PAGE 1 (VERSION 1, JAN 3, 2007) EDUC 737: TOPICS IN EDUCATION: COLLEGE TEACHING WINTER 2008 INSTRUCTOR: VILMA MESA Class Meeting Time: Fridays, 9am – 12:00pm Room: 2218 Office: 1360F SEB Office Hours: by appointment Phone: 734 647 0628 Web site: http://www.ctools.umich.edu/ E-mail: [email protected] Description Increasing concerns with the decline of postsecondary enrollments in science, technology, mathematics, and engineering (STEM) programs has prompted a number of investigations regarding factors that discourage the pursuit of STEM degrees. According to a Government Accountability Office report (GAO, 2006), “College and university officials and students most often cited subpar teacher quality” as one of those factors. The purpose of this course is to offer graduate students in STEM programs an overview of educational problems that have been researched in the past 30 years at the undergraduate level, and that have been useful to understand the relationship between instruction, learning, curriculum, and assessment in STEM disciplines. Drawing from data from interviews and classroom observations of mathematics classes in several settings, we will discuss key issues related to instruction at this level and that apply to teaching in other disciplines. The course will also look at current curricula used for teaching introductory/gateway courses in the disciplines, approaches to teaching, and assessment practices. Students will get familiarized with resources that describe both research and practical aspects of teaching undergraduate students. The objective of the course is to provide an overview of educational problems with pertinent literature, so that participants get better informed about the magnitude of the issues and get familiarized with the field itself. It is expected that the course will assist participants in taking advantage of the contributions that the educational field has made for advancing undergraduate education in the disciplines. Expectations and Grading Policy This 3-credit course is organized as a seminar, in which the essential feature is the in-class discussion of the weekly readings and assignments by all the attendees. Supportive, productive, and critical inquiry is both an aim and a means for the course. Students are expected to attend all class sessions, to complete course readings and assignments prior to the class for which they are assigned, and participate actively in the discussions. Students are expected to inform the instructor, in advance, of absences. Reading is a critical component of the course, and it is expected that students will come to class having read the assigned material thoroughly and thoughtfully and that they be willing to share theirPAGE 2 (VERSION 1, JAN 3, 2007) understandings of the readings or questions they may have in order to contribute to the learning of all class members. Special Forms of Participation Readings. There will be a weekly reading assignment. Students will bring to class a short paragraph elaborating on one important point made in the reading, together with an explanation for why that point is important. The paragraph should end with one or two burning questions that are left unanswered after the readings. These paragraphs will provide the basis for the class discussion of the readings and will be also posted in the Discussion section of CTools. Assignments. Each student will select four assignments from the list provided at the end of this syllabus and write-up a summary of the findings that will be presented to the class throughout the term. The assignments vary in level of complexity, and it is expected that students will choose assignments from different complexity levels in order to complete the requirements. Final project. All students working independently or in pairs are expected to select one of the assignments listed, to conduct an expanded independent investigation, and to prepare a paper and a presentation for the class. Students should select a topic in consultation with the course instructor, who can provide initial guidance in finding appropriate sources for the investigation. The presentation of the results will be done during the two last class sessions. The written paper (~20pages, double spaced, 12 point font size) is due the last day of class, April 11. Students will be required to report progress according to the following plan: Phase & Due Date Expectations 1. January 18 Present topic of the investigation, rationale, and questions that you are interested in responding 2. February 15 Present a summary of the literature read and plans for collecting data; bring a handout with the general question and an annotated bibliography related to your question 3. March 14 Present preliminary results and possible answers to your questions; solicit assistance from other students, and suggest some interpretations 4. March 28 Submit a draft of your paper: problem, related literature, data collected, results, discussion, and references 5. April 11 Present results and submit final report. Grading A letter grade (A, B, etc.) will be determined based on assessment of performance in each of the special forms of assessment plus class participation, as follows:PAGE 3 (VERSION 1, JAN 3, 2007) Class participation. Assessed considering attendance, responsible contribution to the class discussion (active listening and professional interventions), and meeting the weekly reading assignment requirement. Class participation will count for 20% of the final grade. Assignments. Assessed considering originality, accuracy, and completeness of the information presented, and the ability to generate discussion among the class participants. Each assignment will count for 10% of the final grade, for a total of 40%. Final Project. The several phases outlined in the description will be considered in assessing students’ performance on this project. Phases 1-4 will count towards 5% of the grade. The final paper will counts towards 20% of the grade, for a combined total of 40% of the grade. A grade of A will be given to students who besides complying with the assignments and deadlines provide thoughtful, creative, and original contributions to the class, provide evidence of deep understanding of the material, and indications that are able to advance their own lines of inquiry. Lower grades will be given when students comply unevenly with assignments, or show partial interest on understanding the readings or