Education Commons^™

Constructive Alignment And The Curriculum: A Call For Improved Pedagogical Practices In Higher Education, Kerwin A. Livingstone

Kerwin A. Livingstone

From the turn of the century, there have been fervent calls to reform the curriculum in such a way that all students benefit. In light of heated debates, ‘constructivism’ was embraced as the new learning theory that would cause an improvement in student learning outcomes. Much later, ‘constructive alignment’ emerged, which sought to revolutionise the curriculum, significantly modifying pedagogical practices. Consequently, this article seeks to address constructive alignment in the curriculum and the urgent need to improve didactic practices in higher education. To this end, a discussion ensues on the curriculum and its necessity in pedagogy. The different approaches to …

Dreams Of A Motley Graduation Cap: A Proposal For Stand-Up Comedy In Higher Education, David Patterson

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

It is said that the most valuable tool an education at a liberal arts university is how it produces well rounded people with a better understanding of themselves and the world around them. To produce people not only aware of current issues, but with the toolbelt needed to assess them and shed new light. If this is true, then I propose that the goals of liberal arts university are synonymous with the goals of a comedian.

In this thesis, I mean to draw ties to the world of stand up comedy and within the world of liberal arts academia. I …

Problem-Solving Pedagogy: A Foundation For Restructuring, Updating, And Improving Undergraduate Theory And Musicianship Curricula, Michael T. Simonelli

Masters Theses

The goal of this thesis is to provide the ideological and practical foundation for an improved approach to undergraduate theory and musicianship pedagogy. I will discuss the structure of conventional theory programs and explore problems inherent to traditional curriculum design. Problem-solving pedagogy, an approach rooted in creative composition and improvisation, will be presented as a complement to traditional theory pedagogy. Balancing problem-solving pedagogy with a more traditional pedagogical approach will provide a practical foundation for improving undergraduate theory and musicianship curricula.

Academic Engagement Of Hospitality Students, Donald G. Schoffstall, Susan W. Arendt, Eric A. Brown

Eric A. Brown

Student academic engagement has been researched over the years, drawing limited conclusions and suggestions for improvement. In this study, researchers utilized National Survey for Student Engagement data from a large Midwestern university to examine the academic engagement of hospitality management students and compared their engagement to business students. It was found that 50% of the participating hospitality students spent 11 h or more each week preparing for classes. For both groups, finances were reported as the biggest obstacle to academic progress. The research study provides an examination of hospitality students’ academic engagement. Suggestions are presented for hospitality educators.

Preparing Climate Leaders: One Syllabus At A Time, Madeleine K. Charney

Madeleine K. Charney

Poster presentation at the 2014 Presidential Summit on Climate Leadership which highlighted the Sustainability Curriculum Initiative, a library-funded faculty mini-grant program that provides support for teaching sustainability courses across a wide range of disciplines. The poster illustrated the partnership between faculty members and subject specialist librarians. Also available was the Library’s Sustainability Research Guide, curriculum-building material which integrate library resources, photographs, and a White Paper outlining the history of the program. The Summit, held in Boston October 1-2, 2014 and hosted by Second Nature, was designed by Presidents for Presidents and Sustainability Staff in higher education. The focus of the …

2014-2015 Ursinus College Course Catalogue, Office Of The Registrar

Ursinus College Catalogues, 1869-Present

A digital copy of the 2014-2015 Ursinus College Catalog. It contains details of the curriculum, departmental requirements and courses of instruction as well as core requirements such as the Common Intellectual Experience (CIE) and Independent Learning Experience (ILE). Academic policies, special opportunities and graduation requirements are also outlined.

Ethical Reasoning Development In Project-Based Learning, Elizabeth Pluskwik, Puteri S. Megat Hamari

Integrated Engineering Department Publications

This paper will describe the method of ethics instruction in a specific project-based learning program with the aim to improve the current level of moral reasoning skills in the engineering students enrolled in the program. The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) and the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) have endorsed efforts to improve the teaching of ethics in the engineering curriculum. Criterion 3-f of the ABET outcomes,specifically calls for student attainment of an understanding of ethical and professional responsibility. In response, engineering educators seek to develop curriculum to improve moral reasoning skills, which should lead to increased …

Blogging Beyond Blackboard For Deeper Learning, Marie A. Hulme, Pilar Munday

English Faculty Publications

Presentation by Marie Hulme and Pilar Munday at the Fairfield University Center for Academic Excellence Annual Conference on Innovative Pedagogy & Course Redesign May 29-30, 2014.

