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Institutional Information Nestled on the shores of Lake Ontario, SUNY Oswego is a comprehensive public college with 143 years of history and tradition. About 8500 students are enrolled in its more than 100 undergraduate and graduate programs, many of which are nationally accredited. More than 300 full-time teacher-scholars interact with students in the classroom and in research and scholarly activities.
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Catalyst Project At Oswego we are proud of several initiatives to encourage our students to be "integrative": In First Choice courses, freshmen learn how critical inquiry, debate and discussion, and research lead to understanding. Advanced students in the interdisciplinary Intellectual Issues courses approach complex problems from several academic perspectives. Seniors finish their college careers with a capstone course in which they pull together work in their majors and other courses in a final project or internship, and anticipate how they will use their knowledge after graduation. We believe that it is the challenging and intense academic experiences that promote "putting it all together"-research projects, internships, study abroad, interdisciplinary study, and written and spoken presentations, and we are seeking ways to embed more of these experiences in our courses and programs.
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Oswego's integrative learning initiative, known as the Catalyst Project, will ask students to reflect on their learning: how they have used their knowledge and skills, whether they perceive coherence in their academic experiences, and how they have been changed by their education. We will ask them these questions when they attend freshman orientation, after they have completed their First Choice course, after they have completed their Intellectual Issues course, and at the end of their Capstone. Students' answers to these questions will show us ways in which we can strengthen opportunities for integrative learning at Oswego. We also believe that because they have been asked to reflect on these issues, students will become more aware-or more "intentional"-about their academic work. And thus we have named our project "Catalyst"-"an agent for change or transformation." We suspect that personal motivation, interest, and even excitement are keys to integration. It is therefore important to learn what students themselves say about how they become engaged in learning.
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Team Rhonda Mandel, Associate Provost Linda Rae Markert, Dean, School of Education Sara Varhus, Dean, College of Arts and Sciences Patricia Michel, Research Associate, History Department Kaia Odoi, Technical Associate
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Rhonda Mandel (left), Sara Varhus (center), Linda Rae Markert (right).
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Other Activities SUNY Oswego has a number of interdisciplinary initiatives that further integrative learning. Its nationally recognized programs for first year students serve as stepping stones into the general education and disciplinary curricula: The Oswego Reading Initiative selects a book each year that serves as a focus for summer reading and class and out-of-class activities. The Center for Interdisciplinary Studies works with different departments in the development and support of interdisciplinary programs. The Arts Programming Board selects a focus for arts programming that combines the arts with other disciplines across campus. The Honors Program has a distinctive interdisciplinary curriculum.
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Project Timeline Catalyst Project Spring 2004:
In consultation with Karen Maitland Schilling, developed the structure of the Catalyst Project to engage students in ongoing reflection about their academic experiences. Piloted questions for reflection with students in (1) first-year courses, intellectual issues courses, and capstone courses. Summer 2004:
Incorporated reflective exercise in 2004 Summer Orientation Program. Collected reflections from all incoming freshmen. Fall 2004:
Constituted Catalyst Project Advisory Board. Conducted workshop for Catalyst Project Advisory Board. Gathered reflections from first-year student completing their First Choice courses. Spring 2005:
Conduct focus groups of students at the upper levels. Investigate a process whereby our cohort will be asked to respond (for the third time) to our reflective questions at a point during their sophomore year (perhaps online linked to course registration).
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2006-2007 Academic Years: Ongoing assessment and data analysis. Consistent feedback loop to determine how student responses to our questions are influencing curricular reforms/revisions/enhancements.Provide professional development for faculty, especially those who are teaching in the three types of classes we are studying for integration.Engage faculty in reflection themselves by sharing the early results of our intervention. Provide information about the project to existing governance groups on campus (e.g., General Education Board, Academic Policies Council, Committee on Learning & Teaching).
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