imagine yourself in ten years.
What will your job be?
What education will you have attained?
2) Write a one-paragraph biography that presents you as a young professional.
What do you want to achieve? List five or six goals for yourself at different stages:
for ten years from today.
for the second semester of your senior year.
for the end of this academic year.
for the end of this semester.
3) Underneath each goal, write 4-5 strategic actions you will take to achieve your goals.
At the end of the semester:

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4) Write a one or two paragraph reflection:

What did I learn about myself as a self-directed goal setter this semester?
Example 2
Commitment to Success College of Engineering First Semester PFS Assignment
In the William States Lee College of Engineering, our PFS-based assignment in the Introduction
to Engineering Practices and Principles I (ENGR 1201) and the Introduction to Engineering
Technology (ETGR 1201) courses, begins by reminding students that:
The Engineering, Engineering Technology, and Construction Management majors are
not exclusively about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and that the
careers that come from them will force them to engage a very wide variety of people.
Communications, decision making, and the practice of their profession are typically done
in a very open and observable way.
To help students model their success, they are asked to develop a personal growth plan based
on the Whole Life Concepts Model (see Fig. 1 and 2). The goal of the Whole Life Concepts
Project is for students to:
Develop an understanding of their personal passion and how it came to be.
Identify short-term, long-term, and career goals and strategies, and the impacts they
could make.
Understand the nature and extent of technical and non-technical skills and knowledge,
and the professional development activities, skills, and knowledge that will be required to
achieve their stated goals and objectives.
This Whole Life Concepts Project is intended to be a research- and writing-intensive project that
requires significant self-reflection. The outcomes should serve as a compass for how a student
thinks and acts as a professional-in-training, and provide students with a basis for
understanding why it is that they are willing to work so hard to earn a degree. As students
complete the project, they are reminded that if they find their passion to be inconsistent with the
impact that they want to make, now is the time to change course.

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Figure 1. Whole Life Concepts Model Outline

Model Details

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Figure 2. Whole Life Concepts

II.Inquiry
a. Evolution/Story
UNC Charlotte students experience inquiry as an open-ended process that explores evidence
and approaches to generate ideas and conclusions. Students who are active partners in the
educational experience are often curious. They understand that knowledge should be gained
through their academic journey rather than just received like a gift. As they leave the Prospect
for Success classes, they will be on their way to mastering the process of inquiry which allows
them to construct knowledge in their continued academic journey.
b. Documentation/Theory/Strategies
Student learning outcomes for inquiry are evaluated via a reflective writing assignment in the
discipline-specific freshman course. These courses typically require students to learn a specific
tool or skill and complete projects in their chosen discipline over the course of the semester. The
assignment given provides a valuable component of the first year curriculum for students to
reflect what they learned over the semester. As shown in the rubric below, inquiry instructors
grade their student assignments on three dimensions: exploratory process,
evidence/approaches, and originality.

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SLO 2: INQUIRY
EXPLORATORY
PROCESS
3 = Discussion and/or
results indicate that the
focus of inquiry evolved
2 = Discussion and/or
results indicate that the
focus of inquiry evolved
a little
1 = Discussion and/or
results indicate that the
focus of inquiry was
static and narrowly
focused

0 = No evidence

EVIDENCE/ APPROACHES

ORIGINALITY

3 = Discussion and/or results

indicate substantial exploration
of appropriate evidence or
approaches
2 =Discussion and/or results
indicate some exploration of
appropriate evidence or
approaches
1 = Discussion and/or results
indicate limited exploration of
appropriate evidence or
approaches

3 = Strong evidence of
originality in discussion
or results of inquiry

0 = No evidence

0 = No evidence

2 = Some evidence of
originality in discussion
or results of inquiry
1 = Limited evidence of
originality in discussion
or results of inquiry

Table 1: Inquiry Grading Rubric

c. Example Strategies
Some example strategies used by instructors to develop the outcome of inquiry are outlined
here:
1. A short writing assignment asking the student to describe what motivates them to learn
or to be curious. They would have to give an example of going above and beyond the
minimum requirements on an assignment. Furthermore, they must explain how this
assignment fueled their curiosity about a particular topic of interest.
2. A short writing assignment that allows the student to reflect on what they have learned in a
course and how they will utilize that knowledge in their future academic or professional careers.
d. Case Studies
For the first case study, a Prospect for Success course uses team based projects that guide
students through a methodology that allows them to generate and evaluate ideas, as well as
design and implement solutions. The instructor follows up with a short memo assignment to ask
a few questions about inquiry such as:
1. How can you connect the knowledge and skills learned from this project to your future
academic or professional career?
2. Using the methodology within this project, you were allowed to generate knowledge
through critical thinking rather than being given the answer. How was this methodology
similar and different than your traditional homework assignments that required you to
just memorize information?
3. Now that you have been exposed to this project, what are some of the topics you are
curious to learn more about over the next few years and why do you want to learn more
about them?
For the second case study, a Prospect for Success instructor has students write short forum
posts each week in Moodle that are between 250 and 300 words. These forum posts ask the

