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UNCW General Education in the 21 st Century

UNCW General Education in the 21 st Century. Where We Are and Where We Might Go. Basic Studies Committee, 2007-8. Amanda Boomershine, FLL Cara Cilano, ENG (8/07-12/07) Mark Cox, CRW Diane Dodd, BIO Chris Dumas, ECN & FIN Deron Fort, Isaac Bear Ken Gurganus, MAT Carol Heinrich, NSG

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UNCW General Education in the 21 st Century

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  1. UNCW General Education in the 21st Century Where We Are and Where We Might Go

  2. Basic Studies Committee, 2007-8 Amanda Boomershine, FLL Cara Cilano, ENG (8/07-12/07) Mark Cox, CRW Diane Dodd, BIO Chris Dumas, ECN & FIN Deron Fort, Isaac Bear Ken Gurganus, MAT Carol Heinrich, NSG Katherine Montwieler, ENG (1/07-6/07) Kemille Moore, UC Anne Pemberton, Library Colleen Reilly, ENG (1/08-present) Kim Sawrey, PSY Liz Randall, UC (& minutes, scheduling, encouragement, mediation, etc.)

  3. General Education in the 21st Century I. Basic Studies Revision Time Line II. A Brief UNCW History III. National Trends in General Education IV. Fundamental Intellectual Skills V. A modest proposal Create the most powerful learning experience possible for our students.

  4. Jan. 2004 Fall, 2005 May & Oct. 2006 Jan. 2007 April 2008 Basic Studies Committee Charged Task force charged Senate approves key elements of Task Force Report Task Force Report To Faculty Senate B.S. Committee Report to Senate Open Faculty Forums: November, 2007: Writing January, 2008: Freshman Seminar & Capstone April, 2008: Structure of the New Basic Studies

  5. General Education Revision at UNC • ASU Final Report May, 2007 • UNC-CH Implemented Fall, 2006 • UNCA Implemented Fall, 2004 • UNCC Implemented Fall, 2003 • UNCG Implemented Fall, 2001 • NCSU 1993-1995

  6. General Education Revision at Benchmark Institutions • Cal Poly – SLO 1991, 2001 • College of Charleston Committee meetings began Fall, 2005 • College of New Jersey Changes implemented Fall, 2004 • Humboldt State To be implemented by GE Study Comte. in 2002/3 • James Madison Initiated Fall, 1996; reviewed 2002-2003(?) • Murray State Revised 1997 • William and Mary Revised 1996; regular revisions after that date • Northern Iowa Implemented in 1995 with periodic reviews since • Rowan Implemented Fall, 2007 • Sonoma State Ongoing • Towson Revision initiated 2005-2006 • Truman State Many elements revised Spring 2006 • UT – Dallas Core evaluated every five years (2004, 2009, etc.) • Wisconsin – Eau Claire Comprehensive review initiated Fall, 2006 • Western Washington Changes adopted May 17, 2004

  7. Derek Bok, Our Underachieving Colleges, 2006 “If any conclusion emerges from examining the principal methods for acquiring breadth, it is that none of them by itself offers an ideal solution.” “The most common response is to create a hybrid curriculum that borrows from several traditional models.”

  8. Derek Bok, Our Underachieving Colleges, 2006 “Faculties that seek a hybrid solution quickly learn that borrowing an attractive feature from another model almost always requires giving up something valuable in return. Since there is no established metric for weighing what is gained against what must be given up, no one can be sure which combination will be the best. The problem threatens to cast doubt on all collective efforts to revise the curriculum.”

  9. Derek Bok, Our Underachieving Colleges, 2006 “The proper way to evaluate a curriculum review, therefore, should be to ask not whether it has produced the one best curriculum – for no such thing exists – but whether it has arrived at a carefully considered result through a process that has strengthened the faculty’s commitment to undergraduate education and united them in a clearer understanding of their common purpose.”

  10. Trivium grammar logic rhetoric

  11. UNCW Basic Studies 1986 • Composition (6 hours) • Physical Education (2 hours) • Humanities (9 hours) • Literature (0-3 hours) • Language (0-3 hours) • History (0-3 hours) • Philosophy (0-3 hours) • Natural and Mathematical Sciences (10 hours) • Mathematical Sciences (3 hours) • Life Science (3-4 hours) • Physical Science (3-4 hours) • Fine Arts (3 hours) • Social and Behavioral Sciences (3 hours)

  12. UNCW Basic Studies 2007-8 • Composition (6 hours) • Physical Education (2 hours) • Humanities (12 hours) • Literature (3 hours) • Language (3 hours) • History (3 hours) • Philosophy (3 hours) • Natural and Mathematical Sciences (10 hours) • Mathematical Sciences (3 hours) • Life Science (3-4 hours) • Physical Science (3-4 hours) • Fine Arts (3 hours) • Social and Behavioral Sciences (6 hours)

