P R O F. D A N I E L E R N S TF E B R UA RY 7 T H , 2 0 1 1

L I B E R A L E D U C AT I O N:L E A R NI N G A B O U T L E A R NI NG.T H I N K I N G A B O U T T H I N K I N G.

CS 146 The Big Picture in Computer Science

Liberal Education

What is Liberal Education?

Liberal Education

What is Liberal Education? A philosophy of education that empowers individuals

with broad knowledge and transferable skills, and a stronger sense of values, ethics, and civic engagement ... characterized by challenging encounters with important issues, and more a way of studying than a specific course or field of study (Association of American Colleges and Universities)

Liberal Education

What is Liberal Education? The aim of liberal education is to create persons who

have the ability and the disposition to try to reach agreements on matters of fact, theory, and actions through rational discussions (Chrucky)

A liberal education is supposed to teach you something about everything and everything about something (Knuth)

How will you get there…

…if you don’t know where you are going ?

Learning to Learn

Purpose of Higher Education

“to help college students become Intentional

Learners who can adapt to new environments,

integrate knowledge from different sources, and

continue learning throughout their lives.”

Greater Expectations(2002 AACU Report)

Greater Expectations(2002 AACU Report)

Becoming an intentional learner means: developing self-awareness about the reason for study, the learning process itself, and how education is used

Intentional learners are integrative thinkers who see connections in seemingly disparate information to inform their decisions.

Intentional Learners

Savin-Baden and Major (2004)

Self-directing learners are highly motivated, independent, and strive toward self-direction and autonomy. They take the initiative to diagnose their learning needs, formulate learning goals, identify resources for learning, select and implement learning strategies, and evaluate learning outcomes.

Intentional Learners are Self-Directing

• EMPOWERED through the mastery of intellectual and practical skills

• INFORMED by knowledge about the natural and social worlds and about forms of inquiry basic to these studies

• RESPONSIBLE for their personal actions and for civic values

Intentional Learners Are…

Liberal Education Scorecard

• Learning Beyond Memorization

• Bloom’s Taxonomy (1956)

• Revised by Anderson et al. (2001)

Levels of UnderstandingCognitive Domain

Level DefinitionVerb Examples That Can Represent

Intellectual Activity

Synthesis(Creating)

Originate, integrate, or combine ideas into a new product or plan

arrange, assemble, compose, construct, create, design, develop, formulate, organize, propose

Evaluation(Evaluating)

Appraise, assess, or critique on basis of standards or criteria

appraise, argue, assess, attach, choose, defend, estimate, judge, predict, rate, select, evaluate

Analysis(Analyzing)

Distinguish, classify, or relate assumption, hypotheses or evidence

analyze, appraise, categorize, compare, distinguish, examine

Application(Applying)

Select, transfer, and use data or principles to complete new task

apply, choose, demonstrate, employ, illustrate, interpret, solve, use

Comprehension (Understanding)

Translate, comprehend, or interpret information

classify, describe, discuss, explain, indicate, restate, translate

Knowledge (Remembering)

Recall or recognition of information, ideas and principles

arrange, define, label, list, name, relate, recall, repeat, reproduce

Bloom’s Taxonomy (Cognitive)

Bloom’s Taxonomy Apple Example

Knowledge: What are the health benefits of eating apples?

Comprehension: Compare the health benefits of eating apples vs. oranges.

Application: Which kinds of apples are best for baking a pie, and why?

Analysis: List four ways of serving foods made with apples and explain which ones have

the highest health benefits. Provide references to support your statements. Evaluation:

Do you feel that serving apple pie for an after school snack for children is healthy? Why or why not?

Synthesis: Convert an "unhealthy" recipe for apple pie to a "healthy" recipe by replacing

your choice of ingredients. Explain the health benefits of using the ingredients you chose vs. the original ones.

• Attitudes

• Motivation

• Willingness to Participate

• Valuing What is Being Learned

• Incorporating Values Into Life

Levels of UnderstandingAffective Domain

Level DefinitionVerb Examples That Can Represent

Intellectual Activity

Characterizing Holds a particular value or belief that now exerts influence on his/her behavior

OrganizingCan put together different values, information, and ideas and accommodate them within his/her own schema; comparing, relating and elaborating on what has been learned

Valuing Attaches a value to an object, phenomenon, or piece of information

RespondingActively participates in the learning process, not only attends to a stimulus, but also reacts in some way

Receiving Passively pays attention

Bloom’s Taxonomy (Affective)

Bloom’s Taxonomy Affective Examples

Receiving: Listen to others with respect. Listen for and remember the name of newly introduced people.

Responding: Participates in class discussions. Gives a presentation. Questions new ideals, concepts, models, etc. in order to fully

understand them.Valuing:

Demonstrates belief in the democratic process. Is sensitive towards individual and cultural differences (value

diversity). Proposes a plan to social improvement and follows through with

commitment. Informs management on matters that one feels strongly about.

Bloom’s Taxonomy Affective Examples

Organization: Recognizes the need for balance between freedom and

responsible behavior. Accepts responsibility for one's behavior. Accepts professional ethical standards.  Prioritizes time effectively to meet the needs of the organization,

family, and self.Characterizing/internalizing:

Shows self-reliance when working independently. Cooperates in group activities (displays teamwork). Displays a professional commitment to ethical practice on a daily

basis. Revises judgments and changes behavior in light of new evidence. Values people for what they are, not how they look.