• Faculty and Staff
• Course Goals
• Assignments and Grading
• Course Timeline and Topics

Agnieszka Alboszta, Instructor
Email: alboszta@uoregon.edu
Back up email: AEI web contact form
541.346.3945 Office Phone
541.346.3917 Office FAX
Office Mailing Address:
5212 University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon 97403-5212 USA

Deanna Hochstein, Instructor
Email: dghoch@uoregon.edu
Back up email: AEI web contact form
541.346.3945 Office Phone
541.346.3917 Office FAX
Office Mailing Address:
5212 University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon 97403-5212 USA

Holly Phillips, Student Records
Email: hollyp@uoregon.edu
Back up email: AEI web contact form
541.346.0826 Office Phone
541.346.3917 Office FAX
Office Mailing Address:
5212 University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon 97403-5212 USA

Cindy Kieffer, Director of Courses
Email: ckieffer@uoregon.edu
Back up email: AEI web contact form
541.346.3945 Office Phone
541.346.3917 Office FAX
Office Mailing Address:
5212 University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon 97403-5212 USA

Leslie Opp-Beckman, Technology Coordinator
Email: leslieob@uoregon.edu
Back up email: AEI web contact form
541.346.1095 Office Phone
541.346.3917 Office FAX
Office Mailing Address:
5212 University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon 97403-5212 USA

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COURSE GOALS

By the end of this course, participants will:

• Develop an understanding of critical thinking concepts and a deeper awareness of our own critical thinking patterns.
• Apply this knowledge of critical thinking to classroom teaching and materials development: redesign and implement instructional units and lesson plans which utilize activities that require critical thinking.
• Analyze teaching techniques and materials for evidence of critical thinking teaching and learning.
• Identify relevant resources for developing and incorporating critical thinking activities in participants' teaching environments.

Course components include the following.

• Readings on current issues from online journals, reports, and guides. All materials used in this course are copyright-compliant, available at no additional cost, and appropriate--insomuch as this can be guaranteed--for Muslim audiences. Participants can download readings and print or read them offline.
• Online discussion related to readings, lectures, and class work.
• Evaluation and adoption of stimulating and innovative web-based materials.
• Weekly assignments to practice and apply course information to the creation of lesson plans.
• Online office hours with the instructor (synchronous or asynchronous, connectivity permitting).

Participants will engage in the following types of activities. All materials used in this course are copyright-compliant and available at no additional cost.

• Read and discuss professional information and articles in order to develop a deeper understanding of current topics in language pedagogy as they relate to general critical thinking skills.
• Identify, evaluate, and select web-based materials and tools for use in the classroom.
• Collaborate with colleagues regionally and internationally who share similar pedagogical interests.
• Create classroom materials and projects that demonstrate an understanding of course topics.
• Adapt and enhance existing materials so that they are culturally and age appropriate for their schools’ local curriculum. Many aspects of the course invite collaborative work and group work.
  
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Course grading system. This class is Pass / No Pass. Participants receive a final score (maximum = 100%) at the end of the course. Participants with a final score of 75% or higher receive a Pass grade for the course.

Individuals can check scores at any time during the course through the UO Blackboard course management system:
http://blackboard.uoregon.edu

Participants receive information about their UO accounts and access information to Blackboard prior to the start of the official start of the course.

Certificates. Participants who earn a passing grade and a score of 75% or higher in the course will receive certificates of participation.

Scoring system. Participants each receive an overall percentage score and grade for this class based on work in two areas: online discussions (25% of the total grade); projects, tasks and activities (75% of the total grade).

Online Group Discussions (25% of total score). Participants individually contribute (post) substantive comments to a minimum of one discussion per week. A variety of discussion topics will be available each week on pedagogical issues, and practical teaching tips and techniques.

Assessment: 3-point system as follows (the instructors will provide examples and models).

• 0 points = late posting or no posting at all
• 1 point = short, disjointed, or poorly constructed posting
• 2 points = substantive posting + tied in with other's comments
• 3 points = substantive posting + tied in with other's comments + new resource or takes the talk one step further or asks an insightful question

Projects, Tasks and Activities (75% of total score). This portion of the course consists of:

• 50% Assignments.
• 25% Final project.

Assignments (50% of total score). Participants complete a series of lesson plans and activities that aid in applying information from the course to their local settings. These are practical in nature. They vary in content and form, depending on your local context. The work is cumulative in that sense that it is all part of term-long process, building toward the final project.

The instructors provide feedback in a combination of points and written comments.

Final projects (25% of total score). Week 10, Final projects due: Unit Plan, Lesson Plan, and Action Plan. As a final project, participants submit their unit and accompanying lesson plans, along with an action plan that details how and when they will integrate the unit into their teaching.

The instructors provide feedback in a combination of points and written comments.

Deadlines. Assignments are due midnight U.S. Pacific time on Saturdays.
To determine time zones for various parts of the world, see:
Time Zone Converter
http://www.timezoneconverter.com/

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SAMPLE COURSE TIMELINE AND TOPICS

Week 0
Orientation, needs assessment, advising, introductions.

The UO Blackboard course site opens and participants can begin testing their accounts and familiarizing themselves with this system, their UO email accounts, and the online UO library system (electronic journals and databases).

Week 01
What is critical thinking and its value?
What is the value of using critical thinking in the classroom?

Week 02
Components of critical thinking.

Week 03
Instructional strategies for developing critical thinking skills within Intellectual standards, assessment, and intellectual traits.

Week 04
Lesson plans and instructional strategies. Course Project Part 1 begins: Redesigning a Lesson Plan.

Week 05
Classroom Climate: Obstacles/constraints to incorporating critical thinking.

Week 06
Course Project Part 1: Redesigning a Lesson Plan is due. Assessment Part 2

Week 07
Unit Planning Course Project Part 2 begins: Redesigning a Unit Plan. .

Week 08
Course Project Part 2: Redesigning a Unit Plan is due. Additional topic(s) to be added, as needed. .

Week 09
Self-Assessment and Reflection Course Project Part 3 begins: Creating an Action Plan.

Week 10
Course Project Part 3: Action Plan is due. Course wrap-up.

Holidays. Holidays from all our various countries will occur off and on throughout the course. The fact that this course is online means that participants will have a great deal of flexibility on how and when they access materials and complete assignments. Instructors and students are both expected to meet course obligations and responsibilities and complete work in a timely manner.

Some holidays of note for the members of this course are listed below. If you have others that you would like brought to our attention, please let us know. For holiday dates and events, see the Interfaith Calendar:
http://www.interfaithcalendar.org/

• Ramadan and Eid (varies, to be determined each year).
• October 31 is Halloween.
• The 4th Thursday/Friday in November are Thanksgiving holidays.

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