L-3 Civic Engagement: Kevin Yndestad completed an L-3 ILP around his experience as a "public advocate for cancer and research charities that support families battling cancer." He submitted both an ILP Submission Form and a research paper documenting his learning.
H (Human Community): "Principles of Effective Public Speaking and Assessing Effectiveness" by Mary Erl for the H-3-E Competence. In addition to this eight-page paper and her ILP Submission Form, Mary provided the following documentation to support her claim of competence: an evaluation of one of the speeches she gave as a member of Toastmasters; a certificate from Toastmaster's International for "successful completion of the Toastmaster's Communication and Leadership Program;" a newspaper article about her as president of her local Toastmaster's group; and a flyer, news release and newspaper articles on financial planning seminars she offers at community sites. Look in the column on the right to watch an interview with Mary in which she tells about writing this and nine other ILPs.
A (Arts and Ideas): Having worked as a professional photographer, this student completed the A2A competence through an oral presentation in Art Share. Here is her ILP Submission Form and here are the supporting materials she prepared for her Art Share presentation.
FX (Focus Area): These two ILPs give an idea of the range of possibilities for the focus area:
"Learning Six Sigma Theory" Competence: Demonstrates knowledge and understanding of the Six Sigma process improvement methodology
"Collecting and Classifying Folklore" Competence: Understands the concept, function, and methodologies of folklore and folkloristics and can apply these principles to her work and those of others
Mary Erl wrote ten Independent Learning Pursuits (ILPs) before graduating in Spring 2009. To view this video on I-Tunes U, click here. To see her ILPs on public speaking for the H3E competence, see the middle section of this page.
SNL Faculty on ILPs
The best ILPs maintain a focus on the area of competence and demonstrate a balance between evidence from the student's personal experience and research. Reflection upon the larger implications of one's personal experience is a critical element for success. Weaker ILPs fail to address the competence and insufficiently define or explore key concepts.
Instructors recommended that students focus on relating the specific to the general, reflecting deeply on their experiences, and finding appropriate source material to support their ideas.
