Faculty Guide
The SSCC project is an exciting and invigorating one. It brings to life disciplinary concepts that we want our students to learn while providing a bridge between the problems at the back of the chapter and the complexity of the real world. We expect faculty who teach courses with SSCC components will see the benefits for our students, communities and ourselves.
Plan for Flexibility
At the beginning of the project, we provide a scope; a guide to shared expectations for you and the community partner. This guide is provided ahead of time to ensure preparations of rich course content will be made available to students. It is important to note that during the course of these projects, unpredictable circumstances may alter the timeline and cause delays. The project's trajectory may also change as more information is gathered. Because of this, you will receive additional support in the form of a course stipend.
Remember that partners don't expect perfection
Faculty pride themselves on high-quality deliverables, however, the involvement of students means these standards might not always be met. Although our students will work together and present their best quality work, our partners understand that the project is a learning process and don’t place professional-level expectations on them.
Proactively manage student expectations
Faculty are advised to state specific requirements in their syllabus as well as verbally prepare students for the deliverables expected of them. Please consider including SSCC Student Guide in your curriculum. In SSCC courses, students may especially struggle with some aspects of the project. Here are a few proactive measures that can help students thrive:
- Share the project scope with students, or even a modified version. This helps them better understand the project.
- Encourage them to give their suggestions to the partner without feeling that their contributions aren’t significant.
- Students may encounter difficulties transitioning from solving textbook problems to providing solutions for real-world cases. Help them navigate this new territory as much as possible.
- Some of the students may not be accustomed to putting in the extra hours that might be required to work on SSCC project. They need to be prepared to be fully engaged when it is expected of them.
- Some students could be hesitant to contact their partners and other involved contacts. Encourage them to communicate in a professional tone.
For further assistance and clarification, please contact Faculty Director, Connie Frey-Spurlock.
