The course no longer simply tolerates students of color, it attracts students of color.

Theme 1: Changing to Multicultural Content This table presents a multi-layered description of the content aspects of the course transformation. "Baseline Course" describes the original Music History course; "Analysis" contains the rationale for changing course content; "Transformed Course" describes the new course focusing only on content; "Issue Bin" is an interactive dialogue opportunity for site explorers and reviewers to discuss relevant issues.
Baseline Course	The baseline course was titled "Music History." This course was a traditional survey course tracing the development of Western-European-based "classical" music through the Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Impressionist, and 20th Century "periods."
Analysis	I believed demographic changes resulted in students unmotivated to learn the material due to lack of engagement with Western-European based classical music. Concluding that a characteristic that unified the group was "Americaness," I decided to incorporate multicultural, American-based perspectives into an introductory survey course on music.
Transformed Course	Using ethnicity as a central organizing principle, I developed "Music of Multicultural America" which traced the development of musics such as the blues, jazz, folk, country Tejano, Cajun, and various Asian-fusions from their roots in the ethnic traditions of a specific immigrant group to their development into a uniquely American music.
Issue Bin: (Click on the following pencil icons to participate in a discussion of these issues.) Lack of instructor training in race and ethnicity.   Lack of knowledge of these kinds of musics.   Lack of authority as middle-class white woman to speak to students of color.
Summary of Significant Findings Transformation Theme: Changing to Multicultural Content (PDF file) For a narrative summary of this theme, click on the PDF file icon. If you wish further detailed information, go to the Data Section under Multicultural Content. These files include the "Baseline (Music History) Course Outline," the "Proposed Course Rationale" which lists the arguments for creating the new course incorporating multicultural themes; the "Transformed (Music of Multicultural America) Course Outline," and a collection of student comments on their attitudes and preferences regarding music.

Theme 2: Empowering Students to be Architects of Their Own Learning

		I love this class. You have to choose what grade you want and do the work to receive that grade. It’s not easy at all. I have done at least the same amount of work if not more in this class than all the other classes I have taken, but its very clear. I wish every class ran this way.

Today's "digital generation" students have spent their lives surrounded by electronic media and learning through participation and experience. The existing course had been taught in the sequential, passive, and pyramidal approach of traditional higher-ed curriculum. This method had apparently met the needs of some students, but the method combined with the content seemed to repel younger students. The transformed course allows students to select from a variety of activities as they construct their own learning in ways that meet their individual learning styles and personal interests. I believe that active student participation in constructing their own learning combined with the new multicultural content has played a significant role in attracting young students to the course.

Theme 2: Students as Architects of Their Own Learning The new "Musics of Multicultural America" course addressed "content" issues, but I felt I still hadn't fully addressed pedagogy. I found myself scrutinizing every conventionally accepted teaching technique, trying to find strategies that helped all students succeed. The various solutions I developed to address each of these and other concerns became a constantly expanding and continually evolving bag of teaching tricks I referred to as my "Strategies and Safety Nets." This table presents a multi-layered description of these aspects of the course transformation.
Baseline Course	Music History used conventional instructor-directed activities emphasizing lecture format, extensive textbook reading, and subjective/objective exams and these activities were required of all students.
Analysis	Conventional lecture was boring and did not engage students. Reading was too challenging as many students had difficulty either because of poor skills or because English was not their primary language. Exams seemed to test language skills just as much as information and concepts.
Transformed Course	I created what I believe to be an important, flexible, new model in which I created a variety of multimedia in-class activities and offered an array of alternative activities from which students could select to meet their individual learning needs.
Issue Bin: (Click on the following pencil icons to participate in a discussion of these issues.) How to achieve parity between activities.   Balance between breadth and depth.   Academic integrity.
Summary of Significant Findings Transformation Theme: Empowering Students as Architects of Their Own Learning (PDF file) For a narrative summary of this theme, click on the PDF file icon. If you wish further detailed information, go to the Data Section under Empowering Students. These files include the "Transformed Course Strategies and Safety Nets" which identifies a variety of specific actions I took for the new course; the "Transformed Course Syllabus" which shows how these various strategies play out in determining student grades, and a collection of student comments regarding this learner-centered flexibility.

Theme 3: Flexible Delivery Including On-line Instruction

		I am taking this class on-line because I am currently staying in Japan. I have no choice other than taking an on-line course. Despite the reason, I really enjoy taking this course on-line.			I need this class as a requirement. I am taking it on-line because I work full time and am unable to commute to a local campus.

