Taking Ownership by Making Choices.

I tell students that the syllabus is not a reflection of me as a man, husband, father, or historian. The syllabus is not a contract. More like a guide. Mine are malleable. I can alter it.  I’m willing to renegotiate the syllabus on an individual or class level. To meet the needs of the individual and external factors such as tropical storms or pandemics. 

For many years my underlying philosophy has been that what’s important is that students demonstrate an understanding of the material not HOW they demonstrate an understanding of the material. Application of that philosophy in great measure was what earned me the 2017 instructor of the year award. 

Students must succeed. Whatever you do in life, you are most likely to succeed when you’re working on a project that most interests you. And, when the project interests you, you are more likely to succeed at a higher level.

I like choice. Choice in all aspects of my life. Who wants to be told what to do. Even in Basic Training it was no fun being barked orders at day and night. I think students like choice. And, choice is really taking ownership in their success. So I give students three choices when it comes to assignments:

1. Complete assignments as is (easiest on me).
2. Complete assignments but select topics not offered by me; something that more interests the students.
3. Do completely different assignments. Still cover the material, just demonstrate an understanding in a different way. Your way (with apologies to Burger King). Maybe students have a stronger method to demonstrate knowledge than the ones I assign. For example, I might have an Exam that covers ABC and a student suggests doing a different assignment that examines ABC such as a book review. Maybe instead of an essay, a student wants to do a PowerPoint presentation. I don’t know. "Play to your strengths," I tell students.
4. A final choice is to do a major assignment that covers the entire course. For example, I had a POC did a major research paper on Critical Race Theory; someone created a weekly newspaper; a vet looked at the meaning of “sacrifice” over time. This would be a way of turning this class into a self-study course. With me as a guide rather than as an instructor.

        

Students are only limited by their imagination. Again, What’s important is that students demonstrate an understanding of the material not how they demonstrate an understanding of the material. The "how" should be up to my students. That is how students take ownership in my classes. 

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.