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Oct. 15, 2024
Welcome to Week 8!
Yes, that’s right. We are at week 8 already! Time flies!
For this week, I’m going to share some words I wrote last year about this time. As
you are well along your path now, I think it worthwhile to really think about what
it is you are doing each day and why.
At week eight, we have reached the high point on the roller coaster we’ve been riding
on for seven weeks! Enjoy the view! This week marks the moment when the cars almost
pause at the peak and we have just a few moments to glance around. You can look back
toward the last days of summer where we came from and you can look forward into the
distance where we see the first inklings of the December holidays and winter break!
It is coming. In between here and the end of the term is an exhilarating plunge through
the few remaining weeks; the next half of the semester will pass as the last few weeks
have, all in a hurtling rush.
Here at the top, however, is a great opportunity to take a moment to take stock. How
are you doing? Are you caught up with all your work? What is the nature of that work?
What are you expected to learn and are you on top of all that stuff?
Whoah! Hold on there a moment. What are we expected to learn? What does that even
mean? Some things are obvious and explicit. In chemistry we learn the periodic table
and electron orbital shells, in biology, we learn about the Krebs cycle and evolution.
In art, we learn about impressionism and color and form and… other important art things!
All those ideas and concepts are very valuable. However, mastery of concepts and ideas
is not the only goal of learning. What are the deeper goals of your grand adventure
that might be less obvious?
Many smart people have put a lot of thought into what it means to learn and what kinds
of things we can learn, or what kinds of things we expect people to learn from really
great learning experiences. One of my favorite structures for this way of thinking
is called the Taxonomy of Significant Learning. Check out the following diagram. You
will see that much of what we consider to be the most important things learned in
college is relegated to the small wedge of the pie just to the right of the top of
the diagram.
Take a moment to peruse the chart. What does each ‘wedge’ and its contents mean to
you? Which dimensions of learning are your favorites? Are there some that are more
important to you than others? My favorites are on the left side of the whole diagram.
These are truly significant. They are all important, but the left side is the most
exciting for me. I think this is where the deepest learning occurs. What kinds of
experiences are you seeking and what steps are you taking to make those happen?
How do you feel about this view behind the curtain of learning experience design?
Does it excite you or overwhelm you? If it seems a bit overwhelming – have no fear.
All of the deeper things on this chart happen naturally while on this journey we call
college. That’s what makes our collective endeavor so amazing. It can be truly transformative.
Each day you show up to class, each day you engage with your student job or student
club or organization, and each day you pursue and achieve these transformative outcomes.
Congratulations to you for stepping out into this journey. Keep up the great work!
Things to do:
Do your UA Title IX Training. Really. It takes just a few moments. Do it and you’ll feel better about it.
National Transfer Student Week is next week! Oct. 21-25!
ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ’s Transfer Week will provide Virtual Information Sessions for students planning to transfer to ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ
and for those who’ve recently transferred from other institutions. If you're a transfer
student, we invite you to share your transfer story with the ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ community – submit
it here with a photo of yourself, and we'll publish it on the Transfer Week webpage. To celebrate, free coffee and donuts will be provided in the Wood Center on Monday
from 8:30-10 a.m. and on Wednesday, 2-4 p.m. we'll have cookies, lemonade and some
giveaway items in the Wood Center.
Take care of yourself. Move. Eat right. Sleep. Connect with loved ones.
Have a great week eight!
You made it! Amazing! We are officially at the halfway point – or even a little beyond!
Excellent work. It will be a fast ride down to the end of the term – hang on!
As ever, if you’d care to share your perspective and comments about what is going
great or what could be better, please share! You can find me at obguthrie@alaska.edu.
— Owen Guthrie, vice chancellor for student affairs and enrollment management
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ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer, educational institution and provider and prohibits illegal discrimination against any individual: .