Priorities:Cleveland State University Faculty Projects

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Project Name: Tackling Administrative Barriers to Transdisciplinary Curricula

Project by Faculty Innovation Fellows Candidates Kelle DeBoth and Nick Zingale

Why is this project important to you, your department, & your Fellows?

This project mitigates implementation barriers for the transdisciplinary curriculum our Fellows are dreaming up, opening doors for transdisciplinary teaching at CSU. We will work with administration on funding mechanisms, innovative structures and requisite institutional mechanisms.

Description

As Faculty Fellows, we want to address administrative barriers for the transdisciplinary (TD) Advanced Technology in Society (ATS) curriculum our Student Fellows are developing. . We will work closely with these Fellows and support the work they are doing. We recognize pushing boundaries with this innovative curriculum will require administrative support, unconventional funding and novel team-teaching structures. We will work with our Provost, VPs, and deans to collaboratively create a plan to make transdisciplinary teaching truly possible and sustainable. This will allow not only the ATS curriculum to succeed, but also future TD curricula. In addition, we plan to connect the ATS certificate program to other TD courses and degree programs across campus, and therefore institutional change will be even more necessary to support these efforts. We will outline the steps necessary to connect the ATS to other programs, now and in the future, as part of our Fellows work. Finally, a true TD curriculum also needs established community and industry relationships (which we have and will bring to this) as well as a strategy for engaging (which we will develop through this) with community partners across Cleveland.

Stakeholders served

  1. Structural Barrier Mitigation: Provost and VP of Academic Affairs, VP of Research, and AVP of Graduate College, as well as deans across campus. We want to help them work through how transdisciplinary curricula can be possible at CSU by addressing funding mechanisms and introducing innovative co-teaching structures.
  2. Curriculum Development: In order to integrate the ATS or some of its component courses into other degree programs and course offerings, we will meet with the deans of the relevant colleges (Health Sciences, Engineering, Urban, etc.), in addition to program directors and faculty interested in team-teaching.
  3. Engagement: Community partners doing ATS work or whose work collides with ATS (ie, most of them…). We want to engage and invite them to help co-create the curriculum, be involved as co-researchers, have their employees participate in the certificate program, and/or attend or speak at community Forums
  4. Recruitment: Graduate students interested in innovative approaches to learning and Advanced Technology in Society (ATS). This includes current professionals and non-traditional students. We want to help our Fellows market this program to them.

Key Milestones

  • December 2021: Develop strategy to work with administration and community partners. Begin to identify potential sticking points as well as start to brainstorm options and ideas for funding mechanisms, barriers, and marketing.
  • March 2022: Meet with Administration to design possible mechanisms to break down barriers and make this possible.
  • April 2022: Get university approval for TD curriculum arrangements and work with marketing to begin strategy for marketing curriculum.
  • June 2022: Meet with community stakeholders (nonprofit, civic, and business) to introduce ATS, gather input, and brainstorm involvement/engagement opportunities. Invite them to market program. Also announce ATS graduate certificate to public.
  • September 2022: Launch ATS curriculum (1st 2 courses)
  • November 2022: Host community ATS forum
  • December 2022: Brainstorm ATS research and/or partner projects with community stakeholders, in addition to university partners leading other TD initiatives and teaching
  • January 2023: Launch ATS curriculum (2nd 2 courses); solidify other programs and courses that will integrate all or part of ATS curriculum
  • March 2023: Learn from/adjust ATS curriculum. Also begin ATS research and/or partner projects

An Innovation Portfolio

  • Advanced Technology in Society syllabi (4 courses)
  • Advanced Technology in Society Graduate Certificate proposal
  • Advanced Technology in Society Concept Map (connections to other programs/courses)
  • Agenda for Administration meeting/brainstorming activity worksheets
  • Co-created plan for addressing barriers to TD curriculum on campus
  • Marketing materials for ATS program
  • Letter to community stakeholders, inviting them to get involved with ATS initiative
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