"Designing a 21st Century Curriculum" by Dan Ross
Posted On Monday, April 21, 2008 at at 4/21/2008 09:49:00 PM by L Santoro Maybe the curriculum design exercise that follows could be a proposed activity in the application for the next grant. Maybe a workshop with group(s) for several flavors of degrees. Food for thought...Dan Ross
(You are invited to make comments on this post. Thank you in advance from the CPATH Team.)
An Exercise in Blue-Sky Curriculum Design
Vision
What constitutes an educated person in a society where computing technology is increasingly pervasive?
From the NSF CPATH initiative:
The CPATH vision is of a U.S. workforce with the computing competencies and skills imperative to the Nation’s health, security and prosperity in the 21st century. This workforce includes a cadre of computing professionals prepared to contribute to sustained U.S. leadership in computing in a wide range of application domains and career fields, and a broader professional workforce with knowledge and understanding of critical computing concepts, methodologies and techniques.
Goal: Design a 60-unit Associates degree with computing concepts as a core.
Ground Rules:
The Degree will have a 60-unit limit. General education is important. Computing concepts will be a fundamental core, in particular, creating an understanding of the capabilities of computing technology in a broad-based and forward looking way are important. Critical thinking is important. Knowledge management is extremely important.
Basic skill remediation, including language, math, and computer literacy skills, is beyond the scope of this exercise. Also not part of this exercise is updating traditional computer science curriculum.
Courses do not have to exist. There is total flexibility in design, any specific existing general education requirements do not have to be followed.
Sample Degree Titles
Computational General Education
General Education and Computing
Computational Informatics and Knowledge Management
I Know Computers, Plus!
Workshop Agenda
1) Vision 30 minutes
a. Vision
b. Pervasiveness of computing
c. Deliverables
d. Ground Rules
e. Some Sample Degree Titles
2) Degree Title
a. Brainstorm Descriptive Words/Phrases 10 minutes
b. Select a “Working” Degree Title 10 minutes
Descriptive
Long is OK for now
3) Course Selection/Creation
a. Brainstorm Descriptive Course Titles 10 minutes
Descriptive Titles
Existing courses are ok
Course does not have to exist yet
b. Course Selection 10 minutes
c. Paring Courses Down to 60 units 10 minutes
4) Wrapping Up
a. Refine the Degree Title 10 minutes
Vision
What constitutes an educated person in a society where computing technology is increasingly pervasive?
From the NSF CPATH initiative:
The CPATH vision is of a U.S. workforce with the computing competencies and skills imperative to the Nation’s health, security and prosperity in the 21st century. This workforce includes a cadre of computing professionals prepared to contribute to sustained U.S. leadership in computing in a wide range of application domains and career fields, and a broader professional workforce with knowledge and understanding of critical computing concepts, methodologies and techniques.
Goal: Design a 60-unit Associates degree with computing concepts as a core.
Ground Rules:
The Degree will have a 60-unit limit. General education is important. Computing concepts will be a fundamental core, in particular, creating an understanding of the capabilities of computing technology in a broad-based and forward looking way are important. Critical thinking is important. Knowledge management is extremely important.
Basic skill remediation, including language, math, and computer literacy skills, is beyond the scope of this exercise. Also not part of this exercise is updating traditional computer science curriculum.
Courses do not have to exist. There is total flexibility in design, any specific existing general education requirements do not have to be followed.
Sample Degree Titles
Computational General Education
General Education and Computing
Computational Informatics and Knowledge Management
I Know Computers, Plus!
Workshop Agenda
1) Vision 30 minutes
a. Vision
b. Pervasiveness of computing
c. Deliverables
d. Ground Rules
e. Some Sample Degree Titles
2) Degree Title
a. Brainstorm Descriptive Words/Phrases 10 minutes
b. Select a “Working” Degree Title 10 minutes
Descriptive
Long is OK for now
3) Course Selection/Creation
a. Brainstorm Descriptive Course Titles 10 minutes
Descriptive Titles
Existing courses are ok
Course does not have to exist yet
b. Course Selection 10 minutes
c. Paring Courses Down to 60 units 10 minutes
4) Wrapping Up
a. Refine the Degree Title 10 minutes
