Effective Teaching in Integrative Studies

CoursesEdmund Hansen & Michael Murphy

Schreyer Institute for Teaching ExcellenceOctober 25, 2017

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Workshop Objectives1. Differentiate between “regular” and “integrative

thinking” courses2. Identify faculty obstacles to and solutions for

collaborating across domains3. Recognize student challenges to developing skills

and identify ways to help them adjust4. Develop explicit learning objectives and select

teaching strategies for an assignment or activity that promotes integrative learning

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The General Education Curriculum“The General Education curriculum will enable students to acquire skills, knowledge, and experiences […] so they can contribute to making life better for others, themselves, and the larger world…

“General Education aids students in developing intellectual curiosity, a strengthened ability to think, and a deeper sense of aesthetic appreciation.”

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What are your experiences with

Integrative Studies?1. I am currently preparing an Integrative Studies

course for Gen-Ed2. I have taught a course (or more) in an integrative

fashion3. I am interested in this approach but have not yet

done it myself

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YOUR TURN

What is the difference between traditional and

integrative studies courses?

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Integrative LearningConnections and Divergences:• Not two disciplinary frameworks running parallel • A productive friction among various lenses

Sufficient Complexity:• Topic based:• Big ideas

• Problem based:• Ill-defined problems

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Dee Fink, 2003

Exhibit A

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Big QuestionsBroad Topic

Societal Consequences

Personal ExperiencesLearn How to Learn

Cognitive and Ethical Growth

Discipline A Discipline BPROCESSES

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Focus on Process

From the Faculty Senate guidelines on Integrative courses:

I.S. courses “aim to advance the student’s ability to comprehend things from multiple perspectives, to see connections, and to grasp the concept that one must employ different modes of thinking, different epistemologies to understand more adequately the nature of things…”

Focus on the process of learning and their development as sophisticated and responsible thinkers and actors.

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An Analogy

http://automotifit.blogspot.com/2011/02/most-stolen-cars-in-america-top-10-list.html

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Important Cognitive Procedures

1. Identify issues, problems, or questions appropriate for interdisciplinary inquiry

2. Comprehend (but not fully embrace) expert viewpoints that may conflict

3. Detect the assumptions, biases, values, and disciplinary training of experts (e.g. know how they think)

4. Reflect on your own biases and values5. Understand how interdisciplinarians discover or create

common ground between different and conflicting viewpoints

6. Search for big ideas and desirable social engagementAdapted from Repko, Szostak & Buchberger, 2017

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Thinking Across DisciplinesExhibit C

GoalsActivitiesMaterials and ResourcesEthical dimensionsSocial benefits and challenges

Elevator speech: In 45 seconds, describe to a non-specialist your discipline, how it works, and why it is important

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Explore the other domain and discipline:1. Skim some foundational texts2. Check out a leading journal3. Talk to colleagues in that discipline4. Have frequent but brief meetings with your

collaborator(s)5. Be able to answer most or all of the questions on

the handout for each discipline6. Be able to give an elevator speech about that

discipline

Thinking Across Disciplines

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EXAMPLE:Creating an interdisciplinary

research question(see Worksheet: Interdisc. Res. Qu’s)

Key Steps:1. Use all disciplinary tools, including assumptions,

concepts, theories, and methods, to solve the problem

2. Critically evaluate disciplinary insights3. Create common ground among disciplinary

insights… on the basis of one or more key assumptions, concepts, or theoretical explanations

(adapted from Repko et al., 2017, p. 239-240)

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YOUR TURNCreate an interdisciplinary

research questionIf you already have a topic to work on:• Sit at a separate table with colleagues who also have

started working on a topic.

I you don’t have a topic yet:• Find 2 or 3 colleagues, • create a topic or choose from the List of Big Questions on the

Worksheet, or • discuss the examples in EXHIBIT H on Human Cloning or on

Crime.

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DEBRIEFING

1. Your two disciplines?2. Your research question?3. Your comments about the

procedure?

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Given your research topic, explore the following questions:1. What insights does Discipline A contribute?2. What insights does Discipline B contribute?3. How might they complement each other?4. Where does each discipline have “blindspots”?5. What connections might students see between

this research and the larger social context?6. What connections might students make to their

own lives?