Improving Curriculum Design And Development: A Case Study From The University Of Guyana, Kerwin A. Livingstone

Kerwin A. Livingstone

The curriculum is a very important document which details how learning and teaching is to be done. Since this document is a guide for learning, it must be properly planned, designed and developed, if it is to achieve success in its implementation stage. Bearing this in mind, this case study centres its attention on the analysis and evaluation of a Spanish course curriculum document from the University of Guyana. The aim of this paper is to highlight those areas that are deficient in the current course curriculum, analyse and revise them, and make recommendations for improvements. Information about the University …

Preparing Librarians To Be Campus Leaders Through Mapping And Integrating Information Literacy Into Curriculum, Sharon A. Weiner, Li Wang

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

Curriculum mapping is a process by which curricula are methodically examined to determine where information literacy (IL) capabilities are, or should be taught during formal coursework. Curriculum integration is the process of intentionally integrating IL capability at the points in coursework when students need to master those capabilities and competencies. During this session, librarians will develop an understanding of curriculum mapping and how to integrate IL in curricula. This knowledge prepares librarians for campus leadership, since the curriculum is the primary focus of teaching and learning and affects the entire campus.

The curriculum in higher education can be viewed as: …

Creating Course Curriculum For A Community College, Carol E. Reis

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

ABSTRACT OF A PROJECT

Creating college courses for a community college is the main focus of this project. The specific college is Erie Community College in Western New York. Three areas of course development that have been targeted are: recreation, creative studies, and therapeutics.

Just as the needs in society change, the need for a college to change to fit the needs of society coexists. A function of higher education is to train students to be competitive in the existing job market. The final outcome of a college certificate and/or degree is best suited to students if the certificates and …

Curriculum Review: Analysis Of A Spanish Translation Course Curriculum From The University Of Guyana, Kerwin A. Livingstone

Kerwin A. Livingstone

This curriculum review report centres its attention on the analysis of a Spanish course curriculum document from the University of Guyana. The aim of this report is to highlight those areas that are deficient in the current course curriculum, analyse and revise them, and make recommendations for improvements. Information about the University of Guyana, along with its vision, mission and value statements are presented. Then, a discussion ensues on curriculum planning, designing and development, paying specific attention what curriculum entails. An analysis is conducted of the course curriculum, highlighting both the positives and the negatives. Subsequently, recommendations are made for …

Planning And Enacting Mathematical Tasks Of High Cognitive Demand In The Primary Classroom, Kelly Georgius

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study offers an examination of two primary-grades teachers as they learn to transfer knowledge from professional development into their classrooms. I engaged in planning sessions with each teacher to help plan tasks of high cognitive demand, including anticipating and planning for classroom discourse that would occur around the task. A detailed description of the planning and teaching that took place during the study provides information about how a teacher can learn and what a teacher learns to consider in order to plan and implement meaningful mathematical lessons. This design experiment describes the work of two teachers who participated in …

A Broadly Implementable Research Course In Phage Discovery And Genomics For First-Year Undergraduate Students, Tuajuanda C. Jordan, Sandra H. Burnett, Susan Carson, Steven M. Caruso, Kari Clase, Randall J. Dejong, John J. Dennehy, Dee R. Denver, David Dunbar, Sarah C. R. Elgin, Ann M. Findley, Chris R. Gissendanner, Urszula P. Golebiewska, Nancy Guild, Grant A. Hartzog, Wendy H. Grillo, Gail P. Hollowell, Lee E. Hughes, Allison Johnson, Rodney A. King, Lynn O. Lewis, Wei Li, Frank Rosenzweig, Michael R. Rubin, Margaret S. Saha, James Sandoz, Christopher D. Shaffer, Barbara Taylor, Louise Temple, Edwin Vazquez, Vassie C. Ware, Lucia P. Barker, Kevin W. Bradley, Deborah Jacobs-Sera, Welkin H. Pope, Daniel A. Russell, Steven G. Cresawn, David Lopatto, Cherly P. Bailey, Graham F. Hatfull

