‘Curriculum By Design’

电子游戏软件的新核心课程之旅如何激励教师, administrators, 让学生们把文科教育看作是一个不断创新的过程

In 2012, 电子游戏软件在改革大学核心课程的努力中面临两难境地, which had been largely unchanged for more than two decades. Many in the BC community supported Core improvements, but disagreed on the means to achieve this objective.

To break the logjam, 根据卡罗尔管理学院院长安德鲁·博因顿的建议,哈佛大学做出了一个令人惊讶的决定, BC turned to Continuum, 一家在设计思维方面有专长的本地咨询公司, to assist in the Core renewal.

对于一所高等教育机构来说,这是前所未有的举动, 但Continuum的加入帮助启动了这一进程. Continuum代表会见了核心电子游戏正规平台委员会成员和主要BC管理员, held in-depth interviews with faculty, students, and alumni, researched best practices at leading peer institutions, 并与主要持份者就核心的整体愿景和一般目标进行合作. 这项工作花了大约三年的时间,但最终证明Core的电子游戏正规平台是成功的.

A recently published book, Curriculum by Design: Innovation and the Liberal Arts Core, 记录了不列颠哥伦比亚省通往新核心课程的艰难旅程,以及它如何激励教师, administrators, 让学生们把文科教育看作是一个不断创新的过程. 

Edited by Boynton, Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley, and Rattigan Professor of English Mary Crane, 不列颠哥伦比亚省文科学院的主任,他们都是核心复兴委员会的共同主席Curriculum by Design 还包括BC教师的文章,他们一直在教授新课程,这些课程是实施振兴课程的结果.

David Quigley, Mary Crane, and Andy Boynton

David Quigley, Mary Crane, and Andy Boynton

教师论文为跨学科和团队教学的初始挑战提供了实用的建议, problem- or project-based learning, intentional reflection, 其他创新的教学结构和方法也首次得以实施.

While the framework of BC’s 42-credit Core was retained, faculty members, working in partnership, 设计了两套全新的课程,于2015年9月首次亮相. 六学分的复杂问题课程解决当代问题或争议,由来自不同学科的两名教师团队授课. Enduring Question courses are two, three-credit linked courses that focus on an inquiry of fundamental significance from diverse disciplinary perspectives; each class comprises the same students. 复杂问题和持久问题课程都需要教师和学生进行反思, which may involve group activities, guest speakers, or field trips off campus.

尽管个别课程的创新程度各不相同, 所有这些都源于不同院系的教师对课程的讨论, exchanging thoughts on teaching, and then developing the new classes.

Sociology Professor Juliet Schor and her husband, Prasannan Parthasarathi, professor and chair of the History Department, 合作完成了《电子游戏软件》这门复杂问题课程, 这对夫妇认为他们有过的最好的教学经历是什么.

Dual portrait of Prof. Juliet Schor (Sociology) and Prof. 和Prasannan Parthasarathi主席(历史)一起为新书《设计课程:创新与文科核心》撰写文章。.

Juliet Schor and Prasannan Parthasarathi (Lee Pellegrini)

“我们认为这是因为我们希望为学生们创造对这个问题的参与, also happened for us,” said Schor. “这并不是因为我们没有深入参与这个话题, but somehow—with this new group of students, new pedagogy, and new format—we developed another way to participate. 这在一定程度上是由于与学生建立了比以往更牢固、更实质性的联系, 部分原因是,这门课程让我们思考,要面对这个问题,我们还需要学习多少东西. In the end, 我们希望为学生培养一种深刻而令人满意的沉浸感, also occurred for us.”  

According to Quigley, Boynton, and Crane, 事实证明,持久问题课程比复杂问题课程更容易开发和教授. 尽管学生偶尔会觉得某两门课程没有明确的联系, most faculty found ways and means to sharpen the link, 并强调不同学科的阅读方法, questions, and topics.

音乐副教授丹尼尔·卡拉汉从未见过神学副教授布莱恩·罗比内特, 但就在课程建议书截止日期之前,他们找到了彼此, 并发现了他们对人类关注的共同兴趣, and how it could be exercised and focused.  Their Enduring Question course, Aesthetic and Spiritual Exercises, 共同探索“问”的作用——关注运动员的奉献精神——是人类繁荣的关键吗.

Brian Robinette and Daniel Callahan (Lee Pellegrini)

Brian Robinette and Daniel Callahan (Lee Pellegrini)

罗比内特说:“这门课旨在将学术严谨与个人挪用结合起来。.  “With a scholarly focus on the form, content, and history of Western aesthetic and spiritual practices, 我们邀请批判性地探究它们所培育的生活形式.  它还突出了这种做法的现象学和经验方面, 希望学生们能从内心发现他们.“共同的教学原则是,学生不会真正理解或批判性地评价美学和精神练习的意义,除非他们自己经历过。.

“Cultivating such attention, and the application of the senses through exercises, 然后,对我们的新生来说,和别人一起回想这些练习可能会显得奇怪和尴尬. But by the end of the semester, it has become a habit, 他们讨论和写作的时候都很开心,也没有感到羞耻.”  

奎格利指出,BC省上一次核心课程电子游戏正规平台始于1991年, 距离上次修订《电子游戏正规平台》已经过去了四分之一个世纪.

“A decade into the work of Core renewal, 我比以往任何时候都更加确信,课程修订工作是我们作为大学教师和学术管理者被召唤去做的最重要的工作,” he said.  “我们这些从一开始就参与其中的人都同意,看到数百名同事采取的方式仍然非常令人欣慰, through their own work and commitment, brought the renewed Core to life. The engagement of University faculty, across fields, generations, and schools, has been perhaps the most inspiring outcome.”