The AAC&U website describes it as an approach or disposition toward learning that stresses higher order cognitive processes like synthesis, application, analysis, and reflection. Starting in the 1990s, integrated learning was promoted via capstone courses in the major; such courses appear in early studies on high impact practices, for example, and typically required integration of knowledge and skills within a single discipline. Other kinds of integrative experiences in the major include internships, practica, and senior projects like theses. As research demonstrating the benefits of these experiences for students grew, faculty on many campuses began to argue for integrated learning in general education programs or core curricula. Such courses often take the form of first-year seminars that blend writing, critical thinking, communication, and research, but they may also be found at the upper level (in capstones) or in pathways designed to break down disciplinary silos and encourage curricular coherence. Like integrative learning in the major, integrative learning in liberal education programs encourages students to synthesize what they have learned, apply that knowledge to real-world problems, work collaboratively with others, and prepare for post-graduation transitions.

The General Education program’s 2011-12 APR noted several ways in which we could improve and remain a leader. One recommendation concerned a junior-level course that would help students connect knowledge and skills across the areas, apply them to real-world problems, and serve as an integrative, liberal-learning experience. Since that time, integrative learning has begun to play a role in GenEd programs at many universities focused on the quality of student learning. “Based on campus conversations and national models, the 2022 APR review team recommended, “incorporating an integrative learning experience.” Just as recommendations from departmental APRs are shared with their faculty for consideration, so the General Education program has invited university faculty to consider and contribute to this one.

They benefit students.

1. Integrative courses incorporate hands’ on or applied projects, and promote faculty-student interaction. National studies show that students in such courses demonstrate improved written and oral communication skills (beyond intro-level), enhanced ability to collaborate with others, and increased sense of self-efficacy for learning among other things. (NILOA, NSSE, Kuh)

2. Integrated learning helps students better prepare for life after JMU. Recent studies show that the major is no longer a guarantor of lifelong job security and that the skills most needed for post-graduation success are the cross-cutting ones associated with general/liberal education programs (AAC&U “Falling Short?,”  2015; AAC&U, “More than a Major,” 2015;  Georgetown CEW, “What’s it Worth,” 2011). Data collected in JMU’s own 2016 Gallup-Purdue study showed that only 36% of JMU alumni said they were employed in a field “closely related to their major; the other 44% said they their jobs were either “somewhat related” or “not at all related.” A similar study of JMU alumni conducted by CAP revealed that, four years after graduation, only 55% percent of alumni were employed in the field in which they majored. We also know from queries of JMU student data that most undergraduates do not complete their general education requirements in two years; rather, they pursue it across all four or five years. In other words, our students do not experience general education in isolation from their major, minor, or other degree requirements.

3. Such courses will ameliorate problems stemming from enrollment pressures, changes in progression standards and pre-professional programs, and the complexities associated with the increasing volume of transfer students.

They benefit faculty.

1. Integrative courses enable faculty to showcase their expertise, innovate curriculum, and reach a broader population. There is tremendous curricular energy on campus, but it is also a time of limited resources and rising enrollments in some areas. By collaborating in this project, individuals, units, and programs can reach new audiences and have a greater cumulative impact.

2. Integrative courses offer faculty a way to transcend traditional boundaries, promote innovative pedagogies, and pursue engaged learning that aligns with university-wide initiatives like diversity and inclusion; environmental stewardship, ethical reasoning, community engagement, or civic engagement.

In summer 2016, program faculty received a grant to develop outcomes and rubrics for a 300-level integrative general education course. In 2016-17, the program successfully piloted two courses and hosted the first of a series of formal conversations where faculty discussed this junior-level course idea. Information about the grant and initial pilots appeared on our website, in the annual program newsletters that all program faculty receive, and in all updates to freshman and transfer advisors. In June 2017, five faculty participated in a week-long JMUdesign workshop to develop additional pilots for Fall 2017-Spring 2018. Since then, scores of sections of more than 25 different topics have been offered.

Information for faculty interested in developing a pilot can be found at the bottom of this page.

Here are some possible scenarios:

• 300-level integrative courses could be added to a single area of the program where they would be restricted to certain student populations such as transfers or students with >60 credit hours (Junior-standing). [This model is currently in use.]
• 300-level integrative courses could replace existing, lower-level courses in a single area of the program and be required of all JMU students.
• 300-level integrative courses could be added as options to multiple areas within the program, especially areas where there are few choices.
• 300-level integrative courses could replace existing, lower-level courses in multiple areas of the program

These scenarios presume a desire to keep the total number of credit hours in the General Education program to 40-41. Additional scenarios are possible. However, they must be consonant with the program’s guiding principles, which have made us a national exemplar.