  13. UNCW Basic Studies: Approved by Senate, Fall 2006 • Composition (3 hours) • Physical Education (2 hours) • Humanities (12 hours) • Literature (3 hours) • Language (through 201) • History (3 hours) • Philosophy (3 hours) • Natural and Mathematical Sciences (10 hours) • Mathematical Sciences (3 hours) • Life Science (3-4 hours) • Physical Science (3-4 hours) • Fine Arts (3 hours) • Social and Behavioral Sciences (6 hours)

  14. UNCW Senate-Approved Additions (9+ hours) • The Freshman Seminar (3 hours) • Quantitative and Logical Reasoning (3 hours) • Diversity-related course (0 hours) • Global-related course (0 hours) • Three writing emphasis courses (0 hours) • Oral Competency (0 hours) • Computer Competency (0 hours) • Capstone (3 hours)

  15. Our Charge: “You may find yourselves compelled to move away from or to go beyond some portions of the template endorsed by the Senate in 2006. If that is your best judgment, so be it. Senate is composed of faculty-scholars; they expect to hear their colleagues’ best-informed and genuine opinions about best course of future actions.”

  16. III. National Trends in General Education • Pedagogical shift from “teaching centered” to “learning centered” • Blurring lines between General Education curricula and the major • Development of thematic rather than disciplinary focuses • Emphasis on learning fundamental intellectual skills

  17. IV. What are those fundamental intellectual skills? • Several lines of thought converge • Our B.S. Revision Task Force and current B.S. Committee agree

  18. Published by AAC&U 2007

  19. From: UNC Tomorrow Commission Final Report Table 1: Critical Knowledge and Skills for Global Competitiveness Knowledge and SkillsAverage Rating (on scale of 1-10) Honesty and integrity 9.37 Professionalism and work ethic 8.70 Critical thinking and reasoning 8.57 Ability to use technology 8.50 Written communication 8.43 Innovative thinking and creativity 8.30 Teamwork 7.99 Gathering and organizing information 7.98 Cultural awareness and understanding 7.04 Knowledge of a foreign language 6.09

  20. Bok’s Suggested Learning Goals • Communication skills • Critical thinking • Moral reasoning • Citizenship • Diversity • Globalization • Breadth of interests • Career preparation

  21. Students who complete Basic Studies will: 1. acquire the academic skills needed to locate, evaluate, and use information; 2. understand the basic values of academic life at the university level; 3. be able to think and express themselves critically in speech and writing in relation to the broader questions of knowledge and value raised in the arts, sciences, and humanities; 4. be able to communicate and express themselves clearly in speech and writing in a foreign language; 5. know how to examine problems from quantitative, qualitative, and scientific perspectives; 6. understand and respect diversity among people of different racial, ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds; 7. understand the disciplinary and ethical responsibilities of active global citizenship in an increasingly global society.

  22. 1. acquire the academic skills needed to locate, evaluate, and use information; 2. understand the basic values of academic life at the university level; 3. be able to think and express themselves critically in speech and writing in relation to the broader questions of knowledge and value raised in the arts, sciences, and humanities; 4. be able to communicate and express themselves clearly in speech and writing in a foreign language; 5. know how to examine problems from quantitative, qualitative, and scientific perspectives; 6. understand and respect diversity among people of different racial, ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds; 7. understand the disciplinary and ethical responsibilities of active citizenship in an increasingly global society. 1. learn the responsibilities of academic citizenship, including an understanding of and appreciation for rigorous, open-minded, and imaginative inquiry. 2. acquire information literacy, including the academic and technological skills required to locate and evaluate information.Students will individually and cooperatively examine complex problems, integrating creative, quantitative, qualitative, and scientific perspectives. 3. be able to think and express themselves critically in speech and writing in relation to broader questions of knowledge and value.Students will be able to effectively communicate through speech and writing in a language other than English. 4. understand the importance and implications of human diversity and recognize the life-long intellectual and ethical responsibilities of active global citizenship in a rapidly changing world.

  23. Students who complete Basic Studies will: 1. learn the responsibilities of academic citizenship, including an understanding of and appreciation for rigorous, open-minded, and imaginative inquiry. 2. acquire information literacy, including the academic and technological skills required to locate and evaluate information. Students will individually and cooperatively examine complex problems, integrating creative, quantitative, qualitative, and scientific perspectives. 3. be able to think and express themselves critically in speech and writing in relation to broader questions of knowledge and value. Students will be able to effectively communicate through speech and writing in a language other than English. 4. understand the importance and implications of human diversity and recognize the life-long intellectual and ethical responsibilities of active global citizenship in a rapidly changing world.

