First Day

*in loving memory of my father, Charles (Chuck) Hanley*

It was my first day of school last week, which meant it was important to make a good impression (as the instructor)!

I was inspired by Dr. José Antonio Bowen’s presentation at Colby College’s faculty orientation and regathering event the week before to think outside the box (and beyond the syllabus) on the first day.

I am excited to be teaching a senior capstone class, which means I have the wonderful opportunity to delve into a research project with 10 students! Particularly in upper level courses, I want the exercises and assignments to be of interest and value to the students, helping them develop skills that can benefit them in a variety of next steps and career trajectories.

Back to Day 1… I introduced the research topic (which includes aquaculture, disease, and pollution - lots of potential directions), provided background and context, and then let the students brainstorm questions and ideas. I used Padlet, which gave them the option to then vote for the questions they thought were most important / sounded particularly interesting / had the most potential. (I modeled this after a productive workshop I attended facilitated by KnowInnovation.) Next, we identified the top 5 questions and spent 15-20 minutes doing preliminary research to see what was known and what resources were available for each topic. The students discussed the questions in pairs and then summarized their findings for the class. Finally, the students chose their two preferred questions/topics. Based on their rankings (and valuable input from the cooperative extension specialist advising my related project funded by Woods Hole Sea Grant), we now have an interesting question and a feasible project! I am excited to see what the semester brings and grateful to the students for being willing to bring their curiosity, ideas, and experiences to our first class.

I don’t think I would have had the courage to do something so open-ended when I first started teaching. But part of what inspired me to try something new this year is finding ways to remember and celebrate my dad (who passed away earlier this year). He was a gifted teacher - creative and forward-thinking. He experimented to find new ways to engage students, challenged himself to think outside the box and (way) beyond the exam. He made learning fun and memorable.

I know there is always opportunity for improvement, but I am happy that I tried something new. On my first day.

Thanks, Dad - this class was inspired by you and for you. With love.