Interdisciplinary Studies in California Junior Colleges [electronic resource] : A Partial View / Beverly W. Palmer.
This report reviews the goals and basic organization of interdisciplinary courses and programs in California community colleges. It notes the problems and benefits of such an approach and cites five essential qualities of successful interdisciplinary teaching. The major problems of such an enterpris...
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Full Text (via ERIC) |
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| Format: | Electronic eBook |
| Language: | English |
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[S.l.] :
Distributed by ERIC Clearinghouse,
1975.
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| Summary: | This report reviews the goals and basic organization of interdisciplinary courses and programs in California community colleges. It notes the problems and benefits of such an approach and cites five essential qualities of successful interdisciplinary teaching. The major problems of such an enterprise are: often courses are too broad; interdisciplinary mini-colleges tend to shut themselves off from the rest of the college; definition is elusive (How many credits should be granted? Is the course transferable? What requirements does the course fulfill?); enrollment requirements are difficult to determine (Must enrollment double if two teachers teach as a team?); and student-teacher rapport is threatened by too many students and more than one teacher. Although beset by these problems, such courses and programs are beneficial: they offer an alternative to the traditional survey, introductory, chronological course; they provide opportunities for new personal and group dynamics; they expose students to several disciplines at once; and they can lead students into new fields. The essential qualities of a successful enterprise are administrative support, wide publicity, elaborate preplanning, continual emphasis on the interdisciplinary nature of the course or program, and organization around a theme or problem, rather than chronologically. (DC) |
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| Item Description: | ERIC Document Number: ED105928. Sponsoring Agency: National Endowment for the Humanities (NFAH), Washington, DC. Educational level discussed: Two Year Colleges. |
| Physical Description: | 14 p. |