Christine Wieseler, PhD

          Students in my classes are rarely sitting quietly in their seats. What are they doing? They are excitedly talking with each other about course readings, helping each other with writing assignments, and working on group presentations and projects. They are challenging each other, asking questions, and improving their skills in analysis, problem solving, and communication. In short, they are doing philosophy. With my guidance, they are able to go beyond reading philosophy in order to reflect upon philosopher’s assumptions and arguments as well as the relevance of philosophy for everyday life. 

           I believe that learning outcomes need to be woven throughout the course in teaching and learning activities, feedback, and assessments. In order to ensure that all aspects of my courses are mutually supportive, I adopt integrated course design, as developed by L. Dee Fink in Creating Significant Learning Experiences: An Integrated Approach to Designing College Courses (2013). This method has been key to the success of my courses. It begins with careful consideration of the context for the course such as the characteristics of students likely to take the course and the potential challenges to creating meaningful learning experiences.