Reflections on Course Design and Classroom Decisions


This project began as an effort to "capture" actual classroom teaching at Carleton and pair it with faculty reflection on what they were trying to accomplish in their classrooms. The initiative was funded by a Mellon Foundation Faculty Life Cycles grant, and it included, ultimately, 10 Carleton faculty from 9 different departments. We originally imagined this as merely an opportunity for other faculty members to virtually "visit" each other's classes, and the intent was to build a library of actual classes that any Carleton faculty member could check out. The faculty interviews, however, proved to be a very rich source resource frequently providing much more extensive reflection on teaching philosophy, goals, aspirations, and changes over time than we originally imagined. So, far beyond a "virtual visit," these videos became a platform for established, successful teachers to reflect on how they think about the classroom, from small details to broad themes. The actual classroom videos, as well as the interviews, are available in the Perlman Center.

Carleton on Camera
Course Videos

Check out the video chapters for each of the six courses that were filmed. These chapters combine classroom footage and faculty interviews to address particular interesting issues or questions that developed out of the classroom footage.Course Videos

Crosscutting Themes

As the interviewing progressed, we realized that we were hearing various themes that cut across disciplinary lines and personal teaching styles. We have tried, therefore, to provide some suggestive connections between all the interviews, by linking different chapters together around key ideas. This is not, however, an exhaustive set of connections.Crosscutting Themes Videos


About This Project


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