Title of Presentation
Educating the Whole Person: A Mini-Course Designed to Integrate Head, Heart, and Hands
Location
Kennedy Union Room 310
Start Date
4-1-2023 10:00 AM
End Date
4-1-2023 10:50 AM
Abstract/Description
How can a humanities-based mini-course that employs experiential learning help first-year students better understand their vocation by serving others? For the past year, teams of faculty and staff at UD have worked out answers to this complicated question, developing four versions of new mini-course students will take this spring: Educating the Whole Person. Each section of this mini-course will be taught collaboratively by a faculty or staff member with the aid of a community partner. By studying a core set of texts in the humanities, serving others through experiential learning, and reflecting deeply on their own vocations, students will learn about themselves, the direction of their education at UD, and the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Students will develop a sense of agency and enhance their leadership skills as they use their knowledge, gifts, skills, and passion to make a difference in other people’s lives.
Speakers at this presentation will tell the story of Educating the Whole Person, focusing on the program’s genesis, goals, funding, design, and delivery. Speakers will include two of the three PIs on the NEH grant funding the mini-course’s creation, as well as faculty and staff who will be teaching sections of the class this spring. We will review the student learning goals shaping the mini-course and explore how attaining them will help students connect vital aspects of their education: study in the humanities, service to others, and vocational discernment. Course instructors will describe how they collaborated with a community partner to design their section of the course. Following these brief presentations, we will open the session for questions and invite those attending to share how they, too, have attempted to “educate the whole person” in their courses and programs.
Educating the Whole Person: A Mini-Course Designed to Integrate Head, Heart, and Hands
Kennedy Union Room 310
How can a humanities-based mini-course that employs experiential learning help first-year students better understand their vocation by serving others? For the past year, teams of faculty and staff at UD have worked out answers to this complicated question, developing four versions of new mini-course students will take this spring: Educating the Whole Person. Each section of this mini-course will be taught collaboratively by a faculty or staff member with the aid of a community partner. By studying a core set of texts in the humanities, serving others through experiential learning, and reflecting deeply on their own vocations, students will learn about themselves, the direction of their education at UD, and the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Students will develop a sense of agency and enhance their leadership skills as they use their knowledge, gifts, skills, and passion to make a difference in other people’s lives.
Speakers at this presentation will tell the story of Educating the Whole Person, focusing on the program’s genesis, goals, funding, design, and delivery. Speakers will include two of the three PIs on the NEH grant funding the mini-course’s creation, as well as faculty and staff who will be teaching sections of the class this spring. We will review the student learning goals shaping the mini-course and explore how attaining them will help students connect vital aspects of their education: study in the humanities, service to others, and vocational discernment. Course instructors will describe how they collaborated with a community partner to design their section of the course. Following these brief presentations, we will open the session for questions and invite those attending to share how they, too, have attempted to “educate the whole person” in their courses and programs.
