Winter Break CDAs 2020-2021

Course Design Assistants (CDAs) were a great success for both students and faculty this summer as we retooled classes for Fall 2020. In an effort to assist faculty with Spring 2021 preparation we are reviving the CDA Program, and will prioritize the ~50 students who will be staying on campus during the Break for this opportunity.  We have asked students who are interested to provide information about their interests & skills and for faculty who are interested, we will do our best to pair you with as close a match as possible.

To apply, Faculty should complete the following form by Monday, December 7, but we will begin matching students with faculty who have already submitted applications the week of November 30:

CDA Faculty Interest Form

Program Details:

• Priority for CDA funding will be given to students who must remain on campus during the Winter Break. Many are international students who are unable to return home because of visa and public health restrictions on travel or students who do not have a safe place to go off campus. We hope that this opportunity for those who are interested will be a point of connection during this time.
• All continuing students are also eligible to take a CDA position for course credit, including those residing on campus who may be unable to work legally in the U.S.[1]
• On a case-by-case basis, the Dean for Faculty Development will approve paid CDA positions for students who have special skills or training who will not reside on campus over the Break. These will be limited—both by the funding available and by the states where we are approved to hire students.[2]
• You may indicate a particular student you would like to work with on the application form or indicate your willingness to work with a student on campus (we’ll do our best to match interests & skills)
• For faculty who would like to work with more than one student, we will make an initial pairing, and after the December 7 deadline, if we have additional students who are interested, we will connect them with faculty to work on additional courses and/or projects..

Student Experience:

• Eligible Dates for Work: December 7, 2020 – January 15, 2021 (this is a total of 6 weeks, but we recommend shorter projects that allow everyone some time to rest over the Break as well)
• Time commitment: 45 hours minimum, 140 hours maximum
• Compensation: Once students are approved for work through the Student Employment Office (early-to-mid-December), CDAs may begin. They will log hours in Scotweb and be paid Ohio’s minimum wage (please note that on January 1, 2021, the base will increase from $8.60/hour to $8.80/hour)

Ways CDAs can assist with preparation for Spring Courses:

As with last semester, we know that we will start the semester with two weeks of remote classes, and whatever format we plan on, we must still all be ready to shift online again if the public health situation or concerns on campus dictate. With the shift toward virtual learning, students often have unique insights to offer (and skills with particular platforms) that are of great benefit as we plan our approaches (see some ideas for ways they may be able to assist below).

• Look for new content (accessible readings, video, museum exhibits, art galleries, etc.)
  • Library subscribed e-resources, such as journal articles, books, and media
  • College of Wooster Digital Special Collections
  • Open Access e-text & e-archival resources
• Considering different digital platforms for social media assignments
• Format course plan in Moodle
• Upload course materials to Moodle
• Reformat syllabi to be more accessible to all students (see, for example, accessiblesyllabus.com)
• Add visuals to syllabus, assignments, and learning platform (with alt text for screen-reading)
• Organize course materials into a library in Zotero (http://libguides.wooster.edu/zotero)
• Create presentation slides for course (PowerPoint instructions & ideas here http://educationaltechnology.wooster.edu/powerpoint/)
• Assist with setting up a WordPress course website (https://voices.wooster.edu/support/)
• Assist with lecture capture & video recording (if student is on campus)
• Time permitting, students can also offer research assistance, but there should be some connection to pedagogical development for 2020-2021 courses

Ultimately, this collaboration assumes that faculty & students are partners in learning, and that our students can not only benefit from the opportunity to have employment, gain professional skills, and connect with other campus community members over Winter Break.  For faculty, we can benefit greatly from our student’s feedback as we (re)design courses to help them make connections to our fields in new ways. In the Fall, many Summer CDAs became TAs for faculty and continued their work together.

If you have questions, please contact: Dean for Faculty Development Christa Craven, ccraven@wooster.edu or Lindsey Millan lmillan@wooster.edu

Click here to access a full list of CDA Resources compiled in Summer 2020.

[1] If a student would like to receive academic credit for CDA work (many need to make up credits toward graduation), they may sign up for a Tutorial (IDPT 19922) “Course Design Assistant,” which will be credited for the Spring 2021 semester (since we do not have a Winter term).  To do so, students must fill out the “Register for a Tutorial” form (available here) and indicate the instructor’s name, “Course Design Assistant” as the title, and the amount of credit they wish to receive (140 hours = 1.0 credit; 75 hours = 0.50 credit; 45 hours = 0.25 credit). The student and faculty member will need to keep track of their hours.

[2] Approved States for College of Wooster Employment: Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Virginia, Utah, Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wyoming.