Conceptual Framework
The conceptual framework for the Integrative Studies Program is grounded in the AAC&U Greater Expectations report. This report emphasizes a call for more attention to purposeful, intentional and transparent teaching and learning. It also incorporates the concept of Integrative Learning for a liberal education/liberal arts education. The integrative teaching and learning process approaches teaching and learning in intentionally connected ways.
Integrative learning is a process by which students:
- connect knowledge and skills from multiple sources and experiences,
- apply knowledge and skills in varied settings,
- utilize diverse points of view, and
- understand issues contextually.
Students are able to:
- see connections in seemingly disparate information
- adapt skills learned in one situation to problems encountered in another
- demonstrate a breadth of outlook and an awareness of complex interdependencies
- judge/decide (synthesize)
- take into account different dimensions of a problem, seeing it from different perspectives, making conceptual links
- connect skills and knowledge from multiple sources and experiences
- utilize diverse and contradictory points of view
- understand contextual frames
Knowledge in both individual and multiple disciplines is the foundation upon which integrative learning builds. Integrative learning often occurs as learners put theory into practice, "making meaning" as they apply abstract concepts in practical settings.