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students to reflect on what they learned in class that week and how they will apply what they
have learned to their future academic or professional career. An example rubric used to grade
the forum posts in Moodle is shown below.
Forum Post Rubric:
25% - It must contains 250-300 Words
25% - It must answer the question
25% - It must demonstrate personal awareness
25% - It must be free of grammatical and misspelling errors
At the end of the semester, the students are asked to write a one-page memo reflecting on
everything they learned over the semester and how it is connected to their lives now and in the
future. Students should be well prepared to write these final memos in a concise and impactful
manner since the 14 weeks of forum posts have prepared them for the assignment. The inquiry
grading rubric mentioned in Table 1 above is used to assess the outcomes of this assignment
III. Cultural Awareness
a. Evolution/Story
Cultural Awareness is the understanding of yourself and that of others whose world view and
experiences differ.
b. Documentation

SLO 3: CULTURAL AWARENESS

AWARENESS OF SELF

AWARENESS OF OTHERS

3 = Strong awareness of
how culture and experience
shape own perspectives
and capacities
2 = Some awareness of
how culture and experience
shape own perspectives
and capacities
1 = Limited awareness of
how culture and experience
shape own perspectives
and capacities

3 = Strong awareness of how

culture and experience shape
others' perspectives and
capacities
2 = Some awareness of how
culture and experience shape
others' perspectives and
capacities
1 = Limited awareness of how
culture and experience shape
others' perspectives and
capacities

0 = No evidence

0 = No evidence

c. Case Studies

OPENNESS TO MULTIPLE
PONTS OF VIEW
3 = Strong consideration of
multiple points of view

2 = Some consideration of
multiple points of view

1 = Limited consideration of
multiple points of view

0 = No evidence

Diego Palacios
ENGL4183

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The following PFS assignment is from the Theatre Department. The Performance Tradition
presentation is a three-four minute team presentation about a performance tradition unfamiliar
to students. Students work in pairs to research, create, and present an introduction to a
performance tradition. In addition to teaching research and presentation skills, these collective
presentations become study materials for course exams in theatre history.
The course:
The Theatre Experience is an introduction to performance, technology, and history for new
theatre majors. Students complete many assignments, such as writing a short play, directing a
scene, and serving on a department running crew for a theatre production. Introductions to
Theatre History courses are usually large classes, and so provide little opportunity for individual
projects. This is not the case for The Theatre Experience since The Prospect for Success
provides an opportunity to assign presentation projects in an area of theatre history. Further,
adapting to the SLO of Cultural Awareness focuses this project in a useful way.
Outside of content mastery, the Performance Tradition Presentation aligns with three key
theatre department goals: to develop presentation skills (a skill especially needed by directors
and designers); to understand that performance happens in many ways and in many places;
and to work effectively as a member of a team.
The assignment:
Pairs of students are assigned a different performance tradition; examples include New Orleans
Carnival, Japanese Kabuki Theatre, or Italian Commedia Dellarte. This assignment also
integrates the Inquiry SLO. Students are asked to consult three sources--their textbook, a
theatre encyclopedia, and one or more books that they physically check out or download as
eBooks from the library (we reserve class time for this field trip).
Students are directed to use a few, peer-reviewed resources in order to research their topic.
Furthermore, they are limited to three minutes to make their presentation. To focus their
energies further, they are required to use no less than five and no more than ten slides, none of
which may have any text.
This assignment yields a few key artifacts--the presentation slides themselves, a single
authored one-paragraph reflective essay, and a rewrite of this same reflective essay in an exam
setting (two-three paragraphs). The reflective essay asks students to answer questions
about their research process, thus relating to the Inquiry SLO.

The assignment given to students:

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Write a two-three paragraph essay (each student must write his or her own essay) that
addresses the answers to the following questions, expanding on the essay you wrote for
the Performance Tradition Presentation Assignment.
What did you know about your topic before reading Chapter 5 of Think Theatre?
What did you learn from the chapter about your topic?
What additional sources did you consult? How did they contribute to your understanding
of your topic?
What additional/interesting/surprising things do you know about your topic now?
A rewrite of the essay measures SLO 3, Cultural Awareness: The assignment continues:
How might you apply knowledge of this new form into your own theatre practice, either
directly or indirectly?
Compare and contrast this performance form with one you were already familiar with
specifically, a football game, or musical theatre, or a cheerleading performance: what
similarities and differences are there between the two?
How do these similarities and differences reflect the cultures or societies that practice
these forms?

