Our project aimed to bring the three disciplines of our department – Mathematics, Computer Science, and Statistics closer together in terms of curriculum and pedagogy. By comparing detailed curriculum maps and sharing pedagogical best-practices, we found ways to align program-level goals for our students across the disciplines, and spread innovative, research-backed pedagogical practices across our department.
Outcomes
We made numerous changes across our disciplines’ curricula, including many new courses, modifications to courses, and created a new program, all leveraging insights made through this project.
Thousands of students over many years have benefitted from courses which are more interconnected, and which have a more robust approach to teaching and assessing crucial cross-discipline skills, like technical reading and writing and problem-solving. Many courses now contain systems for continued longitudinal assessment of key student skills, allowing the department to continue to enhance courses and programs in all three disciplines going forward.
Dozens of faculty members worked together in various capacities to bring about the changes discussed above, and a culture of curricular innovation and continued renewal has taken root in the department. Faculty are much more involved in discussions about program-level issues and progression of students through their programs, and see their work redesigning individual courses as part of a large, ongoing curriculum development project.