Theatre Professor and STLI Excellence in Teaching Fellow Matt Allar, Biology Professor Paul Heideman, and Chemistry Professor Tyler Meldrum recently discussed their own challenges and explorations of innovations in mid-level courses. 

Many departments and programs offer mid-level foundational courses that serve as a bridge between the introductory-level courses meant to capture student interest and upper-level courses intended to help students use the skills and concepts they’ve learned to tackle larger questions. These foundational courses are grounded in the acquisition of skillsets, methods, and concepts.

One challenge in these mid-level foundational courses is that they can be more abstract and it can be difficult to connect back to the excitement of discovery in the introductory courses or the future empowerment students will feel in applying these skills and concepts in upper-level courses. How can we make those connections more tangible?