IV. How To Do This (Implementation and Execution)

a. Refinement/Evolution/Interpretation

What has worked and what has not?

Pilots and Initial Implementation
Models

Disciplinary Based: Introduction to

Pre-existing vs. New

Credit Hour Assignments

What are the tensions? (Will be discussed in greater depth
in the Working With University Partners section)
What are the challenges? (Will be discussed in greater
depth in the Working With University Partners section)

b. Documentation/Theory/Strategies

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Overview of recent literature relating to challenges of first year students

and how first year seminars can impact their academic careers.
Identify the primary challenges and approaches being
taken to help or mitigate issues.
c. Case Studies

Two Video Testimonials of students and their advisors (would these

specifically be students who experienced a PFS course as a freshmen?)
First generation college student
Legacy college student
Student Practices
Reflection
Case study reflection
Instructor Practices
Common strategies and practices
Visual (Jeanmarie will be adding to this section) case study - creating
visual artifacts
Kinesthetic case study - creating hands-on projects
o Tasks
Integrating your Prospect course into disciplinary goals (beyond the first year)
o Strategies
Flipping the classroom (Information out of class, Application in class)
V. Working with University Partners
o Library
o International Students Organization
o Preceptors
How to effectively utilize preceptors within a course to support the prospect for
success initiative

References

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Ishler, J. L. C. (2005). Todays first-year students. In M. L. Upcraft, J. N. Gardner, and B.O.

Barefott (Eds.) Challenging and supporting the first-year student (27-46). San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass.
Ishler, J. L. C, & Upcraft, M. L. (2005). The keys of first-year student persistence. In M. L.
Upcraft, J. N. Gardner, and B.O. Barefott (Eds.) Challenging and supporting the firstyear student (27-46). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
University of North Carolina at Charlotte (2013). Quality Enhancement Plan. Retrieved from
http://prospect.uncc.edu/sites/prospect.uncc.edu/files/media/QEP%20Final.pdf

Project Assessment

Diego Palacios
ENGL4183

05/09/16
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This edited version contains many different changes and corrections done to improve
the quality of the writing, taking into consideration many factors such as audience of the writing,
time available to complete, the instructors suggestions, and my own experience in technical
writing. My main focus in making these corrections was to help make the reading easier to
digest and making sure to guide the reader through proper alignments and aesthetics
improvements. With my experience in reading and writing many reports in the computer science
field, even relatively uninteresting topics can be made more engaging when the paper is
organized well. This paper seemed to suffer from many awkward indentations, as well as
paragraphs and lists being uneven which gave the paper a very unprofessional and rushed
design, although it is possible that different version of word were used and caused many of the
aesthetics problems to arise between transitions. There were also many instances of
grammatical errors and questionable choices, such as using many unnecessary adjectives,
sometimes even two in a row. Lastly, there were many titles in this reading that were not well
grouped or defined to appear as a cohesive unit, so I made several attempts at making sure to
distinguish the different titles in the sections additions properties such as numbering,
indentations, bolding, and underlining.
As mentioned, there were many alignment and indentations issues with the paper
possibly due to using different versions of word. In order to mitigate these aesthetics issues, I
manually realigned many of the paragraphs and listed that were off. I chose the different table
styles because the ones used had missing lines and was fairly off putting, as well as making
sure the table did not split into two pages. I also made sure the figures had proper captions and
change the sizes of the pictures to fit properly and reduce the amount of white space. On
grammatical errors, there were not many spelling error but many sentences used double
adjectives or adverbs that were unnecessary as the audience are faculty members and do not
need to be impressed with exaggeratedly optimistic writing. There were also many instances of
the writing having very rare or overly sophisticated words which may pass over the readers
head, as I found myself having to look up many of the words to understand their meaning.
Lastly, the reading had many sections and titles to go along with them but they were not
consistence and it was hard to tell when a section or chapter began and ended. I opted to make
defining changes to each title to make sure that the reader knows when they are going from one
section to another by using things like underlining and numbering. This change should help
readers keep up with the reading and to be able to go back and revise any parts of the paper if
needed without getting lost.

Diego Palacios
ENGL4183

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While the changes made go a long way, there are still some other changes to look
forward to for the portfolio version. I was unable to properly make a cover sheet from the one
that was made for the paper. While not necessary, it can help to make the look of the paper
more professional so I will be looking into some standard cover sheets that may suit the paper
better based on purpose and audience. Also, there is a small index of table or content that the
paper came and with the newly revised titles, it would be a great idea to later make the index
for the paper due to all the sections and parts of the paper.

Diego Palacios
ENGL4183

05/09/16
Revised Final Version