ADAPT Program (Accent on Developing Abstract Processes of Thought)
Date of this Version
November 1978
Abstract
Evaluating the success of the ADAPT program seemed, at the outset, to be an extremely complex task. How does one assess a student’s growth in six different content areas over a year’s time? what are the hallmarks of progress which might signal the success or failure of the program? The first step of the evaluation was a clear enumeration of the goals of the program. In staff discussions it became clear that our primary goal was to encourage students to think critically and logically by devising a curriculum which required the students to actively participate in their learning and to explore substantive concepts within the six content areas. Secondly, we were interested in providing successful learning experiences that would facilitate personal and social growth. Finally, we hoped that students who were being encouraged to explore a variety of content areas would feel the excitement of learning and that this would be reflected in positive attitudes toward the whole university community. In short, our goals were to encourage abstract, formal thought patterns to facilitate personal qrowth and to cultivate positive attitudes toward the university.