Department of Curriculum and Instruction
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The Department of Curriculum and Instruction is recognized within the state of Minnesota, nationally and internationally as a leader in education research and teacher preparation. The department has a long history of faculty who are both exceptional teachers, researchers, and collaborators with the public schools. It has cooperative ventures with the large and diverse school districts of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Students have gone on to make significant contributions in their chosen fields in the U.S. and abroad. The Department of Curriculum and Instruction, consistently ranks in the top twenty in the nation, and is part of the College of Education and Human Development.
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Browsing Department of Curriculum and Instruction by Type "Conference Paper"
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Item Collaboration and partnership: Within and between disciplines, programs, and institutions(Center for Research on Developmental Education and Urban Literacy, General College, University of Minnesota, 2000) Arendale, David R.; Barefoot, Betsy; Eaton, Shevawn; Levin, Henry; Lundell, Dana BThe key questions in this group focused on two basic issues: (a) Is collaboration important?, and (b) Why is it important to developmental education? A primary assumption is generally held that collaboration is a positive framework for educators. This standpoint has also been applied to research, teaching, and practice in developmental education. Within the next ten years, the issue of creating partnerships and coalitions is projected to increase as a primary educational and social agenda, specifically as national demographics have changed and as our society requires an increasingly educated, expanded, and specialized work force (Carnoy, 1997). It is within this changing social context that we must begin to consider the conditions and circumstances in which collaboration will be important for developmental educators.Item Enhancing credibility, gaining recognition, and eliminating any stigmas associated with developmental education(Center for Research on Developmental Education and Urban Literacy, General College, University of Minnesota, 2000) Arendale, David R.; Barefoot, Betsy; O'Hear, Michael; Thomas, P; Williams, LOne distinct obstacle faced by most developmental educators is the ongoing challenge made from a variety of sources about the credibility of this work in higher education. Despite strong histories and demonstrations of success by many programs, we continue to deal with the negative stereotypes and stigma related to our students, our mission, and the appropriateness of our role in institutions of higher education. Additionally, these issues of credibility are fueled by very real and complex circumstances—reports on student retention, achievement on standardized testing, and a changing society in terms of workforce needs and social demographics. It is important to work toward increasing the recognition of positive work being done in developmental education, particularly that which eliminates stigmas and stereotypes informing many of the attitudes that can be counterproductive and misleading.Item Enhancing student access and retention(Center for Research on Developmental Education and Urban Literacy, General College, University of Minnesota, 2000) Arendale, David R.; Casazza, Martha; Highbee, Jeanne L; Stahl, NormThe goals of developmental education include promoting educational opportunity through efforts that enhance both access and retention. Although the measures taken and the issues related to access and retention may overlap, they are not synonymous and must be addressed separately. Defining access is more complicated than it might appear. Traditionally, access has been viewed as opening the door to postsecondary education. With the proliferation of public community colleges and technical institutions in many states, some educators and legislators alike have assumed that the problem of access has been addressed because relatively low-cost programs are available to anyone with a high school diploma or its equivalent. However, numerous other issues related to access are overlooked.Item Innovation and expansion in the breadth of programs and services(Center for Research on Developmental Education and Urban Literacy, General College, University of Minnesota, 2000) Arendale, David R.; Bader, Carol; Bollman, LindsA; Otte, G; Williams, LGiven that students will be unequally prepared for college, we can assume that there will always be a need for developmental education in some form. Even the debates about mainstreaming developmental education still recognize the need for some kind of integrated, expanded support services such as study skills courses and learning centers to support all students. Whatever the focus—integrated services or separate programs— the fact is that work needs to continue to provide innovative and expanded versions of developmental education in the future. The breadth of programs in developmental education is far-ranging, from inclusive English as a Second Language (ESL) programs to federally funded academic support and bridge programs like TRIO’s Upward Bound and Talent Search programs. It is important to examine the ways that these programs presently serve students, as well as continuing to identify the best locations and configurations for these programs. A deeper consideration of the relationship of these programs to each other, and how they fit under the umbrella of developmental education, is a key issue in the future.Item Learning and teaching in the 21st century: Seven habits of highly effective developmental educators(Pennsylvania Association for Developmental Education, 1999) Arendale, David R.We have a wonderful opportunity to control and shape our destiny. The Seven Habits’ principles work in all areas of our lives. Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People are not unique. Many of the world’s great religions and philosophies said them first, and maybe with even more eloquence. But I hope you can see how we can apply those principles to help us be more effective as educational leaders. We need to learn to reinvent ourselves as resources for the entire campus -- students and faculty alike -- in renewing the learning environment. Our institutions need for our centers and departments to expand our services to include academic enrichment for all students. I exhort you to find ways to make your existing departments more comprehensive in its services. The profession must continue the process of being main streamed into the academic life of college. Whatever the name for your center or department, become a more comprehensive learning center in service. I believe that is the bright future for our profession. Let us put “First things First” and begin today.Item Review of research concerning the effectiveness of Supplemental Instruction from The University of Missouri-Kansas City and other institutions from across the United States(Institutes for Learning Assistance Professionals, 2001) Arendale, David R.Educational leaders are faced with the need to make a careful selection of academic interventions from among a field of possible choices. Part of the criticism of the developmental education and learning assistance field is that it is difficult to find programs that have regular programs of rigorous evaluation. The most prevalent program on most college campuses are individual tutoring programs. In a review of the professional literature concerning tutoring, Maxwell (1990) made the following observations: some studies find that high ability or more experienced students benefit most from tutoring (p. 2); it is rare for studies to show that tutored students improved their grades (p. 2); and that there is no evidence that tutoring helps the weakest students (p. 4). Since SI is one academic treatment that is academically beneficial and attracts students in nearly equal percentages from different ethnicities and previous academic achievement levels, the institution may be able to reduce expenses since they do not have to maintain duplicate programs for each student subpopulation. It appears that no other student academic support program has the wide appeal with a research-based strategy for learning and success.Item Supplemental Instruction: Variations on the basic model(Pennsylvania Association for Developmental Education, 1999) Arendale, David R.; McLaren, AnnSupplemental Instruction (SI) provides an efficient and convenient opportunity for students to meet both academic and social agendas. Student groups convene on a voluntary basis at times convenient to the majority. These groups typically demonstrate heterogeneity with respect to academic and demographic characteristics. The informal study groups begin meeting during the first week of class and continue throughout the semester. A student leader, having previously studied that subject, earned high marks, and received the approval of the course professor, assists those who have enrolled in the targeted class. Before meeting the class, the SI leader participates in a structured training and supervision program designed to introduce the leader to the SI program and the use of collaborative learning techniques.Item Using objective criteria to analyze interventions: Navigating through student retention literature(Center for Research on Developmental Education and Urban Literacy, General College, University of Minnesota, 2005) Arendale, David R.Many developmental educators have been assigned increased responsibilities for campus-wide enrollment management activities. A new system is needed for educators to sort through more accurately and analyze the rapidly growing database of information related to student retention. This will enable the reader to more quickly identify promising practices for further investigation. This article provides a series of criteria scales to evaluate the likelihood of success among potential programs and identify the needed resources by the institution to successfully implement change. Scrutiny of potential retention programs must be increased by asking more questions early in the investigation process.