Ideas to Action (i2a)

Defining Feature #3 (Section 1)

Student's Mastery of Content

(cf) Provides the opportunity for demonstration of the student's mastery of content, reflection on accumulated content and experiences, and the integration and application of critical thinking skills.

This feature highlights UofL's emphasis on the Culmination of one's program of study.

Context

Howard Gardner describes this feature in relation to the way that undergraduate education invariably comes to an end, but can be shaped to come to a conclusion. The conclusion vs the end signals that the CUE marks the end of a progressive learning experience and serves as an opportunity for looking back and reflecting on what one's learned. "Providing a curricular anchor," the CUE offers students ways to integrate their major field of study's coursework and tie together general education requirements from early in their undergraduate coursework.

Synthesizing and rounding out the coursework, the CUE provides the opportunity to demonstrate students' mastery of a disciplinary content or the program of study expectations. This aspect of the CUE offers programs the means to do internal program review. Are the students in your program of study achieving the sort of skills, knowledge base, thinking, etc, that the program of study is designed to do?

Examples

  1. Education, Early Childhood or Middle/High School Education Capstone Seminar - EDTP 477 - Kentucky Teaching Internship Program (KTIP) preparation is the central focus of this seminar. Student teaching assignments and Senior HAT activity/assignments align and model the expectations and required KTIP experience which graduates who will teach in the state of Kentucky must follow in their first year of teaching, post certification.
  2. History Department Senior Capstone Course - The students complete a History research project in HIS 529. Much of the course is devoted to the experience of researching and writing a historical paper, with a focus on demonstrating critical thinking skills in six areas.
  3. Dental Hygiene Senior Capstone Course - In the course DHED 417 - Extramural Education Program students use eight factors that cover comprehensively the program of study, this course evaluates students' mastery of content through the experiences in a clinical setting.
  4. Complete the written subject test as part of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) - Some programs will designate the formal preparation for the written subject test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) for their department as the means to complete this CUE feature.

Further Readings

  • Calder, L. (2006). "Uncoverage: Toward a signature pedagogy for the history survey," The journal of American history (March 2006): 1358-1370.
  • DeZure, D. (2005). "Integrative learning nationwide: Emerging themes and practices," peerReview (7)1: 24-28.
  • Fink, D. "Integrated course design," Idea paper no. 42.
  • Fraser, S. & Greenhalgh, (2001). "Coping with complexity: Educating for capability," BMJ 2001;323:799-803.
  • Keeling, R. (2009). "Learning as transformation: Resourcefulness and renewal in higher education," Journal of College and Character x (3): 1-4.
  • Mach, J., Burke, M., and Ball, J. (2008). "Integrative learning: A room with a view," peerReview (10) 4: 20-24.
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