Degree Structure and Design
Structure and design are key concepts in planning a degree. Just as in a kaleidoscope--or a puzzle--the pieces of an academic degree need to stick together to show a pattern of learning, because a degree is more than just a collection of individual courses. A college degree means that you know certain information and have certain skills but, more importantly, that you have consciously considered relationships among skills and information and have experienced some learning that "makes sense" as a whole.
How do the pieces make sense--what holds them together? The pieces are held together by the linkages you create as you investigate relationships among your courses and your goals, academic skills, and professional needs.
The Association of American Colleges publication on The Challenge of Connecting Learning talks about degree structure and design. Both ESC and the Association of American Colleges stress coherence and connection as key aspects of college degrees.
How do these relatively abstract concepts translate into concrete pieces in your degree? You can apply them in this way:
- a degree needs to include components that introduce you to the various aspects and history of a field, as well as courses designed to teach the ways of asking and answering questions--the ways of thinking critically--that the field employs
- a degree needs to include study in a variety of fields so that you start to understand different ways of thinking critically about your world and gain perspective on how different fields of study relate to one another
- a degree with a concentration needs to have an overall structure appropriate to the field
- a degree with a concentration needs to have a beginning (introductory courses), middle (specific knowledge and methodology in the field), and end (chances to blend and apply knowledge and reflect on overall learning in the field)
These characteristics are still relatively general and can be interpreted in many ways. Yet they are essential to the creation of a college degree. You need to consider the concept of degree structure and design as you create your own pattern for your degree, to make sure that the pieces relate and build upon one another. Progression, Integration, and Breadth are all aspects of degree design. Much of your work with your Mentor will focus on creating a structure for your degree.