Monday, November 1, 2010

Faculty showcase: Creative content-based online ice breaker

Our inaugural "Faculty Showcase" activity comes from Ginger Silverman as implemented in her OLCU 301 "Supervision and Leadership" course. Her approach weaves several objectives:
1) It provides a "hook" for students to introduce themselves to one another
2) It provides the instructor with a baseline means to assess where the students sit in terms of their understanding of the subject matter at the opening of the course
3) It provides students with a means of reflecting on their own thought growth relative to the subject matter at the end of the course.
4) And it kick-starts the course in a creative fashion!

Thanks Ginger for sharing your success with this activity!

Title: Supervisory Skills Photo Sort
Assignment Description: Search the internet, publications, etc. for two photos that depict: 1) What effective supervisory skills mean to you and 2) What it mean sto have ineffective supervisory skills. Discuss why the photos represent this to you. Also, discuss the role of the supervisor vis-à-vis the corporation, team and individual mentoring. The photos need not be a realistic representation of a supervisor in action – you can choose something that is more metaphorical. For example, a tornado could depict ineffective supervisory skills, while a teacher in front of a classroom of third graders could represent effective skills. Be as creative as possible! You will upload this assignment, with the photos embedded, as a word document. We anticipate your discussion being between 2 and 3 pages long, double-spaced.
Instructor comments & observations: The students’ commitment to this assignment was thrilling. They were creative, insightful, and inspiring. Everyone enjoyed the assignment – even students who confessed to "not being creative" enjoyed it. Next time I would like to have the students post them to a communal place on BB so they can see each other’s submissions.

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