1. Using Envision YU Resources
Envision YU resources include instructional materials, worksheets, templates, and evaluation tools to support ongoing personal and professional development. Depending on your course learning objectives and pedagogical strategy, you may want to include one or a combination of different types of resources for a well-rounded experience.
All resources can be used as-is or can be adapted to better meet your course needs. These resources focus on four capacities important to student success, namely reflection, self-regulation, teamwork, and transfer. A brief description of the type of resources found in each capacity is provided below.
Reflection resources enable learners to build awareness of their learning and perspectives. Through the examination of self and experiences, learners gain transformative insights to apply to their future experiences. These resources provide opportunities for learners to reflect on their course syllabus, experiences, feedback and grades, their interests and values, their competencies, and life priorities.
Self-regulation enables students to become self-directed learners by developing a sense of resourcefulness and building the capacity to stay motivated and focused in achieving goals. Self-regulation (which includes metacognition and mindfulness) refers to the skills and strategies used to assess and manage one’s internal state (emotions, thoughts, and mindset) and behaviours.
Envision YU resources support learners in creating learning plans, which include goal setting, planning, monitoring, and reflecting on their progress. You can use these resources to provide students with guidance and supportive tools to assess their perceived performance and progress. You can also create a scaffolded learning experience through external feedback that assists students in reflecting on any discrepancies between their desired goal and the outcome attained.
Teamwork resources support learners in developing their capacity to collaborate with others to achieve a common goal. Team-based opportunities enable students to learn from one another and further develop their communication skills, team-based problem-solving and decision-making capabilities, critical thinking, and leadership of self and others.
The instructional materials available introduce learners to the fundamentals of teamwork such as Tuckman’s stages of team development, team decision-making, and strategies to navigate challenges such as conflicts and disagreements. The worksheets and templates (e.g., team charter, meeting agendas, team huddle, etc.) help guide and support students throughout their team-based project, and the self- and peer evaluation tools support ongoing development.
Lastly, Envision YU resources focused on the transfer capacity are designed to enable students to explore how the topics and issues covered in their course relate to a variety of sectors, organizations, and occupational fields. By providing students with the opportunity to do research and to identify these connections within your course, you will equip all your students with the ability to build on these insights after the course ends.
Students learn three methods of self-directed research in the transfer section:
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- Online career-focused research
- Information gathering through networking
- Organizational research and analysis
Many of the assignments in the transfer capacity section are substantive and therefore it is recommended that the percentage value you assign to each should reflect the effort required to complete them for students to fully engage with them.