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6 The Effects of Integration on Students at the Undergraduate Level
Pages 107-140

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From page 107...
... These two questions lead to a host of more detailed questions. What are the learning objectives of integrative courses and programs?
From page 108...
... Very few studies used designs that account for selection effects through randomized, controlled trials or quasi-experimental designs; employed longitudinally administered, theoretically valid, and empirically tested measures of student learning; and applied data control, collection, and analytic methods consistent with the effort's theoretical underpinnings. Moreover, given that each course and program is unique and that relatively few have been studied, it is difficult to generalize the student outcomes associated with a particular integrative educational experience.
From page 109...
... Among the outcomes reported are increased critical thinking abilities, higher order thinking and deeper learning, content mastery, creative problem solving, teamwork and com munication skills, improved visuospatial reasoning, and general engagement and enjoyment of learning (see Tables 6-1 and 6-2 for
From page 110...
... • Many faculty have come to recognize the benefits of integrating arts and humanities activities with STEM fields and can testify to the positive learning outcomes associated with integrative curricula. • Abundant interest and enthusiasm exists for integration within higher education, as evidenced by the groundswell of programs at colleges and universities in various sectors of American higher education (see "Compendium of Programs and Courses That Inte grate the Humanities, Arts, and STEMM" at https://www.nap.edu/ catalog/24988 under the Resources tab)
From page 111...
... are associated with positive student outcomes, including higher order thinking, creative problem solving, content mastery of complex concepts, enhanced communication and teamwork skills, and increased motivation and enjoyment of learning (Gurnon et al., 2013; Ifenthaler et al., 2015; Jarvinen and Jarvinen, 2012; Pollack and Korol, 2013; Stolk and Martello, 2015; Thigpen et al., 2004)
From page 112...
... The haiku assignments fostered logical thinking skills and guided students to understand that claims need to be supported by evidence that is, in turn, synthesized by the student's reasoning (Pollack and Korol, 2013)
From page 113...
... • Increased motivation Lifelong Learning of outcomes in an Students completed and engagement in Attitudes and traditional materials the Situational self-regulated learning Skills in Project- science course and Motivation Scale • More frequent use of Based Engineering an integrated course (Guay et al., critical thinking skills Courses? in materials science 2000)
From page 114...
... Teaching Integration: designed to transfer Authors report: Multidisciplinary Interdisciplinary academic skills • Improved Capstone Design course from the to the workplace. communication skills in Mechanical departments of Focus on teamwork, • Improved insight Engineering electrical engineering, transitioning into practical (Thigpen et al., marketing, and art.
From page 115...
... . Additionally, students in the integrated course self-reported using critical thinking skills in their work more frequently and had higher self-efficacy and valuing of learning tasks than students in the nonintegrated course.
From page 116...
... Although there are several limitations to the generalizability of the research presented above, the evidence suggests that in-course integration shares a relationship with higher order thinking, creative problem solving, content mastery of complex concepts, enhanced communication and teamwork skills, and an increased engagement of learning. Further research is needed to fully understand the relationship between these student outcomes and integrative educational experiences.
From page 117...
... student retention rates • Improved overall student satisfaction Motion Picture Fully integrated Components of each • 96% of graduates Science: A Fully BFA in Film and degree program obtained positions in Integrated Fine Animation with BS completely integrated their fields Arts/STEM in Imaging Science to form one, new • Graduates attributed Degree Program undergraduate career success to (Scholl et al., degree diverse skill sets 2014) Program directors report • Improved knowledge Learning Across retention Disciplines: • Improved learning A Collective enjoyment Case Study of • Broadened Two University perspectives Programs No control group and no (Ghanbari, 2015)
From page 118...
... , and the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (Facione and Facione, 1992) , researchers found that students who participated in the Foundation Coalition first-year integrated program demonstrated better critical thinking skills, performed better in calculus and physics, exhibited higher overall GPAs, developed significantly better computer skills, and expressed greater facility to work in teams than students who completed the traditional first-year curriculum (Malavé and Watson, 2000; Willson et al., 1995)
From page 119...
... As with in-course integration, more rigorous research is needed to fully assess the influence of within-curriculum integrative initiatives on student learning and career outcomes. Summary of Student Outcomes Associated with Within-Curriculum Integration Within-curriculum integrative initiatives at colleges and universities share positive associations with student learning outcomes.
From page 120...
... Lewis, for instance, argues that infusing the arts within the STEMM fields through multimedia design studios and makerspaces "has enormous potential to infuse the liberal arts with design thinking, collaboration, creative computing, and innovation while maintaining the level of deep reflection and critical thinking associated with humanist inquiry" (Lewis, 2015, p.
From page 121...
... Summary of Student Outcomes Associated with Within-Curriculum Integration Though the evidence base is extremely limited, integrative co- and extracurricular activities are common and practitioners report positive outcomes on students. Such programs often take the form of makerspaces, collaborative laboratories, and residential learning programs on college and university campuses, as well as student-led clubs and events.
From page 122...
... . INTEGRATION OF STEM INTO THE ACADEMIC PROGRAMS OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS MAJORING IN THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES The evidence base for the impact on students of courses and programs that integrate STEM knowledge and pedagogy into the arts and humanities is extremely limited, particularly in the peer-reviewed literature.
From page 123...
... . The authors concluded that "the case study shows that nonengineering students can have increased motivation for learning science and technology, increased perceived value for science and technology, increased self-confidence about learning science and technology" (Krupczak et al., 2005, p.
