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REFLECTIONS
Monthly News & Updates
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1-Day Workshop: Assessment for Quality Improvement in Campus Learning Environments | | |
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Join us before the 2024 PE Conference for this face-to-face workshop @ UIndy, Indianapolis! | | |
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Facilitators: Tris Utschig and Steve Beyerlein
Workshop Outcomes
- Experience and validate new tools and techniques for performing quality assessment
- Improve your ability to perform high quality self-assessment
- Learn the design principles and processes for building appropriate assessment systems and data collection tools
- Embed formative assessment in the design, delivery, and review of a broad range of campus programs
Workshop Activities
- Activity 1: Analyzing a Performance
- Activity 2: Comparing Assessment and Evaluation
- Activity 3: Using Assessment to Improve Assessment
- Activity 4: Designing an Assessment
- Activity 5: Assessment at Every Level
- Activity 6: Creating Meaningful Assessment Systems
Registration includes lunch and fellowship with a diverse array of participants.
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We are so very
sorry to announce that Carol Holmes, of New Glarus, WI passed away on
Friday, April 19 at OSF St. Anthony Medical Center in Rockford, IL.
Carol was a
founding member of the Academy of Process Educators and a passionate
collaborator who shared much time and expertise with us at Pacific
Crest. We will always be grateful for her contributions, not least as
editor of the Faculty Guidebook.
A part of the "MATC group", Carol was dedicated to the continuing
education of adult learners. She is fondly remembered by many of us as a
mentor, colleague, and friend.
A tribute page, including a link to Carol's obituary and personal memories of several Academy members, is available here.
A memorial service
will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 1, 2024 at the Swiss United
Church of Christ, 18 Fifth Ave., New Glarus, WI. A gathering will
precede the memorial service from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on Saturday,
June 1, 2024, at the Swiss United Church of Christ in New Glarus.
Memorial gifts are
suggested to be given to Habitat for Humanity of Green County, and the
Swiss United Church of Christ in New Glarus.
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Context is
one of those words you will encounter again and again, without anyone
offering anything like a useful definition. It is something of a
catch-all word usually used to mean “all those things in the situation
which are relevant to meaning in some sense, but which I haven’t
identified”. —Noel Williams | |
In the famous Ebbinghaus illusion (at right), the orange dots
seem to be different sizes but are actually the same dimensions. The
difference between them is not in the dots themselves. The perceptual
size of each dot changes because of what is around it—its context. | |
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Context
matters. In face, some say context is EVERYTHING. It certainly matters
when we're talking about performance. But in that case, there are two
kinds of context: the context of the performance and the context of the
performer. Here's a good explanation of each with enough information to
help you improve, appreciate, assess, and even evaluate any performance
more effectively. | |
The context of the performance |
Consider
our pirate, Walmart Jim (it will become clear). While his identity is
that of pirate, he is not always in performance mode. In fact, he has
promised his sister that while he’s watching her kids, he will be only
Uncle Jim and NOT perform as a pirate, though he does take his parrot
with him to entertain the kids. The context of Jim’s performance as
pirate is limited to “the high seas”, “desert islands”, and whatever
coastal villages Jim has his crew pillage (the where). He prefers to
limit acts of piracy to weekdays... | | | |
The context of the performer |
Personal Context & Gardening Success | Felicity
enjoys growing some of her own vegetables in a smallish garden in her
back yard. She lives in Vancouver, so her growing season is a lot
shorter than that of her friend, Helen (who lives in Tuscaloosa).
Felicity is teaching a heavier load than usual at the local college, so
has less time for the garden this summer. In general, Felicity is
willing to grow most any vegetable she can cook, can, or freeze, but
draws the line at zucchini, which she simply can’t stand... | | | |
The
Self-Growth Institute offers an unparalleled opportunity to embark on a
transformative journey of both personal and professional development. | |
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Lodging information is now available (click to view).
And here are maps to the meeting locations:
Oakes Learning Center Rachel Carson Dining Hall Oakes Kahlo Apartments
The Self-Growth Institute will help you build your
personal capabilities so you can increase your quality of life. Here
are the outcomes participants will achieve:
- Understand who you are, who you want to become by envisioning the best version of yourself and producing a strategic plan for your life
- Establish your own monthly measure of life quality
- Develop growth capabilities that help produce a monthly increase in life quality by improving your learning performance
- Design your self-growth journey by learning how to generate life enriching opportunities
- Learn how to make each week the best week of your life
so far by increasing reflective powers to enhance relationships and
life meaning, developing active growth plans, and weekly scripting
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Be open to meeting new people
"All real living is meeting." —Martin Buber
When
we meet another, we are presented with a choice of whether or not to
risk ourselves. To take the time and risk of opening ourselves to
another means being willing to lose a measure of control over our
interaction and the direction it takes. To take this risk is to embrace
living a richer life than we could possibly script ourselves.
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Recently,
I had the opportunity to meet new people. This only happened because I
intentionally opened myself up to meeting new people. While traveling to
spend a holiday with family, I struck up a conversation was started
with someone else who was also waiting for the plane. The conversation
was not long — maybe 15 minutes. But as I reflected on it during the
flight, I realized that purely as a result of our time talking, I had
learned from them. I saw some aspects of my life differently. And I came
away accepting some new challenges for myself that will surely provide
opportunities for growth.
I
could not possibly have planned that meeting and sharing; I did not
know this person and it was coincidence that we found ourselves seated
near one another. But had I not responded to their conversational sally
with an interested “Oh?”, my life would not be a good degree richer
right now.
I
took another lesson from that chance encounter because after I arrived
at my destination and was together with people I have known my entire
life (or their entire life, in the case of my younger siblings), I
realized that although I knew them, they were still strangers in a
way…they had life experiences, ideas, traits, and so much more than I
knew nothing about. I found myself responding again and again with an
interested, “Oh?” and ‘meeting’ them again. It was amazing getting to
know them better. I intentionally opened myself up to experiencing and
appreciating them in a way I had never done before. And what I took from
that time has made my life richer still.
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Tuesday, June 11 - Thursday, June 13 | | | | |
