CONTENTS for April 17, 2002

1. Reflections on Teaching and Learning - Rhodes College
2. Students Creating ACS Course Delivery System
3. Fourth IT Staff Symposium Planned
4. Student Music Composition Competition Receives 16 Entries
5 Digital Image Archive Named and Seeking Contributors
6. Environmental Courses - Sustainability and Spirituality
7. Sustainable Development in the Global Community Courses
8. ACS Receives Grant For Assessment and Evaluation of Sunoikisis
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1. REFLECTIONS ON TEACHING AND LEARNING

"If the teacher is indeed wise he does not bid you enter the house of his wisdom, but rather leads you to the threshold of your own mind." (Khalil Gibran, The Prophet)

The ongoing challenge to create a classroom space that accommodates such thinking reminds me of my first undergraduate teaching experience. It was a summer course for the Consortium of the Niagara Frontier, a group of private colleges in upstate New York that participated in a state-funded program through which prison inmates could earn college degrees. One night a week for three hours during the months of June and July, I met with fifteen male students, most of whom were considerably older and serving life sentences without possibility for parole. Under the watchful eyes of several guards, we discussed readings in World Religions. In spite of the environment, the teaching experience was almost idyllic. The students always came to class fully prepared, and many read unassigned, supplemental texts. They were soft-spoken and articulate; they listened carefully to one another and to the texts. Their motivation to learn was not tied to future employment or financial gain. As a result, the classroom space acquired new meaning for me. In their weekly quest to define the classroom as a controlled space that privileged their minds, they gifted me with a new perspective on the purpose of education. Bernadette McNary-Zak, Rhodes College.

We invite you to share your "reflection" or a website that enhances your teaching. Please send the submission of 250 words or less to McNary_Zak@rhodes.edu. Include full contact nformation.

2. STUDENTS CREATING ACS COURSE DELIVERY SYSTEM

Three Southwestern University students enrolled in Suzanne Buchele's capstone software engineering course are creating a "course delivery system" for ACS. When complete, this software will be used to create and deliver consortium inter-institutional collaborative courses (ICC's), such as the spring Archaeology Practicum, now being offered for the 4th time. Students Leigh Lambert, Rob Reid and Angela Roles have been working to create specifications, design and code the application. Students in Buchele's course bid on projects proposed by Southwestern faculty, then work with their client during the semester. ACS is considering the creation of a summer program for students that would operate on similar principles: teams of upper-level computer science students would take on projects proposed by consortium faculty and staff.

3. FOURTH IT STAFF SYMPOSIUM PLANNED

ACS is planning its fourth meeting for consortium IT staff, to focus on training issues, customer service, and/or IT leadership. We welcome all staff in IT-related areas to send us your preferences for dates and topics by completing our online survey, linked to http://www.colleges.org/~support/. If you would be willing to help coordinate or present at the meeting, please contact Jim Busby, busby@colleges.org or Sharon McEuen, mceuens@southwestern.edu.

4. STUDENT MUSIC COMPOSITION COMPETITION RECEIVES 16 ENTRIES

ACS received 16 entries from seven institutions for its 1st Annual Music Composition Competition. The winning composition will be debuted at the ACS Music faculty workshop (July 24-28) at its opening new music concert on July 27. Judges are Evan Chambers (Associate Professor of Composition and Director of Electronic Music Studios at the University of Michigan);
Don Freund (Chair of Music Composition Department at Indiana University) and Samuel Adler, (Professor of Composition at the Eastman School of Music 1974-97, currently on the faculty of The Juilliard School of Music). This unique opportunity enables undergraduate composers to have their works critiqued by world-renowned scholars and composers. It also provides them an opportunity to get to know the works of faculty and student composers within the ACS composers forum.

5. DIGITAL IMAGE ARCHIVE NAMED AND SEEKING CONTRIBUTORS

The digital archive project for languages sponsored by Alianco and Global Partners now has a name: REALIA (Rich Electronic Archive for Language Instruction Anywhere). Design for this searchable digitized media database began in February, and the prototype will feature credited and annotated images from daily life. The first phase of the project will focus on materials for Spanish and Russian. Interested contributors are welcome to contact Jeff Barnett (Spanish, BarnettJ@wlu.edu) or Arlene Forman (Russian, Arlene.Forman@oberlin.edu) about the submission process. For more information, see: http://www.colleges.org/~alianco/Alianco_media.html.

6. ENVIRONMENTAL COURSES - SUSTAINABILITY AND SPIRITUALITY

"Southwest Pilgrimage: Arizona and New Mexico," May 23-June 2. Please contact Jay McDaniel at jmcdaniel@hendrix.edu.

"Restoring the Scottish Highlands," also May 23-June 2. Please contact Laura Hobgood-Oster at hoboster@southwestern.edu.

"Core Course on Spirituality and Sustainability: Consumer society vs. Christian, Native American, and Buddhist traditions," Heifer Ranch, 6/2-6/6/02. For more info, please contact Jay McDaniel at jmdaniel@hendrix.edu or Laura Hobgood-Oster at hoboster@southwestern.edu.

7. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY COURSES

"Living in the Yucatan," 5/28-6/21. Please see http://www.colleges.org/~enviro/programs/yucatan.html for more information..

"Sustainable Development in Costa Rica," 6/1-7/15. For more information, please see http://www.colleges.org/~enviro/programs/costarica.html.

"Water Purification in the Dominican Republic" 6/3-7/12/02. For more information, please contact Pedro Bernal at pbernal@rollins.edu.
http://www.rollins.edu/int-programs/water.html

8. ACS RECEIVES GRANT FOR ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION OF SUNOIKISIS

ACS has received a grant of $380,000 from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for assessment and evaluation of Sunoikisis, our consortial program in Classics and Archaeology. Over a three-year period Susan H. Frost (Vice-President for Strategic Development, Emory University) and Deborah Olsen (Director of Institutional Research, Virginia Tech) will administer a series of program evaluations, gather and analyze institutional, student and faculty data, and write a report regarding the effectiveness of Sunoikisis in the context of ACS classics programs. This assessment will consider both the liberal arts and "online learning" aspects of Sunoikisis
programming, thus paving the way for assessments of similar collaborative efforts at ACS and beyond. For more information, please contact Suzanne Bonefas, bonefas@colleges.org.

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