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| Vol. 17, No. 35 | June 25, 1998 |
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| Vol. 17, No. 35 | June 25, 1998 |
Jim Soles (left) and Jim Magee
Two faculty members in the Department of Political Science and International Relations jointly have received a Center for Advanced Study fellowship-the first team of two to be so honored.
Jim Magee and Jim Soles, both teaching and advising award recipients, are in the forefront of the University's commitment to enhance the undergraduate educational experience at UD. They will develop a gateway course and a capstone course for political science majors that will serve as a model for the department and also will be able to be shared with other disciplines across campus.
"I came across a statement-'The classroom will always be the home page of our intellectual life'-which, for me sums up the importance of teaching," Soles said. "The University has a history of promoting excellence in teaching and was among the first to establish a Center for Teaching Effectiveness. The Center for Advance Study stipulates that a fellowship must be awarded for teaching, in addition to those for research. The Faculty Senate Ad hoc Committee on General Education, chaired by Carol Hoffecker, which is proposing goals for general education at UD, also reflects the school's ongoing commitment," Soles said.
This summer, Magee and Soles will be faculty fellows and participate in the Institute for Transforming Undergraduate Education program, another University initiative for promoting changes in undergraduate education through faculty development and course design. Joseph Pika, department chairperson, and two graduate students, Candace Archer and Eric Leonard, also will attend from the department.
"This institute will provide interaction with other faculty across campus and be useful in learning to incorporate technology into teaching in effective and useful ways," Soles said.
Teaching has always been a priority within the political science department, Soles and Magee agreed, and the team is receiving support and encouragement from Pika and from other faculty.
Last year, for example, the department, which has more than 550 majors, held a retreat to evaluate the undergraduate program. This was followed by a series of follow-up, lunchtime discussions to keep the momentum going.
The consensus has been that while keeping traditional good teaching values is important, new methodology involving interactive, interdisciplinary learning, communication skills and research opportunities should be incorporated into courses, according to both Magee and Soles.
While on leave this fall, Magee will work primarily on the gateway course, the introductory course for undergraduate political science majors. Soles will focus on the capstone course for seniors and take leave in the spring. The two, however, also will work together on both courses and seek departmental input from faculty and students.
In their fellowship proposal, they stated that one goal is to broaden the gateway course, which is focused on U.S. politics and institutions, and teach American political science within a global, in-depth, interdisciplinary context-involving such subjects as history, sociology, economics and geography.
"Some of the things we wish to emphasize are analytical thinking, writing and speaking within the framework of students' course work," Magee said. "These are skills that students will use all their lives, and new course designs will encourage them to think and communicate orally and in writing within the framework of their studies. Although most students write reasonably well, many have trouble with speaking. A goal is to encourage students to develop their scholarly skills and their confidence early in their college careers."
The capstone course to synthesize seniors' educational experience could provide several options, such as research projects, internships, field work or study abroad, all linking what students have learned to real world experiences.
According to the proposal, such a course currently does not exist although there are opportunities for undergraduate research in the department.
Technology has been integrated into teaching political science, with PowerPoint for classroom presentations and access for students to LexisNexis and other databases. Magee will attend a conference in Seattle to learn about Microcase, software used for American government courses.
The two also plan to survey other schools about their course design to see what methods and ideas can be applied at Delaware.
The overall goals, according to the team, is to develop students' intellectual curiosity, encourage them to reach their potential and to develop skills that will serve them in the future while learning about their chosen field of study.
And, they both agree, while nothing can replace classroom teaching and the face-to-face, interaction and relationships between professors and students, innovative and new methods of teaching can enhance the educational experience of UD undergraduates.
- Sue Swyers Moncure
Robert Cohen