Integrative Student Learning Outcomes—proposed

Student Learning Outcome: Connection

Students will be able to:

Identify and communicate meaningful links among different disciplines, perspectives, experiences, and/or settings.

· Students will make connections between theories, practices, concepts, lived experiences, bodies of knowledge, and/or skills.

· Students will demonstrate the ability to make meaningful connections through activities, products, and/or discussions.

Student Learning Outcome: Collaboration

Students will be able to:

Interact productively with others, which may include peers, faculty, and/or the public. Collaboration can be demonstrated by:

· effective listening and communication, collective consideration of new ideas and approaches, developing and pursuing common goals, working towards a meeting of the minds in complex contexts, identifying and acknowledging strengths in themselves and others, refining individual knowledge in relation to the skills and experiences of others.

Student Learning Outcome: Synthesis

Students will be able to:

Demonstrate the meaningful connection of disparate elements by creating a product that:

· answers complex questions, solves a problem, questions existing structures and/or assumptions, and/or develops new ideas and applications.

Student Learning Outcome: Reflection

Students will be able to:

Demonstrate increasingly sophisticated and critical self-awareness through continuous practice of intentional learning and self-assessment. Effective reflection may include:

· in-depth examination of ideas and perspectives, including their own; developing strategies for self-improvement or growth;

Statement on the Value and Benefits of Integrative Learning –

Revised July 2024

JMU’s General Education program provides students with dynamic opportunities and foundational resources to become “informed global citizens of the 21st century” (General Education Mission). A rigorous liberal arts education achieves this goal by challenging students to understand and analyze diverse elements of the human experience, knowledge, creative exploration, and the natural world in integrative ways, beyond the “limits of specialization” (General Education Goals). The processes of connection, collaboration, synthesis, and reflection define “integrative learning” in General Education at JMU. By making connections, engaging in productive collaboration, synthesizing knowledge to produce new results, and reflecting upon the processes and products of their learning, students come to recognize the central role that they themselves play in their own growth now and in the future. Students who engage in intentional, integrative learning become more adaptable, civically engaged, and socially conscious individuals, developing into not only highly valued employees but also—most importantly—well-rounded individuals who pursue lifelong learning.

(Read more about connection, collaboration, synthesis, and reflection here [hyperlink to SLOs and Characteristics page to be added])

Value to students, families, and communities

The world in which we live can feel fragmented, especially as the pace of technological and social change seems to increase daily. Even undergraduate education seems to be characterized by divisions between fields, departments, and potential career paths. But integrative education helps students to connect their lived experiences and their learning experiences in creative, dynamic, and often unexpected ways. An emphasis on integrative learning asks students to identify meaningful connections across distinct contexts, to put disparate pieces together, to perceive patterns and corollaries, to communicate in a variety of media with different audiences, and to develop habits of mind that will serve them in all aspects of their lives.

The benefits to students who experience an integrative education are substantial and measurable. Studies (Carmichael and LaPierre 2014; Fincham et al. 2021; NSSE 2024) indicate that students who participate in a variety of integrative learning experiences have higher grade point averages, increased rates of retention to graduation, and higher self-reported levels of satisfaction with their education. These students perform at higher levels when it comes to discovering and synthesizing information, working productively with a team, and solving complex problems, both within and beyond their specific majors. They are also sought after by employers (AAC&U; Ehiyazaryan and Barraclough 2009; Selznik et al. 2022). Integrative learning helps students to prepare for a wide range of both expected and unexpected career paths, encouraging them to develop and to recognize their transferable knowledge and skills. This adaptability is particularly important in a future where the average college graduate will change careers multiple times (World Economic Forum). In this way, integrative education provides value to university students seeking both to earn a living and to live a fulfilling and meaningful life.

Value to instructors and the university

To highlight and reinforce the integrative learning already happening across campus and in curricular, extracurricular, and community settings, JMU General Education offers specific Integrative Courses and Experiences. An Integrative course at JMU meets all four Integrative Student Learning Outcomes [hyperlink to Learning Outcomes page to be added], ensuring students have practiced connection, collaboration, synthesis, and reflection, recognizing and exercising agency in the discovery, refinement, analysis, sharing, and practice of new skills and knowledge. For this reason, integrative learning and the habits of mind it cultivates can enhance students’ career prospects and future professional development; it can foster a sense of community; it can develop the skills for and an appreciation of collective problem-solving; and it can enrich students’ sense of themselves as engaged, and valuable, lifelong learners.

