General Education could see reforms
Issue date: 6/29/05 Section: News
SIUE is about to begin its first overhaul of the General Education program in more than 20 years, according to an e-mail sent by Faculty Senate President Joel Hardman and Historical Studies professor Eric Ruckh.
The General Education program was last reviewed in 1982. Hardman and Ruckh will lead the current effort.
The original General Education program, put in place in 1982, is still followed, but has changed with modifications in 1993 and 1999 adding requirements, making the program complex and confusing, the e-mail said.
Hardman pointed out in the e-mail that the faculty generally agrees the program needs to be simplified.
Another reason for reform relates to faculty ownership. More than 60 percent of SIUE's full-time instructional faculty has been on campus for less than a decade. Because of faculty turnover, there is little ownership for the conceptualization, design and implementation of the program as a whole, Hardman said.
To begin the reform, SIUE's provost and the Faculty Senate formed the Objectives Steering Committee to review the university's statement of objectives for general education and the baccalaureate degree.
The Objectives Steering Committee held three open meetings that allowed faculty members to offer and discuss their views on general education objectives.
Faculty concerns included particular general education courses, the disjointed relationship between general education courses and the courses for a student's major or minor and the frequent lack of communication between teachers of general education instruction and teachers of upper-division courses.
The General Education program was last reviewed in 1982. Hardman and Ruckh will lead the current effort.
The original General Education program, put in place in 1982, is still followed, but has changed with modifications in 1993 and 1999 adding requirements, making the program complex and confusing, the e-mail said.
Hardman pointed out in the e-mail that the faculty generally agrees the program needs to be simplified.
Another reason for reform relates to faculty ownership. More than 60 percent of SIUE's full-time instructional faculty has been on campus for less than a decade. Because of faculty turnover, there is little ownership for the conceptualization, design and implementation of the program as a whole, Hardman said.
To begin the reform, SIUE's provost and the Faculty Senate formed the Objectives Steering Committee to review the university's statement of objectives for general education and the baccalaureate degree.
The Objectives Steering Committee held three open meetings that allowed faculty members to offer and discuss their views on general education objectives.
Faculty concerns included particular general education courses, the disjointed relationship between general education courses and the courses for a student's major or minor and the frequent lack of communication between teachers of general education instruction and teachers of upper-division courses.
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