Disciplines as Frameworks for Student Learning: Teaching the Practice of the Disciplines

Making a discipline come alive for those who are not experts - particularly students who may only take one or two courses - requires rigorous thought about what really matters in a field and how to engage students in its practice. Faculty from Alverno College in several disciplines - chemistry, economics, history, literature, mathematics and philosophy - demonstrate what it means for them to approach their disciplines as frameworks for student learning. They show how they have shaped their teaching around the ways of thinking they want their students to develop; and how they design assessments that require students to demonstrate their thinking and understanding through application and use.