Values and Principles

Research, software development, teaching... these are all value-laden activities. Often, those values are not clearly articulated. We have attempted to make clear the values and principles under which CMPSC580 will be run this semester.

Values

The faculty have identified the following values as being pertinent to this offering of the Junior Seminar. They are:

Research 

  Our students should explore their passions deeply. 

Health 

  Where possible, student workload should be considered and respected. 
  In particular, this course should avoid contributing to midterm and end- 
  of-term stress. 

Revision 

  Communication and revision surrounding a written work is more 
  valuable than the production of large quantities of text. 

Communication 

  The clear and concise presentation of ideas, informally and 
  formally, is critical to researchers today. 

Community 

  Teamwork and collaboration are essential to the development of 
  a healthy research community. 

Practice 

  Good, consistent lab book practice is at the core of a good researcher ’s 
  daily activity. 

Vitality 

  Creativity, the act of creation, and the sharing of new ideas matters. 

Seven Principles

In 1987, Arthur Chickering and Zelda Gamson published an article titled “Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education” in the American Association for Higher Education Bulletin.

Principles for good practice are part of a theory of instruction: they help guide what you should do when in a variety of instructional settings. I do not believe I can come up with a better list at this time than Chickering and Gamson did. I quote:

Good practice in undergraduate education:

  • encourages contact between students and faculty,
  • develops reciprocity and cooperation among students,
  • encourages active learning,
  • gives prompt feedback,
  • emphasizes time on task,
  • communicates high expectations, and
  • respects diverse talents and ways of learning.


You can find the full article (it’s short) where these principles are introduced online.

These principles, along with the values identified by the department, will guide our delivery of the Junior Seminar during the Spring 2009 semester. 

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