What things went best about Design and Society?

What things should we change?

Early in the year I gave some advice. Was this good advice?

The first two weeks here at PSU will set the tone for the rest of the year, and perhaps even your whole college career. For many, college is a life transforming experience. Make the most of these two crucial weeks.

• Have an open mind.
• Get to know people different from yourself.
• Push yourself to try new things.
• Be filled with goodwill, interpret other’s actions in the same light.
• Have a positive attitude, look for opportunities not barriers.

Many students get into trouble because they don’t know the facts, and little problems snowball into insurmountable ones.

1. Empower students to know the facts.
2. Empower students to know when they’re in trouble.
3. but track their progress, so you can point it out when they don’t see it for themselves.
4. Empower students to ask for help when it is needed.
5. Be the first line of defense when a student needs help.
6. Encourage students in this class to be resources for each other.
7. Follow through

More Stategies for success

1. Practice skills until they are second nature.
2. Demand excellence.
   I won’t put up with shoddy work. If you turn in an assignment I don’t think is up to college level work, I will return it and insist you redo it.
3. Demand Accountability.
   You are responsible for your success. I don’t want excuses, but actions that provide remedies.
4. Encourage teamwork
5. Students often learn better in teams
6. Provide feedback so students know where they stand.
7. Accept, and respond to, constructive criticism.

Collected Advice for Freshman

1. Goto class.
   More than any other factor this is an indicator for success.
2. Its OK to take more than 4 years to graduate
   sometimes it’s a good idea!
3. Take classes at a rate at which you can do well in all of them.
   12 credits of A’s and Bs, is much better than 15 credits of C’s and an F
   Spend 2-3 hours on your own, studying or doing assignments, for every hour spent in class.
   Exercise. How many hours a week are you expected to put in outside of class? The minimum? The maximum? Total hours including class time?
4. You are taking too many classes when you can’t get the homework done for all of them.
   If you wait until you’re flunking one of them IT IS TOO LATE.
   Do something as soon as you can’t keep up.
   
5. Ask for help! Its my job, I won’t mind.

• Univeristy Study Goals
  1. Inquiry and Critical Thinking
  2. Communication
  3. Ethics and Social Responsibility
  4. The Diversity of Human Experience
• Brainstorming
• My goals about Numeracy
  Students develop skills in numeracy (the ability to manipulate and think about numbers)
• My Strategys for success
  
• Design Project
• Bruenelleschi's Dome
• Term Papers
• Westpoint Bridge Designer Project
• Reading Worksheets
• Collapse
• Debates
• Oral Presentations
• Lego Robots
• Miniportfolio
• Katrina project
• Case Studies
• The Insider
• The Narmada Dam Project and short paper
• Business ethics chapters
• Moot Court
• They Say I Say book
• EEOC
• Diversity, Ethnic, Racial, Economic
• A Class Divided
• Team Projects
• Lesons about web pages, links, and html

Some things I might try next year. What do you think?

• Weekly Journals
• Video Projects

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