General Education Committee Minutes 9/26/05

 

Members Present: J. Eglin, S. Gaskill, K. Hill, S. Kalm, T. Manuel, D. Pletscher, K. Shanley, R. Welsh, C. Winkler

 

Members Excused/ Absent: G. Smith, A. Walker-Andrews

Ex-Officio Present:  L. Carlyon,

Chair Winkler called the meeting to order at 1:10 PM.

 

The minutes from 5/19/05 were approved.  

 

Communication:

 

  • Both Chair Winkler and Professor Hill were wished a Happy Birthday.
  • Members were thanked for preparing homework materials.

 

New Business:

 

The justification for the General Education Committee membership bylaw amendment was amended.

 

Many of the principles identified in the preamble could be considered threads woven throughout the fabric of the baccalaureate experience.  The committee reviewed the components of the Preamble to reference in consideration of the models.

 

General

Individual

Flexibility

Broad academic base

Life long learning

Common educational objectives

Current issues

Creative arts

Science & technology

Humanities

History of cultures

 

Competent
Humane

Informed

Ethical

Literate

Engaged

Local & global Citizenship

Primary responsibility

Civic awareness

Competencies

Guiding principles (implementation)

Oral communication

Written communication

Critical thinking

Understand abstract concepts

Mathematical skills

Technology proficiency

General education courses should be foundational.

Departmental monopolies should be avoided.

The program should be easy to understand and advise.

 

 

Some members suggest that the deficiencies of the current general education program can be addressed via specific definitions and enforcement of the perspectives. General education principles should be incorporated into departmental, programmatic, and course materials.

 

Advantages of the current general education structure include established outcomes and the course offerings allow students to take some responsibility for their education. The non-western requirement is effective.

 

Students are not acquiring foundational knowledge. This could be the result of the application of the criteria. Other deficiencies with the current model include a lack of assessment, and experiential and engagement activities. There also seems to be difficulties for transfer students and advising breakdowns. 

Perhaps a functional study should be done to evaluate whether there are enough offerings in certain areas.  Many general education courses are also requirements for the major and are not geared toward non-majors.

 

 

The meeting was adjourned at 2:00 PM.