General Education Essentials: A Guide for College Faculty, 2nd

Supplying an insightful introduction to current trends in general education reform, this second edition of General Education Essentials: A Guide for College Faculty gives an important, timely overview of general education curricular design. General education curricula provide students with the intellectual flexibility they need to adapt thoughtfully and productively to the rapid changes of the workplace and the world at large. This book offers methods for engaging in curricular reform efforts that support university culture and teachers and examines the implications of general education reform in the classroom, with a keen eye toward syllabi, course content, and student work. By expertly blending theory with curricular ideas for implementation, this text offers an impactful illustration of the shift from distributive to integrative to high impact models of general education. Featuring plentiful examples from a variety of fields and disciplines, this book is essential reading for any higher education faculty member tasked with equipping students with the skills they need to become perceptive scholars and productive citizens. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents Foreword About the Author Preface General Education and Its Relation to the Major Goals, Objectives, Learning Outcomes, and Related Matters Acknowledgments Part I The Big Picture 1 Gen Ed 2.0: Integrative Models Gen Ed 1.0: The Distribution Model Gen Ed 2.0: Integrative Models The Reasoning Behind Integrative Models Our Wicked World The Complexity of Our Students’ Lives The Changing Nature of the Workplace The Challenges of Citizenship in Today’s World Equity in Education Some Examples of Integrative Structures Three Curricular Structures The Core-Distributional Structure The Strands Structure The Pathways Structure Institutional Models Portland State University, Portland, Oregon Connecticut College Rollins College Conclusion 2 Gen Ed 3.0: High Impact Models Some Examples of High Impact Driven Models Wagner College, Staten Island, New York Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, Massachusetts Drury University University College, University of Groningen Conclusion Part II General Education at the Course Level 3 Designing Effective General Education Courses The Course Continuum Major Courses as General Education Courses: A Cautionary Tale 4 How the Purposes of General Education Can Reshape a Course Example #1: A Major Course Revised Into an Integrative General Education Course (British Literature) Example #1.5: General Education and Course Structure (British Literature—Again) Examples #2 and #3: General Education and Course Structure, Continued (Physics and Biology) Examples #4 and #5: A Dual-Purpose Course Redesigned as a General Education Course (Sociology) Examples #6 and #7: Redesigning a General Education Service Course (Statistics) Part III General Education at the Assignment Level 5 Designing Appropriate Assignments for General Education Creating a More Productive Rhetorical Situation Considering Some Alternatives Further Examples Mathematics and the Natural Sciences Breaking the Mold Part IV Structuring an Effective Revision Process 6 Leading Gen Ed Conversations: An Overview and the Early Stages Overview Keep the Focus On the Students Allow This to Be an Intellectual Conversation Assume a Gracious Audience Keep in Mind That You Are Merely the Shepherd Think Long Term, Even Early in the Process Bring the Students Into the Conversation Sooner Rather Than Later Structure Your Revision Process in Manner That Allows Participants to Draw Upon Their Most Engaged and Productive Selves Some Final Thoughts ... Step 1: The Pre-Conversation, Or, The Conversation About Whether Or Not We Need to Have a Conversation Is a Revision Necessary? And How Do We Know? Scenario 1: Institutional Data That Indicates a Need for Change Scenario 2: The Sense That the Curriculum Might Be Outdated Scenario 3: An Outside Body Pushing for Change Closing Thoughts On the Pre-Conversation Step 2: Considering Our Goals for General Education Generating Ideas and Outcomes Refining Ideas and Outcomes 7 Leading Gen Ed Conversations: Developing Curricular Models Step 3: Model Ideation Shenandoah University Roanoke College Washington and Lee University Step 4: Narrowing and Refining Narrowing Refining The Final Model 8 Leading Gen Ed Conversations: Deciding On and Implementing a New Model Step 5: Coming to a Consensus How, When, and In What Context Will a Decision Be Made? What Is Being Voted On? What Happens If the Proposed Model Doesn’t Pass? Who Gets to Vote? Who Gets to Speak? Who Should Speak? Will Amendments Or Other Suggested Changes Be Allowed? Step 6: Implementation General Education Administration Course Development and Approval Rollout and Sustainability 9 Creating Meaningful Assessment of General Education We Need to Assess What Really Matters to Us Assessment Works Best When It Focuses On Quality Enhancement as Opposed to (Just) Quality Assurance Assessment Should Be Written Into a General Education Program From the Start Conclusion Bibliography Index Supplying an insightful introduction to current trends in general education reform, this second edition of General Education Essentials: A Guide for College Faculty gives an important, timely overview of general education curricular design.General education curricula provide students with the intellectual flexibility they need to adapt thoughtfully and productively to the rapid changes of the workplace and the world at large. This book offers methods for engaging in curricular reform efforts that support university culture and teachers and examines the implications of general education reform in the classroom, with a keen eye toward syllabi, course content, and student work. By expertly blending theory with curricular ideas for implementation, this text offers an impactful illustration of the shift from distributive to integrative to high impact models of general education.Featuring plentiful examples from a variety of fields and disciplines, this book is essential reading for any higher education faculty member tasked with equipping students with the skills they need to become perceptive scholars and productive citizens.A Co-Publication with AAC&U Supplying an insightful introduction to current trends in general education reform, this second edition of General Education Essentials: A Guide to College Faculty gives an important, timely overview of general education curricular design. General education curricula provide students with the intellectual flexibility they need to adapt thoughtfully and productively to the rapid changes of the workplace and the world at large. This book offers methods for engaging in curricular reform efforts that support university culture and teachers and examines the implications of general education reform in the classroom, with a keen eye toward syllabi, course content, and student work. By expertly blending theory with curricular ideas for implementation, this text offers an impactful illustration of the shift from distributive to integrative to high impact models of general education. Featuring plentiful examples from a variety of fields and disciplines, this book is essential reading for any higher education faculty member tasked with equipping students with the skills they need to become perceptive scholars and productive citizens.