  24. V. A modest proposal ?

  25. Thinking through Bureaucracy The problem…today is that we have twenty-first-century students, a twentieth-century curriculum, and a nineteenth-century bureaucracy. David Marshall Professor of English & Comp. Lit. Dean of Humanities and Fine Arts Executive Dean of Arts & Science Univ. of California, Santa Barbara

  26. Writ. Instr. (6 hrs) Wellness (3 hrs) Math. (3 hrs) Foundational Courses (15-24 hrs) Language (0-9 hrs) F-Y-Sem. (3 hrs) Historical and Philosophical Approaches (6 hours) Aesthetic, Interpretive, and Creative Perspectives (6 hours) A B Scientific Approaches to the Natural World (7-8 hours) Understanding Human Institutions and Behaviors (6 hours) C D E F Oral Competency Computer and Digital Literacy Writing Across the Curriculum (3 courses) Quantitative and Logical Reasoning (1 course)

  27. A B D C

  28. Writ. Instr. (6 hrs) Wellness (3 hrs) Math. (3 hrs) Foundational Courses (15-24 hrs) Language (0-9 hrs) F-Y-Sem. (3 hrs) Historical and Philosophical Approaches (6 hours) Aesthetic, Interpretive, and Creative Perspectives (6 hours) A B One course from each of six areas (A-F) and a second course from each of four (A-D) (31-32 hours) Scientific Approaches to the Natural World (7-8 hours) Understanding Human Institutions and Behaviors (6 hours) C D Living in Our Diverse Nation (3 hours) Living in a Global Society (3 hours) E F Transdisciplinary Connections (0 hours): a trio of thematically-related courses that includes three of the six boxes above (A-F). Oral Competency Computer and Digital Literacy Writing Across the Curriculum (3 courses) Quantitative and Logical Reasoning (1 course) Capstone (1 course)

  29. University Studies: Proposed by Committee, Spring 2008 Transdisciplinary Connections (0 hours) Students would take a trio of courses, from three areas, that would provide transdisciplinary exposure to a particular topic or theme.

  30. Transdisciplinary Connections Several potential themes emerge from a quick look through our existing course offerings. The actual themes available for students to select among would be the result of faculty discussions. The following are offered only as possible examples.

  31. The Coastal Life Current Basic Studies CoursesCategory • ENG 290 Running Away to Sea (A) • HST 271 The Sea in History (B) • BIO 170 Biology of the Sea (C) • GLY 150 Introduction to Oceanography (C) Other Current Courses • GLY 250 Beaches and Coasts • PLS 329 Ocean and Coastal Law and Policy • REC 366 Coastal Recreation Resource Management • EVS 380 Undersea Science and Technology

  32. The Human Journey Current Basic Studies CoursesCategory • MUS 115 Survey of Music Literature (A) • PAR 211 The Philosophy of Human Nature (B) • BIO 160 Genetics in Human Affairs (C) • ANT 206 Cultural Anthropology (D) • PLS 217 Contemporary American Political Issues (D) • SOC 220 The Sociology of Birth and Death (D) • GRN 101 Introduction to Gerontology (D) • PSY 223 Life Span Human Development (D) Other Current Courses • COM 210 Performance of Children’s Literature • PHY 211 Naked-eye Astronomy and Archaeoastronomy

  33. Making Myths, Sharing Faith Current Basic Studies CoursesCategory • ENG 233 The Bible as Literature (A) • CLA 210 Mythology (A) • PAR 125 Great Books of the World’s Religions (B) • PLS 203 Religion and Politics in the U.S. (D) Other Current Courses • SOC 357 Sociology of Religion • HST 345 Religion in Antebellum America • ANT 301 Shamanism, Witchcraft, and Cults • MUS 255 Church Music Literature • COM 443 The Rhetoric of Faith Healing

  34. University Studies Capstone (1 course)

  35. University Studies: Proposed by Committee, Spring 2008 Experiential Learning Students would be required to complete at least one of the following: 1. Discovery – substantial mentored research or a creative effort that reaches an audience 2. Application – fieldwork, practicum, internship 3. Regional Engagement – a credit-bearing program of service learning 4. Exploration Abroad – a study abroad program of at least a semester

  36. University Studies Capstone (1 course)

  37. Fin

  38. In January 2004, the Faculty Senate, at the behest of the Chancellor, initiated the Basic Studies Revision Task Force. The first meeting of the task force was with the chancellor, where the task force received the following charge: • UNCW students deserve the highest quality academic experience, not only in their major field of study, but also in the basic studies curriculum central to a UNCW education. Unfortunately, our basic studies curriculum had not been reviewed in more than twenty years, and so I formed a Basic Studies Task Force to review what we currently have and to propose a curriculum that reflects our best judgment on what our students need to know in order for them to succeed not just in their major coursework, but as citizens in the 21st century. • Such a review requires that we ask ourselves some fundamental questions, the most basic of which is, “To what end are we educating our students, and does our basic studies curriculum prepare them, coherently and intentionally, for that goal?” If our response is that we are preparing an educated citizenry, rather than just preparing our students for jobs, then we must make certain that our basic studies program truly prepares them to deal with the broad range of issues that will face them and gives them the skills, competencies, and knowledge of different perspectives they’ll undoubtedly need. • My charge to the task force was to review the programs at other universities recognized for the quality of their core programs and to propose the ideal curriculum for us, based on our values and mission. I encouraged the Task Force to use this opportunity as a way to create a structure that would lead our students to overcome their frequent belief that general education is an obstacle to overcome as quickly as possible rather than something integral to their entire learning experience. • Finally, Provost Hosier and I both asked that the task force free themselves from concerns about FTEs or resources. Instead, we asked that they dream—about what would be ideal for our particular students on this particular campus.

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