Pursuit of the Arts and Sciences - How to catch them?

[femkes_follies]

tattycat has me contemplating.

The Royal University of the Midrealm is a (hopefull) biannual event. It moves from site to site 'round the Kingdom, based on where the best bid comes from. It consists of classes in Fine Arts and Sciences, Performing Arts, Martial Arts, History, and SCA Administration. Over the years, curriculum quality has varied rather widely. (blah blah blah, volunteer organization)

Our Erstwhile and Hardworking Chancellor has been ruminating on developing system by which you can "progress" through programming and receive recognition for learning. And we've had discussions about trying to increase the number of "intermediate" and "advanced" classes offered at RUM. On the grounds that "beginner" level classes are more commonly to be found locally anyway.

Now, it occurs to me to ask the hive mind for stimulating conversation on the topic of trying to offer a "progression" on specific topics given the changing location, venue, and time between sessions. The Midrealm is large enough that a teacher may be available for one session, but the next too far away to be feasible for them. So how could we set things up so that you could, in fact, take steadily advancing classes in a topic?

Speak to me of brilliant notions.

Comments

[yummyone.livejournal.com]

I think you'd have to have a rating system for each class, and a general category that it falls in. So you could have a Cooking category, and class A is difficulty/complexity of 1, and class B is a 5. Then is the class is offered at RUM or somewhere else it could be credited accurately.
Just a quick 2 cents...

[femkederoas.livejournal.com]

Yeah, and that does rather nicely address one side of it.

Any thoughts on how to handle things that should have "pre-reqs" as it were?

[yummyone.livejournal.com]

Have a core set of classes for each event... ie basic cooking terms, maybe have them done first thing in the day, so more advanced classes could be done in the afternoon. If someone can teach the advanced class it should be nothing for them to teach the core class. Or maybe have a set of handouts/information kit that you must receive and review if you haven't taken the core class, to give a basic understanding.

[alysten.livejournal.com]

Would you be interested at all in instructors from other realms?

[femkederoas.livejournal.com]

Always and with great delight. I have two coming this time. ;-) Are you volunteering?

[alysten.livejournal.com]

If you can send me more information, I can definitely look into it.

[femkederoas.livejournal.com]

The next session is Feb 20, 2010, in N. Canton, OH.

http://masque2010.alderford.org/index.html

The class schedule is currently in flux. ;-)

[alysten.livejournal.com]

I am going to have to skip this one unfortunately (due to surgery recovery Im not traveling too far from home).

However, when you guys get the next one going, I would be interested. I am working on intermediate/advanced cooking classes.

[femkederoas.livejournal.com]

I will definitely keep you in the loop.

I'll let you know when the next MK Cook's symposium gets going, too.

[eleanor-deyeson.livejournal.com]

Calontir's "degree" system doesn't recognize necessarily "advancing" knowledge in a field, but rather, that the person has a wide variety of classes they have taken, including some hands-on classes. It's not widely used, but those who have a RUSH degree should have a good understanding of the breadth of the Arts & Sciences.

However, depth into a particular field is mostly from instructors in that field itself. My hubby created a set of Brewing classes - 101 & 102, basic knowledge, 201 & 202, more in depth about sanitation, and testing equipment, and then there were 300 level classes in specific booze types - like all-grain beer. He and his apprentices taught these classes at every RUSH for about 3 yrs, and they were well attended. He had a full day of classes each time. But eventually, most of the people who were interested in Brewing had taken the classes, and class numbers began to dwindle. Quality of home-brew in the kingdom went up significantly however, and a number of the students went on to use his class materials to teach others in their home groups. The initial challenge was in creating the classes. Once written, any instructor of moderate skill could use the material, and thus, distance issues for RUSH sessions were minimized.

Now how any of that may be useful for you, I don't know, unless you're interested in the classes he developed.

[femkederoas.livejournal.com]

It's always of interest to see what other Kingdoms have done. There is, after all, no sense reinventing the wheel.

It's pretty hard to get somebody to commit to be at EVERY RUM for any extended period. Though I agree that classes that get taught a lot eventually sort of max out their available audience at least for a period of time.

The extremes, as I see it, would be:
A. continuing as we are with utter randomness

or

B. attempting to build some sort of "core curriculum" of sorts, and then supplementing that with other, more specialized classes.
(Reply to this)

[mistressarafina.livejournal.com]

One problem is how to not equate getting any kind of certificate with getting some kind of award. People always seem to think that everything they do should lead to an award.

Second problem is how do I rate the expertise level of the classes without hurting someone's feelings.

If you could figure that out for me, that'd be great thanks. K. Bye.

[femkederoas.livejournal.com]

Well, I've been thinking about that, too.

What I might TRY is to design sort of a little "form" (electronic eventually) where you answer some simple questions about the class you intend to teach. That form would allow us to place that class, not in a "beginner, intermediate, advanced" system, but along a continuum of sorts. I'm working out the details. Sort of like a college number system.

Whaddaya think?

Speaking of RUM

[situveuxmoi.livejournal.com]

If you're still looking for more teachers, I do have (as yet unfinished) a class for rapier. "Now What? A Beginner's Guide to All Things Rapier in the Middle Kingdom." Just a thought. :)

Re: Speaking of RUM

[femkederoas.livejournal.com]

THat would be the college of Martial Arts - and Sir Straum. ;-)