Building the Course

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Special Student Challenges

Overview (EXHIBIT D)1. Where did/do you get stuck?2. Focus on process of learning3. Metacognition4. Recognizing own bias5. Tolerating ambiguity6. Unfamiliar classroom practices7. Unfamiliar writing formats8. Unfamiliar resources9. The social and political dimensions of Int. Learng10. Dualistic mindset in students’ development

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Metacognition

Reflecting on their learning / Learning how to learn (Student resistance: “Where’s the content?”)• Focus on the processes (“Why did you select that

option?” “How did you come up with that?” “What is the next step for you?” “What else would you need to know about X?”)• Reflect on their study skills (“What is the difference

between studying and learning?” “How did you prepare for the quiz?”)• Provide detailed rubrics prior to assignments. Include

examples.• Asks students to reflect on and annotate their work• Provide frequent feedback

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Big QuestionsBroad Topic

Societal Consequences

Personal ExperiencesLearn How to Learn

Cognitive and Ethical Growth

Discipline A Discipline BPROCESSES

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YOUR TURNDesign or Redesign anActivity or Assignment

Identify an activity in a course you are teaching or will teach;

Enhance the activity to be more integrative . Use one of the prompts from the worksheet or with inspiration from Exhibit G.

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Interdisciplinary Habits of Mind

(see EXHIBIT B)1. Drawing insights from diverse perspectives into complex

issue: Seek out diverse perspectives for richer understanding

2. Evaluating insights: In evaluating disciplinary insights, look for strengths in

arguments you dislike and weaknesses in those you like

3. Modifying insights: Embrace contradiction—ask how it can be both

4. Integrating insights into comprehensive understanding of issue: Expect multiple causes and effects(Newell & Luckie, 2013)

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The Integrative Learning Rubric

(see EXHIBIT E)1. Connections to Experience:

Relevant experience and academic learning

2. Connections to Discipline:Across disciplines and/or perspectives

3. Transfer to New Situations:Applies skills, abilities, theories, etc. from one situation to another

4. Integrated Communication:Communicates across professional, academic & civic contexts

5. Reflection & Self-Assessment:Evaluates changes in own learning over time

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YOUR TURNHow would you adapt the Rubric to your students?

• How (with what exercises) could you prepare students for each one of the 5 performance criteria?• Should you drop the highest performance column

and use a lower one instead?• Or would you prefer creating your own rubric for

your main class project?

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Lessons Learned for Developing an Interdisciplinary Course

1. Find colleagues with similar interests from other disciplines2. Find guest speakers with different perspectives from yours3. Start with the planning of the main learning goals4. Instead of using long planning sessions, consider short,

intense 45-minute sessions5. If possible, teach a pilot course with a limited number of

students6. Plan class sessions that allow for a combination of short

lecture(s) followed by discussion & problem-solving activities

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Lessons Learned for Developing an Interdisciplinary Course… (continued)7. Plan for a final course project that allows students to pull things

together8. If course is team-taught by 2 instructors, each one needs to give up

some content9. Take some care in creating the course title. Students take the titles

very seriously.10. I want to assign things that students want to do.11. I have students do an online blog or private journal in which they

identify threads in the material.12. One difference of this to regular courses: Big questions are

welcome!13. What students need more than anything is training and practice in

how to focus.

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Conclusions• Integrative learning (IL) pursues “big questions”• IL requires collaboration and critical debate

between disciplines• IL goes beyond academic boundaries (and includes

students’ social environment)• IL includes certain “habits of mind”• IL requires critical and reflective learning strategies• IL calls for a major class project that allows students

to demonstrate their integrative abilities• IL benefits from collaborative faculty arrangements

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References• Ambrose, Bridges, DiPietro. (2010). How Learning Works.• Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U).

VALUE Rubric on Integrative & Applied Learning.• Brookfield, S. (2012). Teaching for Critical Thinking.• Fink, D. (2003). Creating Significant Learning Experiences.• Newell, W. & Luckie, D. (2012). Pedagogy for

Interdisciplinary Habits of Mind.• Olson, B. (2013). Academic Writing Across the Disciplines.• Repko, Szostak, & Buchberger. (2017). Introduction to

Interdisciplinary Studies.