Teaching

Zines are self-published booklets of original or appropriated text and images, increasingly present in higher education environments, where they are used as exploratory pedagogical tools for the development of student voice, self-awareness, creativity, and authority, outside of the strict boundaries of scholarly communication and mainstream media. Zines, which have a lot in common with chapbooks and pamphlets, have also become a popular subject of scholarship across academic disciplines and professions. Many faculty members at Pace have implemented or are experimenting with zine pedagogies and the Faculty Center's new Zine Library is designed to support this teaching and learning. This spreadsheet includes titles and descriptions of all the zines, pamphlets, chapbooks, and related publications acquired so far.

The collection is rich in materials that support the Pace curriculum as well as The Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) at Pace. The collection is very broadly defined and will be broadly developed–including everything from independent art magazines to public health pamphlets to black and white photocopied zines. Students have selected many of the publications and will continue to do so. Regarding digitized or "born digital" zines, the zine committee is open to these formats and working to figure out ways to include them. Visit this guide for information.

Join the Faculty Center ad-hoc Zine+ Committee! Visit the collection to plan your pedagogy! Email Susan Thomas, Instructional Services Librarian, sthomas7@pace.edu or Derek Stroup, Lecturer, Art Department, dstroup@pace.edu.

Every successful course begins with a clear syllabus, which contains the course description, objectives, requirements, deadlines and assessment methods. Having a clear syllabus is even more essential in an online or web-assisted course when students may be unclear about expectations. We encourage faculty to move beyond a basic outline of weekly assignments to create a comprehensive document, which will inform and guide students throughout the entire semester. The course syllabus works as a contract between you and the student; therefore it should provide more than just due dates. The student should gain a clear understanding of the course by reading the syllabus during the first week and should be encouraged to review this document frequently throughout the semester.

The welcome letter is an opportunity to say hello to your students and let them know you are excited to see them and work with them during the semester. Students need to feel welcome right from the start of your course. Without a welcome letter, they’re less likely to want to engage with you or the course, they will not tell you about themselves and your relationship starts off on the wrong foot. Having a positive welcome:

• Helps students become familiar with both you and the course.
• Helps students understand the modality (synchronous, asynchronous, web-assisted, hyflex, etc.) before the semester begins.
• Can ease any anxiety about taking the course.
• Shows students you are accessible and approachable.

A tool commonly used to grade, but also to provide feedback, is known as a Rubric. A rubric is a scoring scale consisting of a set of criteria that describe what expectations are being assessed and/or evaluated. They also include descriptions of levels of quality used to evaluate student’s work or to guide them to desired performance levels. Rubrics can be attached to assignments that specifically detail what is asked of them and the corresponding grades, large papers, or projects. Establishing grading standards for the Discussion Board can best be done through a rubric. Rubrics come in many shapes and sizes, and all dependent on your needs and expectations.

Rubric Samples

Example 1: Title – Changing Communities in Our City Oral Presentation Rubric (PDF)

Task Description: Each student will make a 5-minute presentation on the changes in one Portland community over the past thirty years. The students may focus the presentation in any way he or she wishes, but there needs to be a thesis of some sort, not just a chronological exposition. The presentation should include appropriate photographs, maps, graphs and other visual aids for the audience.

Example 2: Title – Research Foundations Research Paper Rubric (DOCX)

Task Description: You are to find at least 10 research articles related to your project topic. You will write a 10- page review of these articles that shows how they relate to and contribute to your understanding of your topic.

Example 3: Title – Film Presentation Group Project Rubric (DOCX)

Task Description: Working in groups of four or five, students will develop an analysis of a Japanese or American movie about World War II. This analysis should go beyond a simple synopsis of the movie to discuss how well or poorly the film reflects a particular point of view about the war. All group members are expected to participate.

Example 4: Title – Online/Discussion Forum Discussion Board Rubric (PDF)

Task Description: Each student is expected to participate weekly in the online discussion forum. Participation means: address the weekly question on the discussion forum submitted by the instructor, and respond to at least two other discussion forum posts that other students have made.

• A Rubric for Rubrics by Dr. Mullinix (PDF)
• Great resource of samples of rubrics from University of Idaho