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Integrated Use of Bloom and Maslow for Instructional Success in Technical and Scientific Fields

Leo F. Denton, Michael V. Doran, Dawn McKinney University of South Alabama School of Computer and Information Sciences Mobile, Alabama 36688

Abstract

University instructors are faced with many challenges, especially in the science and technology fields. Often instructors are not formally trained in educational techniques. Course content is dynamically changing and must be the focus of the instructional effort. This is compounded by the high economic incentives of these disciplines, which continue to drive enrollments upward while still not satisfying industry demand for skilled graduates. The School of Computer and Information Sciences at the University of South Alabama has devoted much time and resources in recent years to address these concerns. With the initial support of NSF-CCD grants, a cognitive-based approach to define introductory computer science courses was established. This approach was based on the explicit use of behavioral objectives of Bloom’s taxonomy. This framework has continued to be used successfully as these courses were adapted to include new paradigms, programming languages, and concepts. These courses still meet the underlying curricular goals and have not required substantial re-invention. New faculty have become involved in these courses with limited oversight by senior faculty who were the original developers. With this transition successfully accomplished, another concern, student motivation, critical and pervasive throughout the learning process, was identified and targeted. The initial grants mention that some factors might be outside of faculty control. However, since the cognitive-based approach is stable, those previous factors, such as motivation, can now be addressed. The work of Maslow provides a framework that can be easily integrated into the existing Bloom cognitive-based framework. Students will be guided toward cognitive and affective-based rewards with a vocabulary and reflective framework consistent with Maslow. Through reflection, students will anticipate and recognize how the achievement of specific goals satisfies deeper objectives in their overall intellectual growth and self-actualization. By participating in self-reflection, students will be able to carry associated self-regulated learning habits into later courses and achieve a more active role in their learning experiences. While at first being an expected behavior that is prompted by the educational setting, motivated learning should ultimately become an internalized life-habit. This approach prepares students to embark on careers that require the practice of lifelong learning. This effort to address the motivation factor should not disturb but rather extend, complement, and complete our prior work.

Introduction

Students specializing in computer engineering, computer science, information science, and information technology are required to enroll in our university’s introductory programming sequence. Significant efforts, supported by NSF-CCD grants, have been expended to improve

Proceedings of the 2002 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2002, American Society for Engineering Education

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Doran, M., & Denton, L., & McKinney, D. (2002, June), Integrated Use Of Bloom And Maslow For Instructional Success In Technical And Scientific Fields Paper presented at 2002 Annual Conference, Montreal, Canada. 10.18260/1-2--11170