Listed below are the different ways curriculum has improved for student success in the College of Science and Mathematics.

  • Course Coordinators organize student learning outcomes, content, and materials to maximize and support student learning. By working from a common set of learning outcomes and using a common set of materials and assessments, we will be better positioned to assess the strengths and weaknesses of courses, so that we can make improvements over time. Course Coordinators will meet with faculty teaching different sections of a course to discuss course content, review student data, plan adjustments for future units, and organize and facilitate common assessment, as appropriate.
  • While active learning can occur in any classroom, it is easier if the furniture in the room is specifically equipped to facilitate interactions among students.  There is a need for more flexible furniture in classrooms used for science and mathematics courses. We have three active learning classrooms located on the Kennesaw Campus and several classrooms on the Marietta campus that are equipped to support active learning. 

  • We have noted multiple benefits of our first-year, first semester Learning Communities for CSM majors:

    • Students get courses they need to make progress toward their degree.
    • Students feel they are part of a community, as they take the same courses with the same group of peers.
    • Students form relationships that transcend courses.
    • Student attendance has increased across courses within the Learning Communities.
    • Faculty communicate with each other about students’ experiences and make appropriate adjustments to promote student learning.
    • It is easier to communicate information to students or to gather information from them (e.g., sharing advising and registration information, holding panels for students on success strategies, exposing students to career opportunities).

    We are building on these gains by packaging courses together to enable students to sign up at one time for all of the courses needed for progression through their program.  We offer packages as a set of morning courses and a set of afternoon courses. This format empowers students to plan other aspects of their lives accordingly (e.g., work, family obligations).

  • In 2020, the College of Science and Mathematics (CSM) began a curriculum alignment process that involves examining our courses and programs to ensure that the curriculum connects with students’ career interests and goals and that students have scaffolded experiences to develop a common set of skills that are attractive to employers and graduate schools. During spring 2021, faculty across the CSM worked to map their courses to course learning and program outcomes. Our departmental and college curriculum committees are mapping courses to the broader college goals and identifying aspects of our courses and programs where adjustments need to be made. Once that gap analysis is completed, we will redesign courses to ensure alignment across the CSM.
    • Course Coordinator Professional Development
    • Faculty Learning Communities