The primary goal of the Innovative Curriculum and Pedagogy strategy group is to develop strategies and goals that will enable UMBC to continue its leadership in innovative curricula and academic programs that support and enhance undergraduate and graduate student success; prepare students for meaningful careers, lifelong learning, and engaged citizenship; and thereby maintain and enhance UMBC’s position as a national leader in undergraduate and graduate education.

Jeff Leips, associate professor, biological sciences, and Carole McCann, professor and chair, gender and women’s studies, bring significant experience in building programs at UMBC to their roles as co-chairs. Leips has helped implement major curriculum and program changes in UMBC’s undergraduate biological sciences, including new interdisciplinary minors. McCann has spent her career building the emerging scholarly area of gender and women’s studies, and also was part of the workgroup that developed the new global studies program. 

The Innovative Curriculum and Pedagogy strategy group is examining the current profile of faculty, students and mix of programs; lessons learned from studies of retention and graduate rates at UMBC and elsewhere, as well as additional measurements for success; best practices at peer institutions and nationally for supporting curricular innovation; how best to balance existing and new programs and instructional duties of faculty; enhancement of classroom infrastructure, technology and faculty development; and best practices in faculty rewards and recognition. A complete list of research questions can be found on the Innovative Curriculum and Pedagogy strategy group page.

McCann says that one of the challenges that comes with studying curriculum and pedagogy is anticipating the changes that inevitably come with each new generation of students. “Classes aren’t static. Faculty have to reinvent classroom strategies and need the support to develop new approaches to student learning. At the same time, UMBC’s commitment to diversity takes continued thinking and planning.”

Read more here: http://planning.umbc.edu/planning-conversation/?id=44319