Collaborative Research: Developing a National Model for a College-level Introductory Sociology Course

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This project is completing the development started by the American Sociological Association (ASA) national task force to create a modern introductory sociology curriculum. It is engaged in refining the ASA college-level curriculum and further developing innovative pedagogical materials for a college-level introductory sociology course. A second goal is also being pursued, identification of conditions leading to successful student learning, especially among women and members of racial/ethnic minorities who are underrepresented in social science fields. Particular attention is being paid to developing their abilities to integrate, synthesize, and interpret information and enhancing their literacy and quantitative skills. The intellectual merit of the project derives from the fact that the new course will result in deeper and more lasting student learning by all types of students. It will increase our knowledge of how underrepresented groups can more successfully learn social science concepts and methods. Significant broader impacts will be realized ultimately from the widespread adoption of this new national model for a college-level introductory sociology course. The following course features are contributing to the broader impacts: a greatly strengthened curricular content, increased reliance on inquiry-based teaching resources, significant student experience in using major national datasets and tools, and formative feedback from companion assessment materials. Further, as an outgrowth of this projects' linking of practicing sociologists, junior college, college, and university faculty (and high school teachers), the project is developing new networks to enhance teacher training and student involvement in research. The project evaluation is employing field observations of classes, videotapes of classes, interviews of teachers and students, analysis of the content of student assessment materials, and students' performances on the new assessments. Assessment of these collected data is providing the basis for a further round of modifications of the curriculum, teaching resources, and assessment tools. The project website and discussion board is permitting sociology instructors to share questions, problems, strategies, and materials.By project completion there will be a well-refined curriculum, a set of teaching materials that are aligned with it, and systematic assessment of how they work. These will be shared at professional associations of sociologists, educational researchers, and high school teachers, in professional and general public publications, and made available through the American Sociological Association.