The workshop on integrated course design enables participants from all areas of higher education to reflect on the power of creating good courses; courses that are based on significant learning experiences in and out of the classroom. By focusing on learner goals, teaching activities and assessment of learning, participants develop a template they can use in creating their own course that integrates these three areas. Of particular value is Fink's Taxonomy of significant learning: foundational knowledge, application, integration, caring, human dimension and learning how to learn.

Participants in the workshop learn the basic foundation of knowledge involved with course design, including terms and concepts that are used in creating quality courses. They also begin to learn how to use this model of integrated course design through application exercises and problems. Throughout the workshop, ideas from the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning are developed along with best practices used by participants.

As they identify the value of course design in improving teaching, participants realize what else they need to learn after the workshop to continue to develop the skills necessary to create course that are integrated and lead to significant learning. The workshop is actually built around the same basic principals used to design a quality course in higher education.

Ross has published two books, over 40 articles in national magazines and his dissertation on mental practice and imagery was published by the Journal of Research in Music Education. He also has written 44 articles that are featured in World Book, Inc. Ross is an active presenter at conferences and colleges on course design and other teaching and learning subjects, and is one of four members of Dee Fink and Associates, a consulting group in higher education. He has presented workshops in 23 states and Canada and the Middle East.

Ross won a teaching award from the MSU student senate, two different outstanding service awards from MSU, and was on the early committees that developed the First Year Seminar courses at MSU 12 years ago. In the past few years he has served as the assessment director for an NSF Grant to improve engagement in Thermodynamic Courses. Recently that grant continued into a phase II for $430,000.

He is also a professional trombonist, playing with the Minnesota Valley Brass Quintet and directed both a church and synagogue choirs for a number of years. In 2005-2006 Stewart served as the governor of the Minnesota-Dakotas District of Kiwanis, which includes nearly 6,200 members. He was elected as one of only 18 Kiwanis International Trustees during the summer of 2009 and will serve in that role until the summer of 2012.