What's In a Name? Interpretations of, and Alternatives to “General Education”

1. What's In a Name? Interpretations of, and Alternatives to“General Education” Stephen Bowen Provost and VPAA Bucknell University Association for General and Liberal Studies

2. What is it that we are trying to describe? According to NCA’s General Institutional Requirement #16:* Its undergraduate degree programs include a coherent general education requirement consistent with the institution’s mission and designed to ensure breadth of knowledge and to promote intellectual inquiry. *NCA Handbook on Accreditation, 2nd ed. (1997)

3. Different Terms for Different Purposes Institutions May Emphasize: • Foundational Knowledge • Foundational Skills • “Liberating” Knowledge typical of an educated person

4. The Most Commonly Used Names(N=200) Source: Prof. Robert Mauldin, Shawnee State University

5. Basic Studies Core Program in the Liberal Arts Core Requirement Critical Foundations in the Arts & Sciences General Academic Studies General Education Electives General Liberal Arts General Studies Curriculum Core General Studies Requirement Global Village Curriculum Institutional B.S. Requirement International Core Program / Basic Competency Requirement Liberal Arts Requirement Liberal Education Liberal Studies Universities Studies Requirement University Studies Program Marshall Plan Miami Plan The Tulsa Curriculum Ursuline Studies Program Other Names in Use

6. Pros Most Common and thus most readily recognized The title used by accrediting agencies Cons Vague – implies no specific purpose Implies introductory material May be taken to imply that it is instrumental to the major “General Education”

7. Pros Signifies the centrality of those subjects that make up the curriculum Cons Purpose may be initially vague Many curricula do not have an actual core of courses (although they may have a core of goals) “Core Curriculum”

8. Pros Less vague for those who know the Liberal Arts Cons Is Liberal a political agenda? Will the Sciences feel excluded? “Liberal Arts Core”

9. “University Core” Pros • Emphasizes that the core belongs to the University as a whole Cons • The emphasis may be too subtle for the innocent

10. What Might Be Benefits of Changing the Title? • Changing the title has helped to improve understanding of and support for the curriculum. • Changing the title has helped to sharpen focus on curricular goals for assessment of student learning outcomes.

11. What has been your experience with the naming of your “general education” curriculum? • Is the campus satisfied with your current title? • Have you discussed changing the title? • If you did discuss a change, did you actually make a change? • What have been the consequences?