Selected Spring 2006 Course Offerings
Engl 582, Topics in Research and Writing
Spencer Schaffner
Wednesdays, 3:00-4:50, EB 113
A seminar exploring the textual mediation of environmental encounters. Aligned with curriculum in writing studies (http://www.english.uiuc.edu/cws) and human dimensions of the environment (http://www.nres.uiuc.edu/faculty/spec/human.html), this course will explore: conventions of maps and mapping, asking if and how map-mediated leisure is inflected with colonial inheritances; field-guides as regulatory reference materials; signage in designated "environmental" landscapes; vernacular texts in urban and educational spaces. Students in the course will develop a functional understanding of document design and current rhetorical theory of genre.
EIL 445: Second Language Reading and Writing
Randall Sadler
Time: MWF, 1-1:50
Location: ?
Course Description:
EIL 445 introduces students to second language reading and writing, including theory, research, and practical applications in the field. Now that you’ve read the official course description, here is what that “really” means. This course is designed to first give you some ideas about how people actually learn to read and write and the theories that we’ve come up with about the best ways to teach learners to do this (this is the theory part).
Second, we’ll talk about some of the research being done in this field and how to do your own research on second language reading and writing topics. Finally, this class will have a significant practical component. This part of the class will consist of you designing your own materials for teaching reading and writing, designing a syllabus to use in such a class, etc. All the materials you create for
this class will be shared with your classmates.
EIL 587: Second Language Computer-Mediated Communication
Randall Sadler
Time: MW: 8:30-9:50
Location: ?
The purpose of this course is to explore how computer networks (aka the Internet) can be used in the language learning process to engage in authentic communication to enhance language learning. The technologies utilized in this course will range from the most basic (email), to Discussion Boards, MOOs, Internet Telephony, and video conferencing. As we become familiar with these tools, we’ll use them to create practical activities/lessons that we will practice in collaboration with students not living in the U.S.
Over the course of the semester you will read a number of articles pertaining to the use of these technologies in language classrooms. These articles will range from mostly theoretical (not too many of these) to purely practical in nature. However, it is important to note that this course is not mean to serve as a foundation in the theoretical foundations of CALL, CMC, or any other acronym related to technology in the classroom. The class discussions and assignments will reflect this practical philosophy.
I make one assumption about the students attending this class—that some of you have experience (perhaps even extensive experience) with some aspects of CMC that I may be barely familiar with, while other will have no experience whatsoever. Both of these groups are absolutely welcome in this course and will serve vital roles. Because of this, this course will largely be held in a workshop format.
Rather than taking the traditional role of the “all-knowing leader” (Ha!), I expect to be a member of these workshops who will guide their direction. Given this format, the assignments for this class are designed accordingly.
LIS 590 SI, Seminar in Social Informatics
Chip Bruce co-taught with Les Gasser
Social Informatics (SI) is the study of relationships between social systems and information/communication technologies (ICTs). This course introduces the major theories underpinning contemporary SI research. It also covers descriptive and analytical accounts of how ICTs and social systems work, and studies of the dilemmas that regularly emerge at the intersection of ICTs and human social activity. Since ICTs (broadly construed) pre-date computing technology, the course considers historical foundations of Social Informatics thought.
LIS 590 IBL, Inquiry-Based Learning
Chip Bruce <http://ilabs.inquiry.uiuc.edu/ilab/ibl/>
The primary goal for this course is to provide an introduction to a way of thinking about learning as it occurs in libraries, museums, homes, and workplaces, as well as in formal educational settings. In order to explore that, we will read about, observe, and engage in inquiry-based learning. We will examine the creation of environments in which learners are actively engaged in making meaning through personal and collaborative inquiry. The course will also examine challenges to inquiry-based instruction, including those related to management, assessment, basic skills, cultural differences, and pedagogical goals.