Advising

If you advise or mentor students, please take time to talk with them about the importance of the Elon Core Curriculum, the purpose of Core requirements, and the ways in which students might integrate their learning across the Core Curriculum. More learning takes place when students understand the purpose of requirements.

Teaching Core courses

The Elon Core Curriculum requires courses throughout the four years, complementing the disciplinary major and providing the strong liberal arts education integral to the Elon mission. Faculty members from every undergraduate department teach in the Elon Core Curriculum.

COR 1100, The Global Experience

This first-year seminar examines personal and social responsibility in domestic and global contexts. It emphasizes critical thinking and creativity and is inquiry-based, writing intensive, and taught from a variety of perspectives. Those interested in teaching COR 1100 should talk to their department chair or the Executive Director of the Elon Core Curriculum.

2000-level IDS courses

These interdisciplinary seminars are taught from a variety of perspectives and typically count for Arts and Sciences credit. Those interested in teaching 2000-level Interdisciplinary Studies courses (IDS prefix) should talk to their department chair or the Executive Director of the Elon Core Curriculum.

3000- and 4000-level integrative Core capstone seminars

The integrative Core capstone seminar helps students integrate and apply what they have learned in their undergraduate education. Core capstones integrate modes of inquiry across disciplines; encourage multiple perspectives; attract students from a range of majors; are writing-intensive; and require a capstone project. Core capstones demand reflection on the two fundamental principles of the Core Curriculum: ethical reasoning and personal and social responsibility.

Those interested in teaching integrative Core capstone seminars have multiple options.

Advancing Equity Requirement (AER Courses)

The Advancing Equity Requirement (AER) courses ask students to reflect on systemic inequity while seeking outcomes that ensure all people can thrive.  The AER’s focus on identifying, examining, and challenging systemic racial inequities in the U.S. provides the opportunity for students to build ethical reasoning and critical thinking skills that are essential for recognizing and addressing various forms of structural inequities throughout the world.  Faculty interested in teaching these courses can apply for the AER designation here.

The following resources provide tips and guidance for applicants as they prepare submissions:  AER Applicant Tip Sheet and Learning Outcome Information.

For more information on AER-related resources, visit this page.

Faculty development opportunities

Courses in the Elon Core Curriculum present opportunities to interact with other faculty members from across campus.

Development opportunities from CATL and CWE

All faculty members teaching Core courses are encouraged to take advantage of development opportunities through the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning and the Center for Writing Excellence.

Opportunities for those teaching COR 1100

Those teaching COR 1100 attend a one-day retreat in August and have access to regular faculty development lunches.

Consultations for new or revised Core capstones

Faculty members proposing a new experimental or permanent Core capstone or considering substantial revisions to an existing Core capstone are welcome to contact the Assistant Director of Integrative Core Capstones.

Course design grants for Core capstones

Grants of $500 are available for faculty members who wish to propose, co-propose, refresh, or reboot a Core capstone. See descriptions above. Funding is not currently available for those wishing to propose an experimental Core capstone. Here’s the grant application form.

Those seeking grant funding should anticipate teaching their Core capstone routinely once the course is approved.

As with all matters pertaining to Core capstone design and pedagogy, faculty members are welcome to contact the Assistant Director of Integrative Core Capstones prior to applying.

Course design groups for those teaching a Core capstone at the Elon Centers abroad

Together with the Global Education Center, the Assistant Director of Integrative Core Capstones coordinates course design groups for faculty members teaching their Core capstone in London or Florence.

Among other matters, the course design groups will frequently emphasize the following:

  • Nuts-and-bolts such as classroom technology, scheduling, instructional time, and the like.
  • A greater emphasis on depth rather than volume. The workload should be commensurate with study abroad, taking into account the students’ other obligations and opportunities.
  • Consideration of the location as text. The course must conceptualize the place as an integral and essential aspect of study.
  • The importance of group work. In a study abroad course, the notion of group work takes on special significance.
  • Working with local experts.
  • Acknowledgement of the demands of writing while away from Elon. Students might need help working through the writing process while experiencing the culture shock of study abroad.
  • Sufficient time to develop projects. Typically, one or two large projects—with integrated writing process activities like research logs, draft due dates, and peer response—will be adequate.

Interested in teaching your Core capstone online during summer? 

You may wish to consider the following:

  • Leveraging the opportunities offered by an online course. One clear example is the use of discussion threads, which are writing intensive and require high-level critical thinking. Another clear example: Online courses allow participation by guest experts from other geographic locations.
  • A greater emphasis on depth rather than volume. The workload should be commensurate with summer school, taking into account the students’ other obligations and opportunities.
  • Clear expectations for student participation and communication. Explain how often and when students are expected to participate and how their contributions will be assessed.
  • Course design tailored to the online environment. How might differences in the timing of the students’ asynchronous participation and their distance from Elon affect the topic or the assignments? Tailor your content and the rhythm of expectations.
  • Opportunities for student-led activities. Online courses are time consuming for instructors. Find ways for students to be responsible for the entire group’s learning, and incorporate scaffolding that allows them to take ownership of the group’s process and progress.
  • Activities that take advantage of other online platforms, including social media, wikis and blogs, virtual reality worlds, and the like.
  • Discussion of the pros and cons of remote communication and the use of online tools.

Looking for examples of Core capstone projects?

These Core capstone syllabi give you an idea of the variety of approaches as well as standard expectations.

These examples of Core capstone projects also demonstrate variety along with common expectations.

Many faculty members use the Franzese Relevant Experiences Inventory to help students make connections among their academic, co-curricular, and personal experiences.