About Integrative Projects
Definition | Project & Thesis | Distinctive Features | Examples
What is an Integrative Project?
Integrative projects in the Master of Science program in Curriculum and Instruction at UW-Whitewater allow students to synthesize their knowledge of educational theory and research, subject matter, materials, and methods in a way that can be applied in a real-world teaching situation. Through these projects, students look beyond the artificial distinctions between school subjects and grades, and they see the many interrelationships among learners' skills and abilities, the activities that take place in institutions of learning, and the larger social, historical, and philosophical aims of education. Students complete their projects in an Integrative Project Seminar during their final semester of study and present them to an audience of faculty, students, and administrators just before graduation.
To emphasize that Integrative Projects are a culmination of several semesters of study and should draw extensively on knowledge gained in the program, students are required to file a proposal in the Curriculum and Instruction office at least one semester before they enroll in the Integrative Project Seminar. The advisor's signature that accompanies this proposal is a way to insure quality and to encourage students to discuss their project plans well before they complete the program. Before enrolling in the seminar, students can expand the written rationales in their proposals, review relevant literature, test procedures, and gather data for their project reports.
How is an Integrative Project like a master's thesis?Both Integrative Projects and theses are substantial products that culminate long-term, systematic effort and reflection about curriculum and instruction. Both include a statement of a problem or need, a thoughtful and selective review of the literature, and a discussion of a procedure for dealing with the identified need. When completing both kinds of projects, students have intensive contact with faculty and others who engage them in dialogue about their emerging interpretations and plans. Both projects and theses are informed by current theory, and, in both, students employ the vocabulary and discourse forms appropriate to the field.
For information about master's theses, contact the School of Graduate Studies.
What is distinctive about an Integrative Project?The main difference between an Integrative Project and a thesis is that, whereas a thesis is aimed at discovering knowledge through hypothesis testing or some other form of systematic investigation, an Integrative Project emphasizes the application of knowledge from diverse sources in a direct way. Examples of the kinds of products in which this application occurs include, but are not limited to, full-year curriculum guides, program evaluations, policy handbooks, and multimedia software for instruction.
Integrative Projects, like theses, incorporate the techniques of assessment and research learned in the program, though these techniques are generally used to support or evaluate the project and are less central to the final product than they would be in a thesis. For example, Integrative Project reports have included surveys of teachers or learners, assessments of the results of different treatments, or various forms of action research.
Examples of Integrative Projects
Copies of all Integrative Projects produced since the inception of the MS-C&I program are available for browsing in the Curriculum and Instruction office, Winther Hall 3031. Although they may not be checked out or photocopied, there are reading areas nearby. The following sample titles give an idea of the kinds of projects students have successfully undertaken so far:
Bliske, C. D. (1998). Improving homework and communication with classroom Web pages.
Clarke, E. D. (1997). Integrating art technology: A high-school computer art course.
Dobke, J. A. (1997). Meeting the needs of students with different developmental levels through team teaching.
Dugan, D. S. (1999). Workshop for instructors using interactive television (ITV) to teach distance education.
Giebel, J. L. (1994). Proposal for an interdisciplinary student magazine at New Lisbon High School.
Haberlie, J. E. (1998). Integrating enviromental education across the four-year-old kindergarten curriculum.
Hart, L. M. (1996). Planning an alternative at-risk program at Milton Middle School, Milton, Wisconsin.
Maberry, M. (1996). Physical fitness testing: Creating a positive experience for students.
Marsden, K. E. (1997). Curriculum development project for a developmental anatomy and physiology course using the Wisconsin Instructional Design System (WIDS).
Peterson, T. (1998). Making the connection: Designing an advisory program for Parkview Junior High School.
Tahtinen, S. E. (1998). A school-family partnership guide for involving language-minority families.
Wollerman, K. (1998). Helping ALL Students succeed in the foreign language classroom: Curriculum guide for exploratory Spanish with emphasis on multiple intelligences.
Wulff, E. I. (1999). Using children's literature to enrich primary mathematics instruction.
For additional information about Integrative Projects, contact John Zbikowski, Program Coordinator, at 262-472-4860.