Project Team Charter

Empowering Students to Become Active, Engaged and Responsible Learners

Office of Continuous Improvement and Planning

Date: 10/13/08

1.	

Description – Describe the Team’s purpose.	The project team’s purpose is to:
develop and provide a pilot program to train faculty/staff (henceforth referred to as Educators) in strategies that empower students to become active, engaged, responsible learners.
Monitor Educators’ implementation of varied strategies as they teach their specific course(s). Selected strategies will be based on the well-researched “On Course” principles. However, Educators will be free to select and adapt the strategies as they deem necessary.
Provide a rich “catalogue” of varied strategies appropriate for varied disciplines/contexts.	
2.	

Project Scope – Describe the Beginning and End to this process	This project begins with recruitment of Educators who voluntarily participated in a three-day workshop of On Course principles and teaching strategies. Educators will then submit implementation plans as to how they will incorporate these strategies into at least one course. Concurrently, human subjects review is being submitted. Implementation begins in earnest Fall 2008, and will end at the end of Winter term, 2009. Implementation will entail data collection (i.e., pre and post On Course assessments, implementation of On Course strategy(ies), observation and field notes, and reflective interviews.) Assessment of the On Course strategy implementations may result in student work sample[s] or artifact[s]) and data analysis from the above listed sources.  The end product will be an understanding of students’ semester by semester GPA gains in addition to the deliverables noted below.
(See attached chart)	
3.	

The project link to the Strategic plan or Objectives – Why is this important?	“Empowering Students” speaks directly to all parts of EMU’s mission.
The pilot program will provide faculty with new strategies, many of which have been already proven to promote excellence in teaching.
The program is an applied research project that will provide Educators with the both the overall results from the project, and specific teaching/learning strategies.
	The program emphasizes personal and professional growth, and the empowerment of students over their own learning.
	It is all about a student focused learning environment, and assisting students to become responsible for their own learning.
	New partnerships across the wider EMU community will be formed as Educators engage in this process of focusing on student empowerment.
This program is currently being implemented at Washtenaw Community College as well. Faculty from both institutions are already meeting together to collaborate on ways
to teach the strategies.	
4	
Deliverables – Describe the deliverables of the team.		Recommendations for a faculty development program about student success strategies based on the evaluation of effectiveness of the On Course program.
	Recommendation for effective implementation of On Course based on best practice research including	

	Web-based knowledge center of student success strategies

Others as determined by review of data

3.	Common set of assessment principles	
5	Team Leader – Responsible for
planning and managing the action plan.	Karen Busch: Kbusch@emich.edu Martha Baiyee: mbaiyee@emich.edu	
6.

Team Members, Team Facilitator – List all team members	Members: Regina George, Beth Kubitskey, Ramona Meraz, Joe Scazzero Michael Tew, William Shell, Diane Winder

Facilitators: Jeanne Thomas, James Gallaher Recorder: William Shell
Resource: Bob Neely	
7.	Requirements – What will Team need to do to accomplish its objectives?	GA Support—Graduate Assistantship Educators—Honorarium
Understand the scope of the project
Complete tasks and assignments in between team meetings	
8.

Team Ground Rules – How will the team operate to accomplish its tasks?	Contact one of the co-Team Leaders prior to the meeting if attendance is not possible.
Be prompt. All meetings will begin and end on time.
All team members will complete their assigned tasks as assigned and agreed upon.
Confidential information shared remains confidential.
Practice consensus team decisions.
Respect other team member’s ideas and views.
Disagree as an ally when differences are perceived with other team members.
Send out agenda at least two business days before each meeting
Distribute meeting records within 48 hours after each meeting
Build on ideas of others.
Stay focused on the topic.
Do not interrupt others.
One conversation at a time.	
9.	Time Line	Start Date: September, 2008—
Targeted project completion: August 2009 --See attached chart	
10	Review council contact and facilitator	John Dugger
Continuous Improvement Operating Council (CIOC)	
11	Champion – Authority to remove
barriers or provide resources	Robert Neely, Associate Provost and Associate Vice-President for Research