Many Lenses with One Focus: Making Philosophy Learning Meaningful through Collaborative Design

Abstract

Utilizing the Understanding by Design (UbD) framework, a lead philosophy instructor and an instructional designer collaborated with seven other faculty members to create <em>Great Ideas in Philosophy</em> for online asynchronous delivery. We presented a broad array of topics in philosophy and provided substantial practices in “doing” philosophy, aiming to create a welcoming space for a diverse student body, to help students see philosophy as a diverse field, and to provide an engaging and meaningful learning experience for students. Student feedback and final project presentations demonstrated significant learning growth in students taking this newly designed <em>Great Ideas in Philosophy</em>. This collaborative development method can be applied to many undergraduate- and graduate-level survey courses.