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Randy Richardson Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona

Describing and Evaluating Curriculum: I. Identifying Skills, Goals, Experiences, Content and Values II. Curriculum Maps and Matrices. Randy Richardson Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona (with thanks to Mary Savina, Carleton College). AGU Heads & Chairs, 2009.

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Randy Richardson Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona

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  1. Describing and Evaluating Curriculum: I. Identifying Skills, Goals, Experiences, Content and ValuesII. Curriculum Maps and Matrices Randy Richardson Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona (with thanks to Mary Savina, Carleton College) AGU Heads & Chairs, 2009

  2. Predicting the future: What will the next 15 years hold in geoscience and geoscience education? • More interested in applications • More collaboration • Different and broader career paths • More societal relevance • More complex data management tasks (from Beyond Earth System Science - Kip Hodges, 2007) AGU Heads & Chairs, 2009

  3. Trends in Higher Education • Changing nature of the student body, • Change in what it means to be an “educated person,” • Emphasis on skills and habits of mind rather than content, • Recognizing learning outside the classroom, • A more cohesive and coherent first year experience, a capstone. (thanks to Chico Zimmerman, Perlman Center for Learning and Teaching, Carleton College) AGU Heads & Chairs, 2009

  4. Thinking About Curriculum – Model #1 • Emphasizing individual course titles and content: • Introductory geology (audience) • Specialized geoscience courses OR AGU Heads & Chairs, 2009

  5. Thinking About Curriculum - Model #2 • Emphasizing sequence and student intellectual development – • What are good second level courses? • What work as advanced courses? • What should students carry from one class to the next? OR AGU Heads & Chairs, 2009

  6. Thinking About Curriculum – Model #3 – Identifying: • Skills • Geoscience-specific • General • Experiences • Goals • Values • “Threshold concepts” (Randy Bass, Georgetown University) – (What are the central ideas from geoscience that are important to all students (majors and non-majors))? • Other Content AGU Heads & Chairs, 2009

  7. First fundamental question: • What do you want your (seniors, graduates, alumni) to be able to do? • First exercise: Defining goals, values, experiences, skills, knowledge (about 10 minutes of independent/small group work followed by 15 minutes of post-it organizing and reporting out). AGU Heads & Chairs, 2009

  8. Student Learning Outcomes: • Student Learning Outcomes • California State University, Chico Students will be able to... • Determine the physical and chemical composition of earth materials and the processes that produced them. • Identify and fully describe rocks (http://serc.carleton.edu/departments/assessment/learning_goals.html) AGU Heads & Chairs, 2009

  9. Second fundamental question: • Where in the curriculum (or co-curriculum) do students get these skills, experiences, etc.? • Using the curricular map: Two Examples (http://serc.carleton.edu/departments/programs/curriculum_profiles.html) Visiting Workshop Program, 2009 - 2010

  10. A matrix approach to curricular design This matrix concept has been used by the geology departments at Carleton and at College of William & Mary, as well as by other Carleton departments. AGU Heads & Chairs, 2009

  11. Another version of the general matrix AGU Heads & Chairs, 2009

  12. A breakdown of one category A = always; S = sometimes AGU Heads & Chairs, 2009

  13. Second fundamental question, con’t: • Exercise 2 Mapping curriculum and identifying where in curriculum experiences, goals, etc. are situated (about 20 minutes of independent and small group work on the maps and matrix). AGU Heads & Chairs, 2009

  14. Thinking about assessment • Use the capstone projects • Subjects and methods • Sources and experiences • Use the department review process • Check in with alumni • Evaluate the course content AGU Heads & Chairs, 2009

  15. Managing the department discussion – barriers and obstacles • Identify principles and broadest learning objectives • Identify skills, experiences, goals, values, threshold concepts, content areas • Diagram or map structure of the major – as it is • Identify the curricular (or co-curricular) locations of the skills, etc. • Affirm (or at least acknowledge) perennial debates • Check in with institutional and broader higher ed priorities • Repeat more often than you think you need AGU Heads & Chairs, 2009

  16. Connecting with institutional initiatives • Importance of cross-cutting skills – not just “general education,” but also in major • Quantitative reasoning, Writing Across the Curriculum, visuality, academic civic engagement, ethics, sustainability. . . . (Carleton has between eight and twenty, depending on who is counting) AGU Heads & Chairs, 2009

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