General Education Essentials: A Guide for College Faculty

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