Frequently Asked Questions

First Step Discovery FAQ

What is the First Step Discovery project at Berkeley?

First Step Discovery reimagines introductory courses as stand-alone seminars, redesigning traditional skills-based classes into intensive inquiry-based, collaborative learning experiences for everyone.

My beginning students have so much to learn and I have so much to fit into the semester. Is it possible to incorporate First Step Discovery pedagogy when students need basic skills? 

Yes.  A First Step Discovery approach does not replace the teaching of necessary academic skills. Instead, it integrates the teaching and practice of those skills within a different framework, using experiential learning and inquiry.

My department has a mandated curriculum for beginning instruction. I do not have much room to introduce anything else. Is it possible to bring in any of these First Step Discovery approaches within an existing framework?

Yes. Several of our First Step Discovery faculty have experienced the same challenge, and they were able to experiment successfully without changing departmental standards. See the teacher Profiles for how teachers expanded their teaching while adhering to departmental standards.

Aren’t creative assignments and original research projects better suited to upper division classes than introductory classes ?

The premise of First Step Discovery is that curiosity and creativity are universal. We reach students “before” they have chosen their major to introduce them to inquiry as a process. See the First Step Discovery student projects and experience how our students are excelling.

How can teachers learn to implement First Step Discovery?

We found that a teaching circle or workshop of faculty from different departments and disciplines, meeting together once a month to discuss and explore, allowed teachers to experiment and innovate as if the classroom were a collaborative lab exploring teaching approaches and making new discoveries.  For more information, please contact info.discovery@berkeley.edu. 

Can I sign up for a First Step Discovery workshop?

While our Departmental Innovation grant closes this year, we are actively looking for ways to support new workshops and will post developments on this website.