All
partner campuses will design and implement complete, four-year responsive
curricula that reflect the core competencies of the Foundation Coalition.
As part of our strategic planning exercise, we established seven core
competencies that are reflected in the design and implementation of
responsive curricula:
- Curriculum Integration
- Cooperative and Active Learning
- Technology-enabled Learning
- Assessment-driven Continuous Improvement
- Recruitment, Retention, and Graduation of Women
and Underrepresented Ethnic Minorities
- Teamwork and Collaboration
- Management of Change
By "responsive" we
mean that the curricula are capable of identifying flaws/shortcomings
within their current state, as well as providing mechanisms for
the resolution of these inadequacies. Curricula are no longer sets
of static courses but rather are dynamic entities that change as
demanded by the needs of their stakeholders. Each institution in
the Foundation Coalition (FC) will design and implement the processes
by which this will occur on their campus. These processes will be
in place by the end of Year 10 on all campuses.
Objectives One and Two, Inclusive
Learning Communities and Responsive Curricula, both represent a
shift in emphasis away from the development of individual curriculum
modules toward the overall operating environment in which these
modules are utilized. They work in two distinct, yet complementary,
manners. Objective 1, the building of inclusive learning communities,
focuses on ensuring that the benefits of these modules are accessible
to all participants and that these modules promote a sense of cohesiveness
and community among the participants. Objective 2, the building
of responsive curricula, focuses on the adaptability of these modules
over time.
Before developing responsive curricula,
a number of process steps must be taken.
- First, the stakeholders and their needs must
be identified.
- Second, decisions must be made regarding how
feedback from these stakeholders will be obtained and how these
data will be utilized in augmenting the curriculum.
- Third, general guidelines for the flexibility/adaptability
of the curriculum must be established. While the curriculum must
be capable of reacting to stakeholder needs, it must do so in
a systematic manner.
- Finally, formal ties must be made with the
assessment/evaluation process associated with the curriculum.
Faculty should feel a sense of ownership for the assessment process
and make sure that desired curricular changes are occurring as
a direct result of documented issues and concerns.
In addition to the Coalition-wide
deliverable mentioned above, individual campuses will be focusing
on specific activities related to the development of responsive
curricula during Years 6 through 10. Some planned focus areas include
the following.
- University of Alabama and Texas A&M University
Kingsville will explore the relationship between responsive curricula
and various aspects of technology, such as how to best incorporate
active and cooperative learning into a distance education environment
and how the FC thrusts impact and are impacted by the "virtual
classroom."
- Texas A&M University will focus on the
responsiveness of curricula with respect to relatively large groups
of students that do not fit into known cohort groups and on the
responsiveness of the upper division to industry needs.
- Arizona State University will benchmark existing
curricula and develop case studies on how to establish responsive
curricula.
- Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and University
of Massachusetts Dartmouth will explore the relationship between
inclusive learning communities and a responsive curriculum, with
a special emphasis on improving ways to work with less-prepared
students.
- University of Wisconsin will work with the
LEAD center in the development and implementation of assessment
and evaluation mechanisms related to responsive curricula.
Last updated: October 24, 1998.
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