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Instructional Communities for Engagement

The Augusta University mission is to provide leadership and excellence in teaching, discovery, clinical care, and service as a student-centered comprehensive research university and academic health center with a wide range of programs from learning assistance through postdoctoral studies.

As part of the university mission, the Office of the Vice Provost for Instruction provides the guidance and tools for instructional engagement through faculty community collaborations and advisory committee groups so as to meet the academic needs of all learners, to encourage student success, and to support faculty growth. These communities, with the support of faculty and staff voice, are the driving components for a successful mission.

Chancellor's Learning Scholars

The Chancellor’s Learning Scholars (CLS's) are representatives from each institution in the University System of Georgia (USG) who facilitate Faculty Learning Communities (FLCs) on their campuses.

FLCs are designed to give small groups of faculty (typically 8-10) the opportunity to engage in sustained, meaningful conversations about teaching and learning with supportive colleagues from across campus. Members will meet regularly throughout the length of the program as they explore areas of interest, leading to changes in their teaching practice.

At the end of the program, each CLS and FLC participant should be able to point to a change or innovation they have made in their classroom or on their syllabus to an assignment, activity, or course material as a result of their participation in the FLC.

Leap - Liberal Education and America's Promise

The LEAP State Georgia Consortium comprises colleges and universities of the University System of Georgia. Led by the LEAP Georgia Steering Committee, the consortium organizes LEAP activities throughout the state and welcomes all institutions to participate.

LEAP Mission: The LEAP State Georgia membership, which collectively is referred to as LEAP Georgia, is committed to developing the LEAP vision through creation of purposeful pathways for students and high levels of student achievement of the Essential Learning Outcomes. LEAP values, the values of liberal education, are essential for future professionals, future citizens, and future leaders. LEAP Georgia is committed to the Principles of Excellence toward the goals of inclusivity, civic connection, and lifelong inquiry.

(G2C) Gateway 2 Completion

Gateway courses are considered to be classes that are high-risk with high enrollment and are often the foundation level courses for an academic major. Success in foundation level courses, such as: accounting, biology, chemistry, math, writing and rhetoric, is a direct predictor of retention. Gateways to Completion (G2C) provides faculty and institutions with processes, guidance and tools to support redesign of lower division and/or developmental level courses.

SOTL/Teaching Fellows

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) has been defined as the “systematic study of teaching and/or learning and the public sharing and review of such work through presentations…or [peer-reviewed] publications” (McKinney, 2004). It begins with a question—often in the classroom—and leads the instructor-investigator down a path to answering that question through careful and systematic examination and reflection. The goal of SoTL is to better understand and improve student learning and to contribute to the scholarly research in this area.

Momentum Year Approach

Momentum Year is a suite of strategies designed to help University System of Georgia students in their crucial first year of college. We work with students to guide them on a path to achieve their educational goals, including successful degree completion and on-time graduation.

CCG - Complete College Georgia

To reverse the current path, the state of Georgia has committed to Complete College America’s goal that by 2020, 60 percent of young adults will hold a college certificate or degree. It will take a concerted statewide effort to surpass the likes of Canada and Japan at 56 percent and to reach Korea at 63 percent, assuming other nations stand still, which they will not (University System of Georgia, 2014).

Advisory Committees

(HIPs) High Impact Practices

Provide guidance and advice on matters related to each of the areas promoted by the American Associate of Colleges & Universities in their LEAP initiative. This includes, but is not limited to, the re-imagination of our first year experience (through INQR1000 & FYE programming), expansion and growth of our undergraduate research and study abroad programs, integration of our living/learning communities, and incorporation of service-learning and internship opportunities. This committee will also serve as our QEP curriculum advisory body.

Instructional Innovation

Provide guidance and advice on matters related to the delivery of instructional design services that support classroom instruction across all modalities: face-to-face, hybrid, and online formats. The purpose is to create an exceptional learning environment for students by recommending strategies to leverage tools including but not limited to D2L, Echo360,Turnitin, Chalk and Wire, and the Turning Point classroom response system. The committee's emphasis on improving the utilization of our tools will create a more consistent student experience. The committee's emphasis on providing professional development for faculty as a scalable model will support broad adoption of pedagogically sound strategies to positively impact learning.

Student Success

Provide guidance and advice on matters related to programs created to support students' development of an appropriate academic mindset including but not limited to academic advising, early alerts, supplemental instruction, peer tutoring, peer mentors, and a guided but purposeful program choice. We want to leverage services provided by Career Services and a soon to be announced Health Professions Advising service, as well as co-curricular programming related to each student's program pathway to support student success both in and out of the classroom.