Publications and Research

Engaging large numbers of undergraduates in authentic scientific discovery is desirable but difficult to achieve. We have developed a general model in which faculty and teaching assistants from diverse academic institutions are trained to teach a research course for first-year undergraduate students focused on bacteriophage discovery and genomics. The course is situated within a broader scientific context aimed at understanding viral diversity, such that faculty and students are collaborators with established researchers in the field. The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Science Education Alliance Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science (SEA-PHAGES) course has been widely implemented and has been …

Curriculum, Marginalization, And The Professoriate, William L. White

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

The author exposes the subtext on which education and particularly curriculum making is based by focusing on the notion that the professoriate has been marginalized within curriculum planning by an educational hegemony that utilizes the sorting and classification mechanisms present in schooling to co-opt the development of educational plans.

Searching For French Civilization: Reflections On Situating Information Literacy Skills In An Undergraduate French Curriculum, Carmel O'Reilly

Books/Book Chapters

No abstract provided.

The New York City Doe/Cuny Library Collaborative: Bridging The Gap Between High School And College, Curtis L. Kendrick, Leanne Ellis, Lisa Castillo Richmond, Sharae D. Brown, Robert Farrell, Alison Lehner-Quam, Nathan Mickelson, Mehgann Walk

Library Scholarship

This white paper presents the progression and the processes of the New York Collaborative Curriculum Revision Project (CCRP), a collaborative of high school teachers, college faculty, and librarians, formed to build upon the new Common Core State Standards designed to help students develop and become more adept at reading critically, conducting rigorous research, and being better prepared for postsecondary success. This paper presents CCRP as a model to be replicated, modified and strengthened. The DOE/CUNY Library Collaborative is central to the development of the model and shares its successes and hard-learned lessons in its steps to recruit, engage, and facilitate …

Producing “Society-Ready” Foresters: A Research-Based Process To Revise The Bachelor Of Science In Forestry Curriculum At Stephen F. Austin State University, Steven H. Bullard, Pat Stephens Williams, Theresa Coble, Dean W. Coble, Ray Darville, Laurie Rogers

Faculty Publications

“Society-ready” foresters are capable of dealing effectively with the complex economic, ecological, and social issues involving forestry in the 21st century. To assess the knowledge areas, skill sets, abilities, and behaviors needed by society-ready, entry-level foresters today, we surveyed 800 forestry employers and forestry alumni from Stephen F. Austin State University (SFASU), and we also conducted focus group sessions with a total of 58 forestry employers. Important areas of knowledge on emerging issues for society-ready Bachelor of Science in Forestry (BSF) graduates included climate change, water availability and quality, and dealing with invasive plants, pathogens, and insects. However, the skill …

Teaching Undergraduates How To Analyze, Ryan Andrew Nivens, Rosalind Raymond Gann

ETSU Faculty Works

Analysis is typically listed in taxonomies of higher order thinking. Academics consider these taxonomies worthwhile, but they are hard to teach and we are apt to ignore them. Today higher education is criticized for “dumbing down” curriculum or lowering standards. To rectify this, many policies at the state or national level are requiring higher education institutions to change. In K-12 education, Race to the Top and Common Core requirements are placing new demands on K-12 teacher preparation, which include evaluation of the analysis skills of pre-service teachers. But professors do not always view their disciplines as the proper place for …

Graduates’ Perspectives On Transition From College Graduation To The Workplace: A Qualitative Approach, Katelyn B. Hendricks

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

This article explored the experiences of college graduates in their program of study and during their transition from college graduation to the workplace. Factors focused on were perceptions of program and curriculum, employment preparation, connections to faculty and relationships with family members. Six individuals who graduated from the University of Kentucky Family Sciences (FAM) Department were interviewed. Participants openly shared positive and negative experiences. The study was examined through two theoretical lenses: Glen Elder’s life course perspective and Ludwig von Bertalanffy’s general systems theory. Participant interviews were transcribed verbatim and transcriptions were analyzed with inductive coding. Central themes that emerged …