2008 Woodie Awards
CORE to broaden themes, add real-world and global experiences
Kevin Robillard
Issue date: 3/7/08 Section: News
University administrators plan to revamp the CORE general education plan, moving focus to cross-disciplinary classes and, it's recommended, experience outside the classroom while decreasing the number of required credits.
Calling the current CORE program outdated, administrators hope students will look at the new curriculum as more than just a requirement they have to get out of the way. A pilot group of incoming students, which a rough draft of the university's new strategic plan suggests will be in the honors program, will try out the new curriculum in fall 2009.
"A lot of what we saw was very conventional," said Kathy McAdams, associate dean for undergraduate studies. "We wanted to get something as unique as Maryland," for undergraduate studies, who sits on the committee charged with studying the issue. "I like to think it's cutting edge."
Dissatisfaction with the CORE curriculum stemmed from the university's accreditation review last year. Reviewers said the university had a "fine 20th-century" general education program - not a 21st century one, said Elizabeth Beise, a physics professor who chaired the committee.
"A lot of people just said 'Fix it,'" McAdams said.
The committee recommended reducing the number of core-required courses from eight to a more manageable five or six, said Beise, who also said students in some majors, like engineering and music, are finding it difficult to fulfill their CORE requirements and their major requirements in four years.
A central component of the committee's recommendations, said Beise, is outside-the-classroom experience: an internship, studying abroad or a service-learning experience.
The committee, which comprises faculty, administrators and two students, recommended the new curriculum focus on broad themes instead of asking students to take classes in each traditional discipline - like literature, science and history.
"Increasingly, we live in a world where things are studied in an interdisciplinary manner," McAdams said, calling the older discipline-based approach increasingly out of date.
One problem with the traditional approach is many students have trouble relating to CORE classes that have nothing to do with their areas of study. With an interdisciplinary program, there would be a better chance students could relate their major classes to CORE requirements, Melissa Morales, a senior sociology and communication major who was on the strategic planning committee, said.
The committee suggested globalization and interdependence; the environment; diversity, identity and culture; civic engagement; and values, ethics, and social Justice as the five themes for the new CORE program, Beise said.
The use of themes, rather than subjects, as a basis for general education programs is a recent trend in higher education. Harvard University adopted a similar system when it created its new general education program last May.
"We generally liked the Harvard model," Beise said, pointing to UCLA and Duke as other schools whose general education plans the committee liked.
Also, the current CORE curriculum depends on a canon of knowledge that, years ago, academics agreed upon almost universally, Beise said. Now that agreement is breaking down.
The previous general education plan was created in the late 1980s and implemented in 1990, around the "time when a lot of [students] were being born," McAdams said.
Administrators also hope to reduce the size of CORE classes. Provost Nariman Farvardin has made it a goal to decrease class sizes, and the new strategic plan also states the overall number of classes with more than 200 students should be reduced.
Part of reducing class sizes involves spreading out the courses among various colleges. Most of the CORE classes are either in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences or the College of Arts and Humanities. Morales, said she hopes the new system would allow other colleges to offer more CORE courses to relieve those two colleges.
"This gives the other colleges and departments a mandate to step up and offer classes," Morales she said.
The strategic plan states all students will follow the new CORE curriculum by fall 2013. A final version of the curriculum will be available by February 2009.
Beise had some concerns about implementing the plan. "'Intro to whatever' will probably have a hard time fitting in," she said, adding that it could make it more difficult for students to choose a major. A new committee charged with creating ways to smoothly implement the new curriculum will also work on finding a way for students with Advanced Placement or transfer credits to get those classes to count for CORE.
Morales said she was adamant about those classes counting and said bringing in AP credit allows students to pick up second majors or minors or to graduate earlier, relieving a financial burden.
robillarddbk@gmail.com
Calling the current CORE program outdated, administrators hope students will look at the new curriculum as more than just a requirement they have to get out of the way. A pilot group of incoming students, which a rough draft of the university's new strategic plan suggests will be in the honors program, will try out the new curriculum in fall 2009.
