Ideas for Dedicated Hour
Academic / Student Skills
- Reminder and review of deadlines, procedures, and academic policies
- Group reading with a discussion
- Discussion on how various academic field fit into the Marlboro curriculum
- Study Skills workshop with the Director of Academic Support Services
- Library Research session with a Librarian
- Stress Management workshop / discussion
- Sophomore Review preparation or discussion
- Discussion of the Plan process
- Work session on Final or Preliminary Plan Applications to familiarize students of all class standings with the process and structure
- Discussion on how tutorials work and how to build a good one – with all class standings
- Senior Plan Presentations
- Dedicated Hour held in Plan Room with discussion about some well-designed plans in the area of study
- Discussion on how tutorials work and how to build a good one – with all class standings
- Study Abroad overview with the Associate Director of World Studies
- Study Abroad Experiences – presentation and Q & A with students returning from WSP, Study Abroad, or College-sponsored trips
- Alum Experiences – presentations or discussions with former students to visit and find out what they’ve moved on to doing after Marlboro
- Foreign language immersion option for Dedicated Hour
- Session on finding summer jobs or internships
- Overview of process, timing, and etiquette of Letters of Recommendation
- Discussions about Grad School options within the area of study
Dedicated Hour Structure
- Designate a different student to lead a Dedicated Hour discussion or activity each week
- Create a semester-long schedule of all Dedicated Hour discussions or activities
- Schedule group meetings early in the semester and individual meetings later
- Email out a reminder about Dedicated Hour on Tuesday
- Dedicated Hour "student exchange" either swap whole groups with another faculty member or have individual students visit a Dedicated Hour group they might join as a Plan student to gain new ideas and perspective
- Ask staff not to schedule students to do Work Program hours during Dedicated Hour
- Schedule outdoor program session with Randy for two (or more) combined Dedicated Hour groups
Student Life and Student Health
- Emotional and Physical Health discussion / education session with THC staff
- Discussion / round-table on how to support friends or who are on Plan
- Check-in about dorm life or students experiences off campus
- Frustration / venting / Community-wide primal scream
Staff / Faculty Features
- Performance of Marx in Soho by Jerry Levy
- A History of Marlboro College with Tim Little
- Faculty "How Did I Get Here?" sessions – time for faculty to recount their own academic "journeys" as a way to help students understand the grad school experience, the transition from student to teacher, and the balance of a rounded life that reaches beyond academia.
- Meet the Staff event – staff members visit Dedicated Hours to talk about what they do (advising, financial aid, academic records, etc.), how it impacts the student, and how they can best work together.
- OP orientation – for new students, or those not familiar with the program; meet OP staff, find out hours, learn about gear checkout and upcoming trips.
Trips / Events / Projects / Socialization
- Trips to art museums or other events
- Presentation of a science reading or a Digital Projection session exploring geography and mapping tools via Google Earth
- Watch a documentary
- Ice cream, trust games, origami, board games, chess, or Go
- Short student-taught projects - Button-making with the school’s button machine, small hand-made book projects, poster-making for an event
- Group participation in a Senior’s study needing test subjects
- Hike together in the woods or visit the Climbing Wall
- Sports games between Dedicated Hour groups (a la the epic Meg Mott’s vs. John Sheehy’s Dedicated Hour volleyball game of 2007)
Community Involvement and Activism
- Town Meeting / Selectboard special sessions or discussions
- Special session on current event (e.g. international crises; elections)
- Fundraising, petition writing, or letter writing
- Surveys or discussion on current campus issues (e.g. smoking language)
- Discussions on current campus initiatives (enlivening Community Court, the Library Honor Code, Greening from the Heart)