End of the semester!?

Well, here we are at the end of the semester and I wanted to just thank all the seminars in the HCOM 310 class this semester. I really enjoyed working with you and realized, as I do everytime I work with students, how much I learn from all of you! This week's dialogue projects have been a great example of that. With our last seminar going tomorrow, I just wanted to make sure to capture what I was thinking. Each topic has really made me think about a new issue. I hope you won't mind if I steal one or two of these topics for next spring's HCOM 310 class!

I also want to compliment each of our seminars for creating such interesting (and unique) learning communities. Just listening in or sometimes participating has been a great experience for me as a teacher. Sometimes we don't just get the chance to let you all "drive the bus" so to speak, and Its a great experience to see what happens when you do. I was first introduced to seminar learning as a student at Muhlenberg College. It was such a small school, most of the classes in my major (history) were seminars. I had at least two that I remember that were research seminars. It is also typical in grad school as well as a method to learn from each other. For these experiences, I really learned the value of taking responsibility for engaging others in dialogue. I have to say, however, that it is a rare experience, typically only possible in private schools. For example, the picture above is a seminar from St. John's College which bases all of its courses on the seminar. I guess what I want to say is that having been a student in seminars, taught seminars at Sonoma State (in the Hutchins School--which also uses seminar based learning) and having researched student learning in seminars as part of a year long research project, I can truly say you all did a fantastic job of using the best techniques seminars offer to their advantage. Kudos to all of you. Have a great summer!