Faculty and instructors also derive benefits from integrative teaching and learning. Such opportunities to engage students across disciplinary and methodological boundaries invite faculty to renew their course content, refresh their pedagogical strategies, pursue further professional development, forge connections across disciplines through team-teaching, and experiment with and experience new modes of communicating with students, with each other, and with the many communities of which they are a part. Fostering open-ended discussion in a variety of forums and with diverse audiences is just one of the many academic and social benefits of approaching teaching through an integrative lens.

The Significance of Integrative Learning in Gen Ed at JMU

JMU’s General Education curriculum and the integrative learning that the program centers is a necessary foundation for and valuable complement to all majors and programs of study. The integrative elements of General Education ensure that students learn how to learn effectively, intentionally, and continuously, driven by the principles of both curiosity and ethical reasoning. The skills, knowledge, experiences, and self-awareness cultivated by integrative learning in the General Education program form the basis of students’ lifelong learning journeys, helping them to adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing and complex world.

For research about and more information on Integrative Learning, click here [hyperlink to Resources page to be added].

The General Education program encourages students to integrate what they have learned, apply that knowledge to real-world conditions, work collaboratively with others, develop critical self-awareness, and prepare for post-graduation transitions. Integrative learning involves connecting, collaborating, synthesizing, and reflecting on knowledge and skills that emerge from different disciplines, contexts, experiences, and perspectives. The processes of integration guide students to develop a nuanced understanding of enduring questions and to address them competently and creatively. The words ‘integrate’ and ‘integrity’ share the Latin root integrare, meaning to create or maintain wholeness. Bringing things together—often in new and unexpected ways—is essential to lifelong learning and epitomizes what makes a James Madison University education both useful and distinctive.

Characteristics of and Approaches to Each of the Integrative Learning Outcomes

Outcome: Connection [hyperlink to SLOs]

Common characteristics of and approaches to making connections include:

• Making explicit connections across learning experiences
• Thinking about the big picture without losing sight of specifics
• Incorporating new elements into existing knowledges, structures, or systems
• Producing advanced understanding within and among disciplines
• Recognizing the dynamics of change and continuity over time
• Nurturing curiosity through the search for questions, problems, and answers
• Fostering competence and confidence in one or more area of practice

Outcome: Collaboration [hyperlink to SLOs]

Common characteristics of and approaches to collaboration include:

• Practicing active listening
• Fostering the active contributions of others
• Achieving a balance of listening, encouraging, and contributing in group settings
• Striving to understand the perspectives of others
• Practicing clear, concrete communication in different contexts and to diverse audiences
• Considering and applying different (even contrasting) ideas about and methods for solving a problem
• Developing and pursuing common goals in a group setting
• Achieving a meeting of the minds among group members
• Appreciating the strengths of other individual contributors
• Recognizing the improved outcomes possible with a diverse group of collaborators

Outcome: Synthesis [hyperlink to SLOs]

Common characteristics of and approaches to synthesis include:

• Applying new or unexpected methodologies to address a question or solve a problem
• Developing new perspectives on or approaches to familiar issues
• Creating a wide variety of results (objects, ideas, performances, arguments, presentations, etc.) developed through the intentional combination of two or more knowledge sets, skills, and/or methodologies
• Putting together disparate elements to generate a new product or conclusion
• Developing advanced understanding of the logic of disciplinary boundaries as well as the methods and reasons for transcending them

Outcome: Reflection [hyperlink to SLOs]

• Common characteristics of and approaches to reflection include:
• Examining preconceived ideas and assumptions (cultural, disciplinary, social, and/or one’s own)
• Developing metacognitive habits of mind (the ability to “think about thinking”)
• Analyzing one’s own processes of development over time
• Cultivating repeatable practices of intentional adaptation and growth

Select Pedagogical Practices and Methodologies Supportive of Integrative Learning

The list below is nonexhaustive and serves only as a starting point for instructors who are interested in thinking about how to bring integrative learning into their classroom and their teaching practices:

• Scaffolding learning to include well-connected assessments from low- to high-stakes
• Structured peer mentorship and evaluation
• Centering student learning (rather than instructor teaching)
• Activities that go beyond the classroom (community engagement, service learning, field experiences, etc.)
• Highlighting real-world application and demonstrated relevance
• Periodic, structured opportunities for reflection and feedback
• High-impact approaches, such as inquiry-based learning, open pedagogy, critical pedagogy, and others
• Exploratory processes, including student-led and undergraduate research
• Portfolio assignments, including e-portfolios
• Activities and inquiry regarding diverse communities, cultures, and /or ideas.
• Practices that develop intercultural competence
• Public presentation and communication
• Design thinking challenges (IDEO, DI, MS Imagine Cup, etc.)

