Framework for the Development of Scientific Perspectives Courses in the Liberal Arts Curriculum

Definition :

1. acquaint students with and involve students in the process of scientific reasoning, methods of verification, and scientific explanation, and
2. emphasize either (1) the relevance of science to the contemporary experience, or (2) the connection of science to some area of knowledge or mode of inquiry outside the natural sciences and mathematics.

Guidelines :

• encourage an appraisal of the relevance of science and scientific approaches to the contemporary experience;
• pay attention to the use of mathematical and computational methods in science;
• when appropriate, engage students in data collection and analysis;
• make links between the course content and issues in the lives of our students;
• challenge students' preconceptions;
• expose students to unsolved problems in science;
• when appropriate, include examples of science poorly done or science misinterpreted.
• An instructor in a Scientific Perspectives course should:
  • look for alternatives to a lecture approach;
  • foster students' abilities to apply principles of scientific reasoning;
  • look for opportunities to make links to one or more other courses in the LAC curriculum;
  • encourage skills appropriate for the communication and exchange of scientific information;
  • recognize that some students will be science-phobic or may lack skills;
  • acknowledge that Scientific Perspectives courses are self-contained courses with internal integrity;
  • recognize the individual talents of students in the learning process;
  • administer an evaluation instrument designed to assess Scientific Perspectives courses.