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Fred Glennon, Ph.D.
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Comparative Religious Ethics and Social Concerns
LEARNING COVENANT
Guidelines
The learning covenant is an explicit agreement between the student, the professor, and other students concerning the involvement of the student in the class. As such, it sets down the formal requirements for your participation in this course. It lists the learning objectives the student will seek to achieve, the activities the student will perform to meet those objectives, and explicitly identifies the criteria which will be used by the professor to evaluate the student's learning. It has the following advantages over more traditional methods of evaluation: (1) it allows for greater individual flexibility and freedom on the part of the student to select those activities which she or he finds of most interest; (2) it states everything clearly and explicitly so that there is no confusion or ambiguity about what is expected; and (3) it allows the student an opportunity to take responsibility for his or her own learning.
We both know that this is a required core course. Some of you probably would not be taking the course otherwise. Because it is a core course, Le Moyne College has certain objectives they require the course to achieve which I must honor. I also have some objectives for the course and for student involvement. The combination of these objectives constitutes the course objectives which every student must meet successfully to pass the course. However, learning is about more than meeting someone else's requirements. Learning is a life-long adventure that contributes to our development as mature, responsible persons in relationship with others. The learning covenant is a means to enhance your potential as life-long learners. That is why in addition to course objectives you have the opportunity in this course to meet objectives you have chosen based on your own interests and needs.
Before deciding on your objectives take the time to assess your learning needs. A learning need is the gap between where you are now and where you want to be in regard to certain competencies and abilities. These competencies can relate to your knowledge, your understanding, your skills, your attitudes, and your values. For example, do you want to learn more about your own or other religious ethical traditions? Do you need to enhance your analytical writing, public speaking, listening, or discussion leadership skills? Are you interested in appreciating the diversity of religious moral arguments on sexuality? Clarity about your needs or interests can help you to be more specific about what objectives you would like to pursue.
You are now ready to start listing your learning objectives. A learning objective is a clear and concise statement that defines specifically what you want to learn. Your learning objectives should describe what you will learn, in terms most meaningful to you, not what you will do to learn them. Look at the examples I have provided (course objectives and others). You can write as many learning objectives as you want within the parameters of the course. Write these on the covenant in the space provided. Clarity is important because these objectives will provide the basis for the final assessment activity, a self-assessment.
Once you have listed your objectives, you will need to describe how you propose going about accomplishing each objective with your learning activities. I have provided a list of Activity Options from which you can select to meet your objectives, or you can identify your own. The key is to make sure that the activities selected help you to meet your objectives. For example, an objective to improve your ability to write analytically may lead you to write three focused thought papers. An objective to learn more about social justice may lead you to analyze a social justice organization. Accomplishing your learning objectives fully may lead you to engage in more than one learning activity. Once you have identified your learning activities, write them on the covenant in the space provided.
Next you will have to give evidence that you have in fact achieved each objective. For example, evidence that you learned more about social justice might lead you to do a collage and write a report about what you learned. Evidence that you have a clearer understanding of Buddhist views of sexuality may lead you to lead a class discussion on what you have learned. The list of Activity Options provided includes the evidence associated with each option. However, you may select one of those options but offer different evidence to demonstrate your learning. Write the evidence you will provide in the space provided on the covenant.
After specifying what evidence you will provide for each objective, you must then specify the criteria by which the evidence will be evaluated. Make sure that the criteria are appropriate for each objective. On the document which lists suggested activities you will find "Evaluation Criteria" attached to each activity. These are evaluation criteria I am suggesting are appropriate to determine the quality of the project. You can make changes to those criteria on your covenant, but we will negotiate any disagreements. Only the evaluation criteria listed with each objective may be used by the professor to determine the quality of your evidence (and a grade). You should pay careful attention to them when completing your activities. It is also possible to have persons other than or in addition to the professor to evaluate your work. If you choose to do this, then you must state what their qualifications are and how they will express their judgments (e.g. rating scales, grades, etc.).
In the final column of the covenant, you must identify due dates for each learning activity. I have selected due dates for the activities I require. You are in the best position, however, to determine when you have time to complete the activities you choose. Just remember: feedback is essential to learning. You will receive more feedback from me the earlier you complete your activities. Waiting until the end of the semester limits your chances for constructive feedback.
Finally, you must indicate how each activity will be weighed so that a final course grade may be calculated. This should be indicated in terms of points (e.g. participation = 75 points; case studies = 100 points, final ethical reflection paper= 100 points; exam = 100 points; thought papers = 75 points; and film review = 50 points). (See Activity Options for point possibilities for each activity limits). This means that you must identify at least two learning objectives and related learning activities to complete your learning covenant. Before submitting your learning covenant be sure to ask the following:
- Are the learning
objectives clear, understandable, and realistic? Do they describe what you
propose to learn?
- Do the learning
activities seem reasonable and appropriate? Can they suggest other
possibilities?
- Does the evidence seem
relevant to the objectives? Or would other evidence be better?
- Are the evaluation
criteria clear, relevant, appropriate? Are there other ways or persons
that might be more appropriate?
You will submit the final draft of your learning covenant on the designated spot on Canvas (the due date is listed there). I will review your covenant to ensure it is complete. I will post comments to that effect on Canvas. The final step is to carry out your covenant. Remember, the implementation of the covenant is your responsibility. Failure to fully implement any or all parts of your covenant may result in receiving a grade of "F" for those uncompleted sections and/or withholding of the final grade. Your covenant may be revised and/or modified any time prior to two weeks before the end of the semester. Revisions after that date will only include final allocations of weights for each graded activity.