Large entry-level classes are a critical aspect of UW’s teaching mission both by enrolling a significant share of the student population and serving the important function of providing students a first look into majors and degree options.

Unfortunately, while largely viewed as an economical way of delivering instructional content, these courses (as they have been traditional taught) tend to be more focused on course coverage than student learning, are overly demanding (administratively) for the faculty members involved, and are in some cases less valuable learning experiences for students.

Our goal with this project is develop a series of new introductory courses to majors – addressing the concerns outlined above by creating courses that are:

• problem-based and inquiry-driven,
• place the student at the center of the learning experience,
• provide opportunities for faculty teams to shape and envision a new paradigm of active learning at the introductory level, and
• no more expensive than the instructional costs found in traditionally taught introductory courses.
  

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Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture

Henry Art Gallery

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