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July 24, 2001
The Instructional Support Committee (ISC), charged with encouraging teaching initiatives and ensuring the auxiliary support necessary for the successful completion of pedagogical objectives, discussed and made recommendations concerning plans for the new
library building, the use of classroom space, and technology proposals from ITS. In addition, ISC provided oversight for the allocation of funds granted for curricular and faculty development. The Committee met biweekly. Minutes are on the Web at:
Instructional Support Committee
The Library: Members of ISC attended several meetings in the fall with architects and selected members of the Library Planning Committee to discuss plans as they were being developed. In a memo to the Librarian of the College, ISC recommended
that
faculty members have a strong voice in the planning for the new library. The Committee recommended that technology be an important part of the new library but that the character of the building should
"proclaim the importance of the pursuit of knowledge and encourage independent study and research." The Committee also suggested that the IMTS staff should remain in the same buildings as the faculty with whom they work and that the library may not be
the best place for additional faculty offices, classroom space, or a video conferencing room. ISC met with architects once more during the spring semester but without any advance documents or request for feedback after the meeting. A copy of the fall
ISC memo to the Librarian of the College can be found on the Web at: Library Discussion Memo
ISC was asked to offer advice to the Library concerning budget priorities for 2001-2002. Because budget information was not available until the end of the spring semester, this discussion will be on the agenda for the fall if such advice is desired.
Classrooms: As part of long-range planning for additional classroom space, the Committee met with both the Dean and the Registrar to review how classroom space is utilized on our campus. The Committee reviewed statistics from other campuses,
toured classrooms with the Registrar, and discussed suggestions from the Dean and the Registrar. The Committee recommended that the campus maintain enough flexibility in classroom scheduling to allow for informal, unscheduled use of classrooms by students,
classroom breakout groups, faculty-student consultations, and meetings. The Committee also recommended the addition of more classrooms that comfortably accommodate 30 students and recommended the renovation of several classrooms in ARH, Carnegie, and
Steiner. The Committee saw a need for improved ventilation and noise reduction in classrooms in Steiner, Carnegie, and ARH. The Committee also discussed both the positive and negative aspects of ownership of classrooms by departments. A copy of the
Committee's recommendations to the Dean can be found on the Web: Recommendation to Dean Swartz
ISC briefly discussed the keying of Carnegie and ARH. Several changes were proposed by Steve Briscoe and by a separate committee appointed by the Dean to study classroom spaces. ISC endorsed the proposed changes which will provide more access to faculty members and students to Carnegie and ARH. Faculty will have more access to AV equipment as well.
Technology: ITS brought several planning drafts to ISC during the past academic year. The most controversial of these was the first phase of the Priority Projects List consisting of five proposals for mandatory laptop requirement for students, campus-wide wireless local area network, a campus-wide portal system, teaching and learning with technology resource center, and a one-card ID system. ISC suggested that the IMTS staff meet with each academic department and that the Director of ITS and Dean of College Services (ex-officio members of ISC) meet with academic divisions in order to provide broad-based faculty discussion of the proposals. Faculty members focused on and registered strong opposition to the mandatory laptop proposal. There were questions about uniformity, pedagogical purpose and value, and readiness and willingness of both faculty and students to make good use of a required laptop. Reports on these discussions can be found at: http
://web.grinnell.edu/its/Planning/
Faculty and Curricular Development: ISC allocates funds to faculty for curricular development projects adding diversity to the curriculum, promoting interdisciplinary connections, or using new pedagogy or technology to enhance learning. ISC approved budget requests for curricular development from Africana Studies, Global Development Studies, Gender and Women's
Studies, Technology Studies, and the Multi/Intercultural Curricular Development Committee. The Committee also approved several requests from individuals. Curricular development stipends were granted for 28 curricular development projects, allocating a
total of $25,964 from the base budget. Additional stipends were awarded to 14 faculty for the integration of technology into teaching from the Mellon and Culpeper grants. One of the challenges ISC will face in the coming academic year will be how to
reallocate available funds to include technology projects since both our grants are coming to a close.
In addition to working on individual or collaborative curricular development projects, faculty engaged in a number of other faculty development activities supported by ISC:
Five Teaching Colloquia on the following topics: The Writing Lab Reveals its Secrets; Using Web-Based Forums to Encourage and Guide Discussion; The Art of Lecturing; Using the WWW in Assignments and Research; Preparing for Class: How Much is
Enough?
Three Teaching and Learning Discussion groups involving science, social studies and humanities faculty members
Eight faculty members participated in Faculty to Faculty Tutorials
Three faculty reading groups: Political Economy, Race and Ethnicity, and Post-Structuralist Reading Groups
Two Faculty Weekend Seminars, one each semester: the fall semester group discussed Jorge Luis Borges's Collected Fictions; the spring semester group discussed Stephen Ambrose's Nothing like it in the world: The men who built the
transcontinental
railroad 1863-1869.
Four Summer Workshops: Case Studies/Course Innovation Writing Workshop; Portfolio Workshop; Africana Studies Jazz Seminar; Dr. Syntax Faculty Writing Workshop
Several faculty members received funding for professional meetings that address pedagogical issues.
Several course-related field trips were funded. ISC will conclude its discussion on the development of guidelines for approval of such requests during the 2001-2002 academic year.
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