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Problem-based learning allows students to learn disciplinary knowledge while strengthening critical-thinking, problem-solving, and research skills. In this paper, I describe my experience with problem-based learning in an introductory political science course, discussing the nature of the problems presented to students, learning objectives, method of assessment, and student reactions to the projects. This paper also provides strategies for easing the transition of students into more self-directed learning, as well as overcoming resistance to group work. I argue that problem-based learning is particularly suited to the discipline of political science, and encourage political science professors to implement problem-based learning in their courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a process of assessment that produced an unexpectedly rich discussion of teaching and in the process created a "community of practice" out of a collection of individual teaching faculty. By examining our collective enterprise through the lens of an individual student (or rather sixteen individual students), we were able to gain a larger perspective on how each of our individual efforts in the classroom contribute to producing the whole of the major. Although we had adopted a common set of learning goals/outcomes and a relatively structured curriculum designed to provide an integrated course of study based on sequential learning and progressive skill development, our assessment efforts were largely focused on student outcomes-could our students read with comprehension, reason critically, communicate effectively, and undertake independent research? Naturally, when we found that some students excelled while others fell behind, we attributed the reason to the student (they weren't working hard enough, transfer of knowledge from one course to the next is their responsibility, if they only took the courses in the order we recommended, etc.). We assumed that we were collectively delivering the curriculum in a way that offered students the best opportunity to gain the attitudes, knowledge and skills embodied in our statement of goals/outcomes. However, since we largely design and deliver our courses in isolation we really had no idea whether any one student would encounter assignments and course-based experiences that, when taken as a whole, actually resulted in an integrated experience that could reasonably be expected to result in the learning outcomes we had identified. Thus, we undertook a slightly different kind of assessment that put us in the shoes of a student taking our classes and completing our assignments over the course of the entire major. In order to better understand how a single student experienced the major, we undertook a transcript analysis in which we selected eight students from the 2004 graduating class, four with grade point averages of 3.0 or better (most were in the 3.4-3.8 range) and four with grade point averages between 2.0 and 2.9. We created a matrix of skills/competencies associated with the 10 learning goals and then pulled the course syllabus (by specific section) for each political science class a student took over the course of completing the 36-hour major. The transcript provided the path each student took through the major and allowed us to fill in the matrix by semester and by exact course using the syllabus and course assignments for each class in each semester. We were then able to do a basic count of the number of opportunities at each level of the major a student had to develop a particular competency or learning outcome. We were also able to document what type of assignment designed to accomplish a specific goal was given at each level of the major (see Appendix 2 for examples of the matrices). We were not interested in what any one faculty member was assigning to students, nor did we expect that any one faculty member would provide opportunities to work on all ten goals in any single class. Rather, we were more interested in how often an individual student encountered assignments or experiences in support of each goal. The guiding question was, "If a student completes the major in political science, do they have ample opportunities to progressively develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes we set as goals?" The preliminary analysis discussed in this paper is based on a sample of 16 students. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses our department’s new objectives-based curriculum, and the web-based plan of study. Students create their own web-based inventory of objectives to help them assess their progress in each critical area. IThe program is also helpful in helping the department assess its ongoing programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes an undergraduate travel course that teaches students about federal welfare, low-income housing and homeless assistance programs. The rationale and format are described, and some practical advice is offered on how to plan and execute the course. The course brings together students and policy experts involved in federal welfare and housing programs through a series of briefings and site visits in Washington, DC, and Chicago. Students have the opportunity to question those who are involved in shaping those policies at the federal level as well as to talk to officials involved in implementing them at the local level. Students also have ample opportunity to experience some of the difficulties faced by those living on welfare and who are either homeless or who live in public housing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nearly every college mission statement expresses the desire to educate students who not only have mastered a body of academic knowledge and skills but will also be responsible and engaged citizens. But it is not clear how well colleges are achieving these traditional civic and democratic goals. This paper shares insights from a three-year Carnegie Foundation study of moral and civic education in American colleges and universities, whose results are discussed in the forthcoming book, Educating Citizens: Preparing America's Undergraduates for Lives of Moral and Civic Responsibility (Jossey Bass, February 2003). Our study combined broad-based research on the practices and effects of higher education with in-depth case studies of twelve campuses that demonstrate a strong institutional commitment to civic education, including public and private, religious and secular, and residential and commuter campuses, community colleges and research universities, a tribal college, several women's colleges, a historically black college, and a military academy. These colleges and universities understand that the entire campus can be a site for civic teaching and learning, and that moral and civic education need not limited to a particular course or program focused on traditional "civics" content but should be integrated across curricular and co-curricular programs and many campus experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a module design and implementation strategy for use in an undergraduate course on globalization, international political economy, or related topic. Students are first asked to conduct research on their wardrobe and its origins by country, allowing for classroom discussion of research methods and designs. Results are submitted, along with a short response essay. This is evaluated in conjunction with a case study short-reading and shared discussion, followed by a short video/multimedia presentation on free trade and labor issues. I argue that this presents a more cohesive approach for engaging students in the material on a substantive level, while at the same time allowing them to actively appreciate and understand such diverse concepts as commodity chains, free trade zones, fair trade vs. free trade, gendered divisions of labor, consumer responsibility, research methodologies, and macroeconomic shifts in employment across nations. Preliminary data and classroom results are discussed, as are additional strategies for lesson development. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we report the findings of a teaching demonstration project conducted at Dalton State College. The project allowed us to examine the usefulness of computer labs in teaching an American Government course. The general purpose is to assess whether or not the lab-based teaching will have any impact on the learning outcome. We find the use of computer lab have some positive impacts on students¡¦ learning outcome as well as students¡¦ satisfaction level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, I examine the impact of service-learning on both cognitive and affective learning outcomes to determine whether using class time for service hours has a negative impact on course outcomes. I do this by looking at these outcomes in two sections of the same lower level political science class, Education Policy, offered in two consecutive semesters. In one section, service learning was part of the course requirements. For half of the class periods, students went to a local elementary school to tutor second grade students. In the second section, service learning was not part of the course requirements, due to scheduling difficulties. In each section, a survey designed to assess both cognitive and affective learning outcomes was administered at the beginning of the semester and at the end of the semester. The results suggest that despite reduced face time, students in the service-learning system showed more affect toward the education and political systems with no reduction in cognitive learning. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes an instance of instructional challenge in a nontraditional political science classroom and the techniques employed to meet that challenge, focusing on the experience of the University at Albany in New York affiliated Intergovernmental Solutions Program (IGSP). The IGSP prototype courses, Designing and Implementing Programs in the Intergovernmental Zone and Perspectives on Building Communities: Citizens, Organizations, and Intergovernmental Systems, created an interactive, dynamic and motivating learning situation.