General Education Task Force I

1. General Education Task Force I A Brief Review of General Education Models and Programs Spring 2013 Committee Members: Renata Gangemi, Romulo Magnaye, Robert Mentore, Paula Straile-Costa, Ashwani Vasishth, and Samantha Wittenberg

2. Caveat • Our review is cursory at best, given the time constraints • We limited our review to the level of categories, and did NOT drill down to the course level • Our work should be the start of a process of exploration, not the end of it

3. Purpose of General Education(K. Waltzer, 2000) • To become broadly educated (beyond the high school level) • To begin to develop intellectual and moral imagination • To become acquainted with different ways of knowing • To increase capacities to think critically and independently • To prepare for upper-level work in the disciplines • To develop capacities generally useful to life and freedom, independent learning, and citizenship

4. Orientation • There are two broad courses open to Ramapo College, in considering its General Education Curriculum: • Build on our existing structure, and strengthen it • Erect a new structure entirely

5. Best Practices(retrieved from University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse General Education Committee website: http://www.uwlax.edu/gened/Committee.htm) • Whichever course we choose to take, we recommend the following: • Intentional (alignment among goals, outcomes, actions, results) • Based on institution’s mission and broad goals • Outcome based (curriculum, pedagogy, assessment derived from expected outcomes) • Receives institutional support in terms of student learning, resource allocation, and faculty reward structure

6. Best Practices Continued • Faculty generated and with faculty endorsement and commitment (regular input from the faculty) • Integrated into the major or student’s program of study (across the baccalaureate degree) • Focuses on development of life-long learning and developing knowledge, skills and dispositions for participation as a citizen (in a democracy and globally) • Emphasis on integration or making connections across courses/disciplines

7. Best Practices Continued 9. Is viewed as one piece of a liberal education, not the totality of a liberal education • Best faculty teach in the program • Based on active learning • Assessment is integral to the program (embedded assessment & programmatic assessment) • Accountability for student learning

8. Existing Gen Ed Model • Core Courses: • First-Year Seminar • Critical Reading and Writing II • Readings in the Humanities • Social Issues or Perspectives in Business in Society

9. Existing Gen Ed Model Continued • Distribution Categories: • History • Mathematical Reasoning • Science with Experiential • Intercultural North America • International Issues • Topics: Arts and Humanities or Social Sciences

10. Existing Gen Ed Model Continued • http://www.ramapo.edu/provost/ce-resources/ • http://ww2.ramapo.edu/facultystaff/fa/gecco/reports/Gen-Ed-SLOs-CurriculumMap.doc

11. Classic Gen Ed Models(R.R. Newton, 2000) • Great Books– liberal arts colleges • Scholarly Discipline– Research-oriented universities • Effective Citizen– institutions with client-centered/public mission orientation

12. Classic Gen Ed Models(R.R. Newton, 2000)

13. Core & Fluid Models(K. Waltzer, 2000) Fluid-distribution requirement or set of requirements Core-pre-designed required course or sequence of courses; emphasis on inter-relatedness of knowledge

14. Olivet College • Christian affiliation, in south central Michigan • Vision: Education for Individual and Social Responsibility • Liberal Arts Core curriculum (8 semesters) provides common learning and shared experiences leading to a Portfolio

15. Amherst College • Only 1 requirement: first year seminar • Inquiry-based introduction to • Critical thinking • Active learning • Writing • Otherwise, an open curriculum • Leads to gaps in learning after increasing student diversity • New proposals by Committee on Academic Priorities • Add 2 more intensive writing courses • Add 2.5 new courses for quantitative literacy • Provide more direction through academic advising

16. The College of New Jersey Liberal Learning (revised in 2002) – educating students for citizenship in a modern democracy Goal 1 - Intellectual and Scholarly Growth, FYS, Writing, Second Language Goal 2 - Civic Responsibilities – Global, race/ethnicity, gender – fulfilled by courses in gen. ed., the major and/or extended experiences* *Community Engagement Requirement provides students with the opportunity to think critically and inclusively about their society and develop a hands-on understanding of the effects of class, power, and privilege

17. The College of New Jersey Continued Goal 3 - Broad Sectors of Human Inquiry – Breadth Option A Choose an interdisciplinary minor or second major Option B Design your own interdisciplinary minor or second major Option C Breadth Distribution – 3 courses in each Arts and Humanities Social Sciences and History Natural Science and Quantitative Reasoning

18. Evergreen State • No majors, no general education curriculum, no courses, no grades • Students design an academic pathway, rather than enroll in a major (workshops are provided, faculty advise) • Programs based on a theme or topic (inter- and multi-disciplinary) are team-taught by 2 or more faculty members • Each program is 16 credits and spans 2 or 3 quarters • Each program may consist of lectures, labs, readings, seminars, field study, studio work, or research projects • Programs are based on a theme and taught from different perspectives • evaluative narratives are used to assess student learning

19. St. John’s College • Religiously affiliated liberal arts college with two campuses located in Annapolis, MD and Santa Fe, NM • No strict distinction between the sciences and the humanities • Reading list “serves as the core of the […] curriculum” • First year is devoted to Greek authors • Second year “contains books from the Roman, medieval, and Renaissance periods” • Third year covers 17th and 18th centuries • Fourth year covers 19th and 20th centuries

20. Conclusion • There are many models • Most general education programs do not fall into one model, but rather are hybrids • The key is constant communication between Task Force II and the faculty • 90% of colleges and universities are in some stage of remodeling their general education programs

21. References Amherst College Committee on Academic Priorities (2006). The Committee on Academic Priorities 2006 (CAP). Retrieved from https://www.amherst.edu/academiclife/dean_faculty/general_information/cap The Evergreen State College. Academics. Retrieved from http://www.evergreen.edu/academics.htm Hart Research Associates (2009). Trends and emerging practices in general education. Retrieved from http://www.aacu.org/membership/documents/2009MemberSurvey_Part2.pdf Olivet College. The Olivet Plan. Retrieved from http://www.olivetcollege.edu/about/olivet_plan.php Olivet College. Academic overview. Retrieved from http://www.olivetcollege.edu/academics/overview.php Newton, R.R. (2000). Tensions and models in general education planning, Journal of General Education, 49(3), 165-181.

22. References St. John’s College (2013). Reading list. Retrieved from http://www.stjohnscollege.edu/academic/readlist.shtml The College of New Jersey. Liberal learning guide. Retrieved from http://firstreg.pages.tcnj.edu/liberal-learning/ University of Wisconsin LaCrosse General Education Committee (2006). Best practices in general education. Retrieved from http://www.uwlax.edu/gened/Best%20Practices%20in%20General%20Education.doc Waltzer, K. (2000). General education models: Pros & cons of general education strategies. Retrieved from http://web.ewu.edu/groups/academicaffairs/strategicplanning/GenEdModelsProCon.pdf Zagari-Marinzoli, R. Advising FAQ for humanities and social sciences students and faculty. Retrieved from http://hss.pages.tcnj.edu/advising-resources/advising-faq-for-hss-faculty-and-students/