Interactivity Foundation, Wesleyan College Announce WISe-IF Classroom Initiative

MACON, Ga., Jan. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The nonprofit Interactivity Foundation (IF) and Wesleyan College have announced a two-year initiative to incorporate interactive, student-centered discussion processes into first-year seminar courses.

The two organizations will collaborate to reimagine the Wesleyan Integrated Seminar (WISe), a first-year course required of all Wesleyan students, using ideas and techniques from IF.

"We believe the program could have a significant impact on student success, retention, and the college as a whole," said IF Vice President Jeff Prudhomme, Ph.D. "This could become a model for other schools to replicate."

Since 2006, IF has been training and supporting faculty in the United States and abroad to use its innovative small-group discussion process; the Wesleyan initiative represents the first time IF has introduced the method to students university-wide. The courses, which will be led by professors from across disciplines, will begin later this year and extend to 2013.

"Our WISe courses are the foundation of a Wesleyan education," said Matthew R. Martin, Ph.D., an English professor and co-director of the WISe-IF initiative. "We're thankful to IF for the energy, ideas, and resources they're contributing to keep Wesleyan a place where engaged, inquisitive, and articulate women can come to learn and grow."  

Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the College Vivia Fowler called the Wesleyan-IF partnership exciting and forward-thinking. "We want to both open people's minds to the possibilities of the world around us and help them develop their voices in making those possibilities a reality."

LISTEN to Prudhomme and Martin discuss the collaboration on IF's monthly podcast http://bit.ly/xkr2R8

About Wesleyan College http://www.wesleyancollege.edu/
Wesleyan is a four-year liberal arts college for women in Macon, Ga. Affiliated with the United Methodist Church, Wesleyan was the first college in the world chartered to grant degrees to women in 1836. Wesleyan College was ranked 9th in The Princeton Review and USA Today's guide for "Best Value" in 2011.

About the Interactivity Foundation www.interactivityfoundation.org
The Interactivity Foundation is a Parkersburg, W.Va-based nonprofit dedicated to expanding and enhancing public thinking about public matters through a collaborative and exploratory discussion process. IF's education arm introduces faculty to new pedagogies while teaching students the democratic process and 21st-century life skills.

SOURCE The Interactivity Foundation