Skip to Sub Navigation Skip to Main Content
Amherst College

Consistent Navigation

Arts & MuseumsAthleticsLibraryVisitCollege StoreGive
Amherst College

Main Navigation

About Amherst
Facts & FAQsDiversity, Equity & InclusionLiterary AmherstScience at AmherstSustainabilityAmherst AlumniPresident & College Leadership
Academics
Departments & MajorsOur FacultyCourse CatalogExperiential LearningGlobal LearningStudent-Faculty ResearchAcademic Advising & SupportAcademic Calendar
Admission & Financial Aid
Affording AmherstDiscovering AmherstDiversity Outreach ProgramsMeet Our StudentsTours & Information SessionsApply to AmherstOffice of Financial Aid
Campus Life
Career Advising & ServicesHealth, Safety & WellbeingHousing & DiningOur CommunityStudent Government Town & Valley
News & Events
Calendar of EventsNews StoriesPress ReleasesAmherst MagazineAmherst in PicturesAmherst in VideosMammoth Spotlight
Gateways
Gateways My AmherstAlumniParents & Families Directories Campus DirectoryAlumni DirectoryMain ContactsOffices & Departments
Tools & Resources
Tools & Resources Log InA-Z IndexAIMChange/Manage PasswordsCourse CatalogDaily MammothDining MenuDropboxGmailGoogle Apps / G SuiteLibrary SearchMoodleMy AmherstWebsite HelpWorkdayZoom
Search
Search Amherst
Search
Menu Tools

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Academics
  3. Office of the Provost and Dean of the Faculty
  4. Teaching at Amherst and Faculty Exchanges Abroad
  5. Reimagining the Commons (Mellon Project)
  6. Accepted Proposals

Office of the Provost and Dean of the FacultyAccepted Proposals

Skip to Main Content

Section Navigation

Sub Navigation

  • Office of the Provost and Dean of the Faculty
    • Faculty Mentoring at Amherst
    • Provost's Division Anti-Racism Action Plan
    • About the Provost and Dean of the Faculty
    • Academic Calendars
    • Advising Hub
    • Amherst College Academic Regulations/Statements
    • Amherst College Statement of Academic and Expressive Freedom
    • Copyright and Fair Use Guidelines
    • COVID-19 Academic Matters FAQ for Faculty and Staff
    • Department and Program Chairs' Guide
    • Departmental Learning Goals
    • Faculty Committees
    • Faculty Handbook
    • Policies and Procedures
    • Faculty Hiring
    • Faculty Housing Information
    • Faculty Meetings
    • Funding for Faculty
    • Funding for Students
    • General Information
    • Information For and About New Faculty (Academic Year 2023-2024)
    • Minutes of Meetings of the Faculty, Faculty Executive Committee, CEP, and CPR
    • NEASC Accreditation 2018
    • Online Repository of Articles by Amherst Faculty
    • Programs to Help Faculty Get to Know Students
    • Reappointment, Tenure, and Promotion
    • Reports
    • Sexual Respect and Title IX
    • Staff and Office Information
    • Teaching at Amherst and Faculty Exchanges Abroad
      • Celebrating Teaching: The Jeffrey B. Ferguson Memorial Teaching Prize
      • Funding for Courses that Integrate Extended Travel
      • High-impact practices
      • images for deans retreat
      • Opportunities for Pedagogical Innovation
      • Point/Counter Point Seminars
      • Provost's Retreat on Teaching and Learning
      • Reimagining the Commons (Mellon Project)
        • Accepted Proposals
        • Call for proposals AY2018
        • Design support resources
        • Grant announcement
        • Reimagining the Commons Grant Archive
      • Reimagining the Commons Project
      • Research Tutorials in the Humanities and “Humanistic” Social Sciences
      • Resources for Faculty Related to Teaching and Learning
      • Support for Faculty in less Quantitative Fields to Integrate Quantitative or Computational Analysis into their Course
      • Support for Faculty in less Quantitative Fields to Integrate Quantitative or Computational Analysis into their Courses
      • The Stanley Rabinowitz Distinguished Teaching Professorship Fund
    • Technology Resources and Support for Faculty
    • Travel Policy and Resources

Login for Additional Pages

  • Web Page Content Archive

2017 - 2018 Re-Imagining the Commons Mellon Departments

Spanish

The Spanish Department faculty are restructuring the Spanish Major, including transforming the curriculum and pedagogical methods in the gateway course to the major (Spanish 211); assessing and restructuring the required research course; and reviewing, redesigning and/or replacing the comprehensive exam. They also take into consideration the existing language course sequence and are working with colleagues to clarify and streamline the multiple paths that majors take through the Department, from language courses, to intermediate culture courses, to study abroad, to advanced culture courses and honors theses.

Spanish Mellon Proposal

Mathematics & Statistics

The Math faculty want to increase support for students who go on to major in Mathematics as well as those who major in other disciplines. The focus of this proposal is on (1) expanding the possibilities for pedagogical approaches in our calculus courses by reducing specified content that must be covered; (2) articulating higher level learning goals as the main driver determining what should be covered in calculus courses; and (3) learning about and then adopting appropriate pedagogical strategies that maximize learning for all students and that best suit each instructor. The central goal is to help our students build and retain essential skills in calculus courses and successfully transfer these skills to other disciplines and to more advanced mathematics courses.

Math Mellon Proposal

2016 - 2017 Re-Imagining the Commons Mellon Departments

Economics

Economics piloted their applications-oriented sections of Econ 111, Fall 2017 and Spring 2018. The content did not change from the previous lecture-based course but the material is organized around real-world applications, with theory introduced to demonstrate how it can lead to a deeper understanding of those applications. Each section also met separately for a fourth hour at the end of the week for discussions/debates. Within these sections, students were given an opportunity to independently research topics (in teams) and debate some policy question. In contrast to previous approach, in which a professor presented material in a lecture format, and each student is expected to demonstrate their individual mastery of that material on exams, they believe the discussion/debate approach increased the amount of collaborative interaction between students in the classroom, and fostered an active learning community in which students engaged in teamwork to tackle complex, open-ended problems.

Economics Mellon Proposal

Geology

Faculty in the department mapped their curriculum to identify where writing and quantitative skills were taught courses across the major. They also designed a new capstone experience for their majors, including a fall semester seminar for seniors and a new format for their comprehensive exam.

Geology Mellon Proposal

Amherst College
220 South Pleasant Street
Amherst, MA 01002

Contact Us

(413) 542-2000 Contact Us Map & Directions

Social Links

TwitterFacebookFlickrInstagramLinkedInYouTube

More Navigation

A-Z IndexCalendarsCollege Store
MajorsTuition & FeesEmployment
ApplyGive
Emergency Accessibility Title IX Copyright Terms & Conditions
Jump to top of page
Permalink https://www.amherst.edu/mm/557628
About AmherstAcademicsAdmission & Financial AidCampus LifeNews & Events
Arts & MuseumsAthleticsLibraryVisitCollege StoreGive
Search

Gateways

My AmherstAlumniParents & Families

Directories

Campus DirectoryAlumni DirectoryMain ContactsOffices & Departments

Tools & Resources

Log InA-Z IndexAIMChange/Manage PasswordsCourse CatalogDaily MammothDining MenuDropboxGmailGoogle Apps / G SuiteLibrary SearchMoodleMy AmherstWebsite HelpWorkdayZoom