Big Question (formerly I-Series)
Big Question (formerly I-Series) courses form the signature of the UMD General Education program. A signature course could take students inside a new field of study, where they may glimpse the utility, elegance and beauty of disciplines that were previously unknown, unwanted, disparaged, or despised. Students may be able to see how such areas of investigation could become a subject for extended study, a major, or even a lifetime commitment. By addressing both contemporary problems and the enduring issues of human existence, the signature courses will speak to the University’s historic role both as a timeless repository of human knowledge and as a source of solutions to burning issues of the day. At their best, the signature courses might do both. Big Question courses offer extraordinary opportunities for increasing the level of intellectual discourse on campus and for providing occasions where new pedagogical methods may be introduced. The possibilities are large and exciting.
What are the expectations for students?
Students will take a total of 6 credits or 2 Big Question courses
Students will learn to :
- Identify the major questions and issues in their Big Question course topic.
- Describe the sources the experts on the topic would use to explore these issues and questions.
- Demonstrate an understanding of basic terms, concepts, and approaches that experts employ in dealing with these issues.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the political, social, economic, and ethical dimensions involved in the course.
- Communicate major ideas and issues raised by the course through effective written and/or oral presentations.
- Articulate how this course has invited them to think in new ways about their lives, their place in the University and other communities, and/or issues central to their major disciplines or other fields of interest.
Do you want to teach/design a Big Question course?
At U. of Maryland, an Effort to Make Introductory Courses Extraordinary
To begin your course design
- Consider the Big Question learning outcomes and assessment rubric
- Determine the course discipline and how the course will also meet a Distributive Studies course requirement
- Determine how you might actively engage students in learning through the lens of a big question
- Review tips for successful General Education course proposals
The Big Question Faculty Board is available to support you in designing your course and provide feedback during the course design and general education proposal process.
Course development funds will be provided to the instructor for each newly approved Big Question course. Funding will not be extended to self-support offerings of Big Question courses (Summer, Winter, Freshman Connection, etc.).
An example of a Big Question might be teaching a course in history by asking students to explore: When and how can riots be morally justified?
Big questions are described as:
- Current or enduring
- Relevant to multiple disciplines
- Complex, lacking one “right” answer
- Inspirational
- Those that encourage thinking at the edge of current knowledge
- Providing opportunity for debate
- Having potential to change how students think or act
Active learning engages students in the learning process - examples include
- Discussion
- Debate
- Project based learning
- Teamwork
See General Education Teamwork Resources and TLTC
Big Question Faculty Learning Community: Meetings and Resources
Please join the Dean for Undergraduate Studies and other faculty teaching Big Question courses to discuss approaches to meeting the Big Question mission.
Meeting dates: Coming soon!
Explore resources generated from prior meetings in this google folder
Publications
Smith, A. C., Roberts, D., Gaines, R. The I‐Series: Evoking Intellect, Inquiry, and Imagination to Engage Students in Real World Challenges. AAC&U General Education and Assessment conference. 2013. Boston, MA. (talk)
Primiano, Samantha J., Ananya Krishnan, and Thurka Sangaramoorthy. 2020. “Plagues, Pathogens, and Pedagogical Decolonization: Reflecting on the Design of a Decolonized Pandemic Syllabus.” Teaching and Learning Anthropology Journal 3, no. 2: 47–60.