"A lot of what we saw was very conventional," said Kathy McAdams, associate dean for undergraduate studies. "We wanted to get something as unique as Maryland," for undergraduate studies, who sits on the committee charged with studying the issue. "I like to think it's cutting edge."
Dissatisfaction with the CORE curriculum stemmed from the university's accreditation review last year. Reviewers said the university had a "fine 20th-century" general education program - not a 21st century one, said Elizabeth Beise, a physics professor who chaired the committee.
"A lot of people just said 'Fix it,'" McAdams said.
The committee recommended reducing the number of core-required courses from eight to a more manageable five or six, said Beise, who also said students in some majors, like engineering and music, are finding it difficult to fulfill their CORE requirements and their major requirements in four years.
A central component of the committee's recommendations, said Beise, is outside-the-classroom experience: an internship, studying abroad or a service-learning experience.
The committee, which comprises faculty, administrators and two students, recommended the new curriculum focus on broad themes instead of asking students to take classes in each traditional discipline - like literature, science and history.
"Increasingly, we live in a world where things are studied in an interdisciplinary manner," McAdams said, calling the older discipline-based approach increasingly out of date.
One problem with the traditional approach is many students have trouble relating to CORE classes that have nothing to do with their areas of study. With an interdisciplinary program, there would be a better chance students could relate their major classes to CORE requirements, Melissa Morales, a senior sociology and communication major who was on the strategic planning committee, said.
The committee suggested globalization and interdependence; the environment; diversity, identity and culture; civic engagement; and values, ethics, and social Justice as the five themes for the new CORE program, Beise said.
The use of themes, rather than subjects, as a basis for general education programs is a recent trend in higher education. Harvard University adopted a similar system when it created its new general education program last May.
"We generally liked the Harvard model," Beise said, pointing to UCLA and Duke as other schools whose general education plans the committee liked.
Also, the current CORE curriculum depends on a canon of knowledge that, years ago, academics agreed upon almost universally, Beise said. Now that agreement is breaking down.
The previous general education plan was created in the late 1980s and implemented in 1990, around the "time when a lot of [students] were being born," McAdams said.
Administrators also hope to reduce the size of CORE classes. Provost Nariman Farvardin has made it a goal to decrease class sizes, and the new strategic plan also states the overall number of classes with more than 200 students should be reduced.
Part of reducing class sizes involves spreading out the courses among various colleges. Most of the CORE classes are either in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences or the College of Arts and Humanities. Morales, said she hopes the new system would allow other colleges to offer more CORE courses to relieve those two colleges.
"This gives the other colleges and departments a mandate to step up and offer classes," Morales she said.
The strategic plan states all students will follow the new CORE curriculum by fall 2013. A final version of the curriculum will be available by February 2009.
Beise had some concerns about implementing the plan. "'Intro to whatever' will probably have a hard time fitting in," she said, adding that it could make it more difficult for students to choose a major. A new committee charged with creating ways to smoothly implement the new curriculum will also work on finding a way for students with Advanced Placement or transfer credits to get those classes to count for CORE.
Morales said she was adamant about those classes counting and said bringing in AP credit allows students to pick up second majors or minors or to graduate earlier, relieving a financial burden.
robillarddbk@gmail.com
The document used to report these stories is part of a work in progress. The plan is likely to change after the university community provides input.
To view the document used to report these stories in its entirety, visit the website http://sp07.umd.edu Community feedback is critical to the success of the strategic plan. To offer your comments, visit the website http://sp07.umd.edu/feedback.cfm The committee is accepting responses until March 21.
Submit a letter to the editor or post a comment below.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Kenny
posted 3/09/08 @ 4:43 PM EST
Being a Computer Science major, I love how I can take classes such as Introduction to Linguistics, Philosophy of the Mind, and Introduction to Shakesepare as core credits. (Continued…)
Post a Comment