Teaching-Learning Academy
Small Dialogue Group Notes
Date: 10/13/10
Dialogue group day/time: W@12
______________________________________________________________________________
Group Members’ Names: Lisa Larrabee, Peg Godwin, Kayla Grieco, Neign Shahreini, Fabilla
Arvizy, Conner Powell, Michelle Guy
Themes from the highlights:
1. Relationships
2. Technology
3. Access
4. Community
5. Creativity
What themes did you talk about?
Balance of quality vs. quantity of face to face relationships/community
Emotional
Miscommunication
Tone
Immediate interaction
Tech can provide long distance connection
Face to face can be simple, quicker, and more personable getting clear answers/solutions –
more RICH
Challenge to get face-to-face as often this day/age
Personal value of type of communication that needs to be balanced between
people/connections
Virtual part of education allows access to others learn differently and provide
Face-to-face = HUMAN connection valued more
Think) doing things via technology is more efficient because provides the opportunity to multi-
task BUT we need to question our assumptions of that because what VALUE goes into work
when you are doing too much as once
HOW to make relationships on campus when our campus is not necessarily conducive to that
type of environment
Skype in members!? Would that work?!
o Can’t FEEL the campus through internet
o How to build these relationships into the campus & community
Campus has barriers that do not really welcome community members
o Parking issues
o Fear of the unknown
o Don’t feel welcome
o Lack of information
o Free shuttle through campus?! (The Friendly Bus – Lisa!) To shop at bookstore, use
library resources, use campus!
Community has barriers that do not really welcome students
o Neighborhood meetings
o Fear of unknown
o Don’t feel welcome
o Do not TRY / EFFORT to involve or communicate with students because the IMAGE of
“college students”
o Barrier of economic times –
Integrating “classes” of people (students & community families) who have not
had specific (educational) opportunities
“Advise on tap” – non-judgmental, informational resource
o Intelligent bar consumption/behavior
o Liquor control board
Generate a list of questions that combine two/ more of these themes:
Understanding dynamics of barriers between WWU community AND Bellingham community
Why things are the way they are?
Budgets?
Sharing resources?
Social Justice?
______________________________________________________________________________
Group Members’ Names: Mora, John Purdie, Jason, Lauren, Cher, and Anne Marie
Themes from the highlights:
1. Relationships: How can we have the staff connect with students on a more individual basis in
lecture halls? Name rememberance, etc.
2. Technology: tool not a deficiency. Viking Village is good though! Don’t want it to become a
crutch. Education on how to use.
3. Access: Dichotomy. Struggling students, how did they get in, how are they getting through, and
how do they graduate? Post graduation resources: ties into community. More opportunity we
have with the COMMUNITY during school, the tools begin to arise after post graduation. Don’t
focus on personal issues with change from high school to freshman or graduation to grown up.
Where is the personal note and support system? After graduating, you lose the community and
have nothing. How to change that? Prepare for the transition.
4. Community: how to provide more credit bearing experiences? GURS required to have service
learning in them rather than boring stuff. Syncronizing volunteer activities with classes that give
programs out. Coordinating teachers and putting them on the same page about volunteer
activities. How to find a way that the community can benefit but it doesn’t COST. How do we
create a format for a stronger, safer community? Walking school bus idea. . stick together safe
community movement.
5. Creativity:
What themes did you talk about?
How do we promote community involvement with credit bearing experiences and promote knowledge
of the community involvement in an educational way via technology and incorporate life skills with
that?
Reciprocity with the community. Find commonalities.
______________________________________________________________________________
Harneet Sandhu, Ashley Berto, Katherine Saunders, Chelsea Royes, Todd Haskell, maria corona
Themes from the highlights:
1. Relationships
2. Technology
3. Access
4. Community
5. Creativity
What themes did you talk about?
Webcam study sessions- richer investment of time
Hate answering emails- will the answers make sense, inefficient use of time
Employers want communication skills- use of technology. Don’t want it to be a buffer on actual
communication.
Virtual blackboard
Discussion board
Confidence on line
Responsibility to what is said online
Generate a list of questions that combine two/ more of these themes:
IN which ways can technology be beneficial as well as being hurtful to actual face to face
communication? And what can be done in order to incorporate both means of communication?
What can we do as people to use technology in a more constructive rather than destructive manner?
How can we use technology in order to spread awareness about the environment? Do we see the
environment as an it? Or as one of us?
Would stepping away from technology help us better understand
______________________________________________________________________________
Group Members’ Names: Megan Chernak, Monica Aebly, Megan Otis, Steven Fleishman, Craig
Dunn, Hangatu
Themes from the highlights:
6. Relationships
7. Technology
8. Access
9. Community
10. Creativity
What themes did you talk about?
Safety: homophobic groups are on the rise, we need tolerance
Community: building bridges and filling the gaps between differing people
Supporting mental and physical health to strengthen the classroom experience
--The meaning of work
Generate a list of questions that combine two/ more of these themes:
How can we create a community that promotes the safety of all members in that community?
How can we put technology to work to help us promote and ensure safety on campus?
How can we through dialog, technology and caring encourage the flourishing of our community
diversity?
All of the questions come down to: What does it mean to be a liberal arts university?
A little knowledge over a broad range of topics…
Making connections across majors.. manufacturing new materials while being conscious of their
affect on the environment selling them in a business. (Huxley, connects to engineering,
connects to business)
Can you have a liberal arts education without diversity in the community?
What does it mean to have a diploma from Western?
How can students reinvent and reenergize their liberal arts education? How can the university support
students in this reinvention?
How can the university encourage students to reinvent and reenergize
their education through community, technology, reflection, and caring while
liberating them to new possibilities and a better global world?
- Reflection days at the end of each quarter
How do you get a more purposeful general education…….
How do we teach people to think creatively and expansively?
How can we encourage/support students to reinvent, reenergize their education through reflection,
community, technology, caring?
______________________________________________________________________________
Group Members’ Names:
Carmen Werder, Rhea Woolley, MacKenzie Peerboom, Christina Gutlerrez, Shelly Hessel, Jocylynn
Meadows
Themes from the highlights:
1. Relationships
2. Technology
3. Access
4. Community
5. Creativity
What themes did you talk about?
*Access and Creativity
*Getting through to the community as well as our legislators
*Expanding access to GURs
*Enabling students to get involved with the school and the community
*Classes that extend into the community that have incentive for us busy students
*Communicating the needs of our college to the community
Generate a list of questions that combine two/ more of these themes:
*how can we facilitate a connection between students, faculty, and the community that allows for new
interesting, affordable, and accessible classes.