All JMU faculty share governance of the curriculum. Following the established C&I process, General Education Council must approve any proposal to change to the program (e.g. changing outcomes, adding a new course, deleting a course). A significant change, such as a change to the program’s structure, would go through the Committee on Academic Programs, too, to ensure awareness and broad agreement. But first, faculty will have to consider whether the benefits of integrative learning should be made available to all students or remain a solution for transfer students and other Madison Foundations non-compliers. This conversation is ongoing.

There are no plans to add hours to the program’s requirements, which total 40-41 credit hours. It has yet to be determined if a 3 credit, 300-level integrative course will be a new requirement for all students or if those 3 integrative hours would be re-allocated from an existing part of the program.

Yes, but since faculty have not yet determined where these courses might best fit (which area) in the program, it is premature to speculate about related changes.

True. The experiment began with the recognition that many JMU transfer students now enter the university with most of their first year, Madison Foundations requirements already met. That is, they have a writing/composition course and a human communication course, but lack a critical thinking course. Additionally, every year there are a large number of upper level students (juniors and seniors) who have not completed their first year critical thinking requirement either. The experimental, integrative courses are designed to help students connect learning acquired across multiple domains and experiences, so they are counting as substitutes for first year critical thinking courses, which are not appropriate for cognitively advanced students. How these 300-level courses will “count” in the future and for which population of students remains a topic of conversation.

All General Education courses are required to build upon Madison Foundations learning outcomes. These courses build on all elements of Madison Foundations (writing, information literacy, human communication and critical thinking). These courses have their own learning outcomes:

• Demonstrate advanced information literacy skills
• Communicate using both written and performance formats
• Engage with complex questions to achieve identified project goals
• Apply multiple disciplinary perspectives to a contemporary problem.

The faculty currently teaching 300-Level courses have all agreed to use three JMU-created rubrics (Writing Rubric, Academic Presentation Rubric, and Integrative Thinking Rubric) to evaluate student work.

Download the course template (available at the Proposing a Course section, #5 above). Reach out for assistance from an area coordinator or Associate Vice Provost, Meg Mulrooney.

Absolutely. We currently are offering several 300-Level courses that have been modified by faculty. Mary Gayne’s UNST390/HIST150, Gretchen Hazard’s SCOM318, and Sarah Brooks’s ARTH389 are examples, so check them out. Once the endorsement committee (comprised of faculty who have taught one of these courses) determines that the course meets the learning outcomes for these integrative courses, it will be endorsed or approved by the General Education Program.

Absolutely.  New courses have run as experiments using an existing UNST designator, under an existing special topics designator in a department, and as an experimental course in a department. You might also consider the jmUDesign development workshop we run in the summer. Talk to an area coordinator for details. Once the endorsement committee (comprised of faculty who have taught one of these courses) determines that your syllabus meets the learning outcomes for these integrative courses, the course will be considered endorsed or approved by the General Education Program.

You will be asked to participate in the evaluation and assessment of these courses. Currently, students may only register for these courses if they have completed 45+ credit hours before the course begins.  As such, and in accordance with the course template and rubrics, faculty must ask students to demonstrate advanced written and oral communication skills, to build their information literacy competency, and to examine an issue from multiple perspectives.

Interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary courses are *usually* integrative, as well. That is, in interdisciplinary undergraduate courses, students typically learn how different disciplines approach the same question/problem/topic, then they integrate and apply what they have learned. In integrative courses, students are also called upon to integrate intentionally what they have learned in other (prior) courses and contexts. Such courses end up being especially transformative because students immediately grasp their value to their own development. And over a decade’s worth of research shows the efficacy of integrative learning experiences for faculty and students alike.

From a curricular perspective, we are investigating whether this particular type of course (identified in much of the literature as a high impact practice or HIP) would be beneficial for all JMU students.  We are hoping that these integrative courses improve student learning in the General Education program and help us to achieve the mission of the program.

From an enrollment perspective, it is helping transfer and first year non-compliers to meet the General Education requirement for a critical thinking course.  It also is keeping more advanced students out of classes designed for first-year students (e.g., a 20-year old transfer student in a 100-Level CT/C1 course).

Assessment results will be used to determine if students are reaching competency on the rubrics.  Additionally, course topics may provide evidence that the General Education program is enhancing the achievement of University-wide initiatives (i.e. sustainability, diversity, engagement, and ethical reasoning).  Additionally, students will reflect on their own learning in the course.