Learning Goals

 

By Samurai Gandhi (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

When I think about what I want students to know a year after my course is over, the main concept is to be an informed skeptic. I hope that students keep the underlying ideas of the six frames as a means to interact with information throughout their lifetimes.

Foundational Knowledge

Since the course is aligned with the six frames, it will be important for students to remember that authority is constructed and contextual, information has value, information creation is a process, searching is strategic exploration, research is inquiry, and scholarship is an ongoing conversation. All of these ideas will become the basis from which students will critically analyze complex issues and ideas.

Application Goals

Students in this class will need to be proficient in all three methods of thinking: critical thinking, creative thinking, and practical thinking. The course will focus on a semester-long project, from idea to research to annotated bibliography to creative project. Along the way, students will need to develop their analytical skills. Since the final project will be creative, students will need to know how to synthesize what they learn from their sources into their own thought process.

Integration Goals

Some connections that students should recognize in this course are aligned with authority. Each student will have the opportunity to consider what area they might be considered an authoritative voice in the scholarly conversation. Perhaps, a student has skills in gaming. It would be nice for that student to take a step back and see that not all authority is based on academic standing.

Human Dimensions Goals

Students should learn that incorporating informed skepticism into their worldview is not a bad thing. They should also consider if they are blind believers who don't bother to dig beneath the surface. In terms of interacting with others, students should learn to listen and consider an opposing view before automatically refuting it.

Caring Goals

I hope that students learn to see that there is another, deeper layer to their chosen topic. If someone is examining Game of Thrones, I hope that the underlying motivations of the characters come to the forefront, rather than just the sex and violence. I would also like for students to recognize that information has power and that there are problems with under-representation for some groups in terms of being recognized authorities.

"Learning-How-to-Learn" Goals

I would like student to learn to be more self-directed and to have an agenda before they start their research.