As demand for the course intensified, the number of students who could not attend the Face2Face course increased. To respond to their needs, I created multiple distance learning modes, including a web-based course which offered text, assignments, private message center, dialogue opportunities, and tests completely "on-line." I now offer the course in what I call a "blended delivery" mode, in which I allow students to choose in a free flow manner which delivery method works best for them at any given moment in the course.

Theme 3: Flexible Delivery Including On-line Instruction With each successive offering of the course transformed in terms of content and delivery, more and more students enrolled. Soon I was receiving requests from students who were unable to attend the regularly scheduled Face2Face classes, and their requests pointed to the need to develop distance learning modes. The technology for delivering on-line courses was just emerging, so in conjunction with a template developed by one of my colleagues, I offered the course on-line. This table documents the web-based aspect of the delivery, and includes a link to the actual course site.
Baseline Course	Completely "Face2Face" traditional, campus-based delivery
Analysis	The content changes combined with the increased learner-centered flexibility made the course extremely popular. Enrollment grew and soon I was receiving requests from students who were eager to take the course but could not enroll at the scheduled times or perhaps even come to campus. The analysis pointed to the need for distance learning options. If I was offering on-line education, I needed to be able to say that the Face2Face course and the on-line courses were equivalent. If that was true and if I was truly trying to be student-centered, I needed to allow students to choose in a free flow manner which delivery method worked best for them at any given time.
Transformed Course	To meet the needs of students who could not attend the Face2Face course, I created multiple distance learning modes, including a web-based course which offered text, assignments, private message center, dialogue opportunities, and tests completely "on-line." With both Face2Face and on-line versions of the course now available, I discovered that many students did not fit neatly into completely "on-campus" or "distance" categories. In response to their needs, I created what I believe to be an important, flexible, new model in which students select from an array of delivery methods to meet their individual learning and scheduling needs.
Issue Bin: (Click on the following pencil icons to participate in a discussion of these issues.) Administrative nightmare.   Lack of sense of student "cohort".
Summary of Significant Findings Transformation Theme: Multimedia Delivery, Including On-Line (PDF file) For a narrative summary of this theme, click on the PDF file icon. If you wish further detailed information, go to the Data Section under Multimedia Delivery. These files include the "Transformed Course Learning Activities," the results of a brainstorming session in which faculty in the Campus Conversations Leadership Group attempted to better understand issues by identifying the "Benefits and Detriments of Online vs. Face2Face" (from the Instructor and the Student perspective); "Directions to logging on to the Online Course," and a collection of student comments regarding multimedia delivery.

Theme 4: Authentic Assessment

		This was a great class and I learned a lot. It was not at all what I had expected. To my surprise, I have enjoyed the multicultural aspects of the course. The multicultural issues are delivered in a very positive way through historical context, which helps me to understand both sides of the struggle, and it never degenerates into bashing one side or the other. I have also learned how music that I like has borrowed from many different forms of music.

The transformed course had developed into one of the most popular courses on campus. Students were saying how much they were learning, but what were they really learning? In fact, what was I really trying to teach them? I decided to use a "Backward Design" curricular development model to see if I could improve my assessment of student learning.

Theme 4: Authentic Assessment The transformed course had developed into one of the most popular courses on campus, regularly filling and waitlisting early in the registration process. Students were saying how much they were learning, but what were they really learning? In fact, what was I really trying to teach them? This table contains a multi-layered description of my steps in trying to create more authentic assessment.
Baseline Course	Completely "Face2Face" traditional, campus-based delivery in which students were required to do extensive reading, listen to lectures, and demonstrate their knowledge and skill on standard subjective/objective exams.
Analysis	I decided to use a "Backward Design" curricular development model to see if I could improve my assessment of student learning.
Transformed Course	I redesigned assessment in terms of three stages, in which I tried to determine: what was worthy and requiring of understanding? what is evidence of "deep understanding?" and what learning experiences and teaching promote deep understanding?
Issue Bin: (Click on the following pencil icons to participate in a discussion of these issues.) Identifying Learning Goals.   Assessing Deep Learning.
Summary of Significant Findings Transformation Theme: Assessment (PDF file) For a narrative summary of this theme, click on the PDF file icon. If you wish further detailed information, go to the Data Section under Assessment. These files include the "Baseline Course Final Exam," an explanation of the process for "Using Backward Design to Improve Assessment," an "Integrated Assessment Chart" which shows the learning goals matched up with the specific activity and assessment strategy; and comments and samples of student work.

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