Introductory Courses with Explicit Emphasis on Problem Solving

Carleton Courses with Problem Solving

Several introductory science and math courses include problem-solving sections that are offered in addition to regular class time or in place of some lab time. Faculty faciliate and coach students who are working actively on problems individually and in teams. This effort has been led by the Biology Department faculty Susan Singer, Debby Walser-Kuntz, and Sarah Deel. These faculty have offered Biology 125 with Problem Solving three times. They have done a great deal of research on student learning, including comparisons to learning in sections of Biology 125 without an explicit problem-solving focus. Their research has been presented nationally at meetings on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, including the conference in April 2005 on Innovations in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning at the Liberal Arts College.

In addition to the Biology 125 course, there are introductory courses in Math, Chemistry, and Physics that also offer a focus on problem-solving. Chemistry 123 with Problem Solving (spring 2006 with Prof. Dani Kohen) and Math 109 and 100 with Review (2005-06 with Prof. Sam Patterson) offer additional sessions for problem solving. Some sections of Physics 113 (with Prof. Bill Titus) have more strongly integrated problem-solving into the existing lab time.

Faculty Development Events

Science and math faculty interested in problem solving participated in a weekly lunch series of discussions in summer 2005. This series included visits and discussions with Erica Flapan (Math, Pomona College, more on her science problem solving course here) and Ken Heller (Physics, University of Minnesota, in the Physics Education Group). Discussion centered on topics like the value of various problem types (well or ill-structured, data rich, etc.), problem design, how to effectively facilitate problem-solving in teams and groups, how to scaffold problem-solving processes into teaching and problem design, and more. Faculty and Carleton students also engaged in a real problem-solving exercise, with followup discussion with students about that experience. Several participating faculty (Bill Titus, Mary Savina, Melissa Eblen-Zayas, and Trish Ferrett) led a Headley House afternoon discussion on Sept. 26, 2005 on what was learned (sponsored by CISMI & Carleton's Perlman Center for Learning and Teaching).