One of the most meaningful curricular initiatives underway at Harvard College is the launch of a new General Education curriculum in Fall 2019. Because courses in the new curriculum will be distinct from those offered in departments and often require additional instructional design and/or logistical support, the Bok Center has created a General Education team dedicated to working with faculty teaching in the program.
Support for General Education
We can help with...
Framing Your Course
for Gen Ed
We can work with you to make small tweaks—or big changes—that ensure that students will see why your course belongs in Gen Ed.
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We've worked with faculty to:
- name (or rename) a course.
- write (or revise) a course description to attract non-specialists.
- develop learning objectives suitable for Gen Ed.
- incorporate exercises that encourage students see how a course relates to their lives in college and beyond.
- compose assignments that ask students to engage the public in what they’ve learned.
Designing Assignments &
Capstones Aligned
with Your Goals
Formative or summative, in-class, out of class, or for the entire course: Bok can help you create meaningful assignments for your students.
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We've worked with faculty to:
- revise flat or dated assignment prompts.
- align assignments with their learning objectives.
- brainstorm new assignment modalities.
- develop new capstone assignments, and scaffold them back through the semester.
- divide a course into units or modules.
- test new assignments with students in our Learning Lab.
Designing Your Syllabus
& Canvas Site
A well designed course deserves to be explained well. We can make sure that students gain a clear picture of your course from the moment they browse the catalogue.
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We've worked with faculty to:
- write, format, and distribute their syllabi.
- create their courses' Canvas sites.
- partner with Academic Technology for the FAS to integrate special features into course websites.
Researching Collections &
Locating Teaching Spaces
Harvard is a large—and decentralized—place. We can help you find, create, and/or figure out how to incorporate campus resources into your teaching.
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We've worked with faculty to:
- locate materials/collections for use in-class or in assignments.
- conduct background research to inform lectures, assignments, and section activities.
- schedule class activities in libraries, museums, and elsewhere on—or off—campus.
Incorporating New
Teaching Technologies
Eager to incorporate digital assignments and learning experiences? Our coding team can ensure that a new technology works—and works to advance your goals.
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We've helped faculty to:
- design digital assignments (e.g. Timeline.js, Omeka, Cinema4D, etc.).
- add technology to their Canvas sites (ex. Timeline.js or Omeka).
- enable students to make movies, model artifacts, and complete other creative assignments.
- use online annotation tools to help students understand what "reading" means in different contexts.
Planning Your Use
of In-Class Time
The launch of Gen Ed 2.0 makes this a great time to rethink the way you use class time. We can assist you in making every course meeting well-paced and intentional.
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We've helped faculty to:
- explore a wide range of engaged instructional strategies.
- brainstorm ways to use the new 75-minute class period more creatively.
- walk through how they might implement specific techniques or plans for lectures and/or sections.
- set up a recurring meeting them and/or their Teaching Fellows as the semester gets underway.
Supporting & Training
Your Teaching Fellows
Teaching in Gen Ed offers graduate students unique opportunities—but also unique challenges. We can develop customized support for your teaching staff.
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We've worked with faculty to:
- schedule, design, and deliver individual or group trainings (microteaching, class observation, videotaping, etc.).
- schedule meetings with Teaching Fellows to hone specific section activities.
- develop strategies to support, and grade, unconventional activities and assignments.
Hosting Course-
Related Events
Gen Ed is a great place in which to invite students to work together on a group project. Our Learning Lab can host special events for you and your students.
— See how we can help
We've helped faculty to:
- deliver workshops or hackathons which train students on the skills they need to complete innovative assignments.
- demonstrate assignments in-class.
- provide space for student project groups to work together.