From page 124...
... , and to a university-wide one-course Tech graduation requirement at Stony Brook originating in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences."2 Also in the vein of promoting scientific thinking as a competency that all college graduates should possess, the Association of American Colleges and Universities launched the Scientific Thinking and Integrative Reasoning Skills (STIRS) initiative "to develop tools to improve the capacity of undergraduate students to use evidence to solve problems and make decisions." STIRS scholars have developed course modules that "facilitate 2  See American Society for Engineering Education: https://www.asee.org/engineeringenhanced-liberal-education-project/introduction.
From page 125...
... Another STIRS case study is provided by Tami Carmichael from the University of North Dakota Humanities and Integrated Studies Program. The case study uses the topic of the environmental impacts of tar sands oil extraction and transmission to develop student skills in scientific reasoning and critical thinking.
From page 126...
... . Although this evaluation was not published in a scholarly, peerreviewed journal, and though the performance was not a part of a college or university course, it suggests that integration of STEM content and ideas into artistic performances can have positive impacts on public engagement and understanding of science.
From page 127...
... For example, a collaboration between Rhode Island School of Design's Charlie Cannon and Eli Kintisch led to the development of LookingGlass, an augmented reality interface that allows users to view the impacts of climate change on the local environment as if it were happening right in front of them. Clearly, support from federal agencies and private foundations has had a significant impact on the establishment of new integrative courses, programs, and scholarship.
From page 128...
... Again, we were unable to learn much about the direct influence of these courses, programs, and fields on student learning outcomes, but in describing them we offer insight into what motivates these activities. University of California at Davis' 16-year-old experiential Art/Science Fusion Program's mission is to bring the creative energies of the arts and
From page 129...
... . Future evaluation of the impact of the integrative approach taken by Evergreen on student retention, graduation rate, career outcomes, and other measures of student success could offer valuable insights into the potential value of an integrative approach.
From page 130...
... . Other institutions that have embraced integrative approaches to higher education and offer courses and programs focused on the integration of STEM into the arts and humanities, and vice versa, include Arizona State University (ASU)
From page 131...
... . While studies on the impact of the MIT Media lab on student learning are not available, for four decades the Lab has graduated students who have gone on to successful careers at the intersection of art and technology.
From page 132...
... However, in order to have confidence in the impact of an integrative course or program on a student, anecdotes and other forms of descriptive evidence should be used as the basis for designing methodologically rigorous qualitative and quantitative evaluations. The importance of evaluating student outcomes is emphasized when we consider studies that have not supported an expected benefit of integration.
From page 133...
... Some respondents also attributed interdisciplinary exposure to helping students make more informed choices about their undergraduate major or minor. It is possible that the positive accounts we received on the impact of integrative courses and programs represent a positive response bias among respondents; and so, as stated above, it is important that readers not take the information summarized here as the results of a survey or other formal research endeavor.
From page 134...
... , which scored student portfolios against rubrics developed to measure student learning related to the goals of the University Studies Program. The results of the assessment indicated that, in general, students agreed that they had opportunities to address all four of the University Studies' goals in their Freshman Inquiry courses, including inquiry and critical thinking, communication, diversity of human experiences, and ethics and social responsibility.
From page 135...
... For both the class size and preparation questions, female students were significantly more likely to indicate a greater positive response. Evaluations also have shown that LBC students consistently earn higher grades in organic chemistry, bio 21  See https://lymanbriggs.msu.edu/news_and_events/2017/LBC2Cultures.cfm (Accessed December 1, 2017)
From page 136...
... Student performance was assessed in seven key learning outcomes over four terms in the program. The seven outcomes were: written and oral communication; analyzing and documenting information; awareness of specific historical literary and cultural contexts; rhetorical and aesthetic conventions; critical thinking and perspective taking; integrative and applied learning; and quantitative methods.
From page 137...
... Further, the rich input the committee received in response to the "Dear Colleague" letter highlights how collecting evidence about integrative activities can help to illuminate not only the potential benefits of integration for student learning outcomes, but also the sorts of institutional factors that encourage or inhibit integrative approaches.
From page 138...
... . Indeed, dozens of controlled studies performed on students ranging from middle-school through graduate school have demonstrated that visio-spatial training interventions result in improved scores on a variety of generalized visio-spatial skill tests and, at the same time, on specific measures of STEM learning such as classroom tests, standardized STEM tests, persistence in major, and probability of graduating within a STEM major.
From page 139...
... Despite the lack of strong causal evidence to support the assertion that integration leads to improved educational and career outcomes, the aggregate evidence reviewed by the committee shows that certain educational experiences that integrate the arts and humanities with STEM at the undergraduate level are associated with increased critical thinking abilities, higher order thinking and deeper learning, content mastery, creative problem solving, teamwork and communication skills (Gurnon et al., 2013; Ifenthaler et al., 2015; Jarvinen and Jarvinen, 2012; Malavé and Watson, 2000; Olds and Miller, 2004; Pollack and Korol, 2013; Stolk and Martello, 2015; Thigpen et al., 2004; Willson et al., 1995)
From page 140...
... Faculty members teaching integrative courses and programs who spoke to the committee expressed great conviction that the integrative model has benefited their students. This sentiment is also captured in the responses the committee received to its "Dear Colleague" letter, along with the examples that can be seen in the next section, entitled "Gallery of Illuminating and Inspirational Integrative Practices in Higher Education." Moreover, the committee catalogued 218 examples of integrative courses and programs at a range of institution types.


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