Vol. 19, No. 24 |
March 16, 2000 |
Senate forms committee to
assess experimental courses
| A new standing committee was created Monday by the Faculty Senate to assess experimental courses for the freshman year experience and to evaluate other components of a pilot general education program.
Over the next three years, the Committee on General Education will set guidelines, standards and academic policies for the proposed general education program, which includes a freshman year experience, a discovery learning component and a capstone experience in the senior year. The committee will report to the senate with its recommendations by September 2003. Beginning this September, the committee will assess Pathways courses, new interdisciplinary courses created for freshmen, and L:IFE courses, clusters of existing courses with a common theme. The Learning: Integrated Freshman Experience (L:IFE ) proposal would allow up to 20 freshmen to share a residence and take a cluster of three courses together. For example, one proposed cluster for the pilot year is titled, “Force, Power and Political Order,” and would involve courses in science, political science and English. The discovery learning experience, which may occur after the freshman year, includes such possibilities as a directed thesis, research, creative projects, internships, study abroad, service learning and field work. The capstone experience should integrate further a student’s undergraduate education through participation in a group project or senior seminar. In addition, all undergraduates will be expected to master basic skills in computers, math and written and oral communication. The composition of the new Committee on General Education sparked considerable discussion by the senate. Originally, the committee size was set at 15, but the total was increased to 17 when a graduate student representative and one from the Center for Teaching Effectiveness (CTE) were added. Senators voted down a motion to increase to six the representatives from the College of Arts and Science, and they removed voting privileges from representatives of the offices of admissions and the registrar. Voting members of the committee include one faculty representative from each college offering undergraduate degrees, except arts and science, which will have three representatives; the vice provost for academic programs and planning; two undergraduate students; one graduate student; and representatives from residence life, CTE and the senate’s Undergraduate Studies Committee. During the meeting, several senators expressed concern that their departments lacked the resources to provide a discovery learning experience or capstone experience for all majors. The new Committee on General Education was charged to work with the University administration to ensure that adequate resources are provided to make the general education program successful. And, senators asked that the committee also evaluate available resources when it reports back to the senate in three years. Senators voted to add a sentence to the final resolution, indicating that, after the report, the Faculty Senate “retains the right and responsibility to continue the General Education Program at its discretion.” –Cornelia Weil |