GENERAL EDUCATION SUMMER FORUM NOTES -- AUGUST 15, 1995
Principle # 1: Strong General Education Programs Explicitly Answer the Question, 'What is the Point of General Education?" (Lynne Ford, facilitator)

Our group began by considering whether the College of Charleston had a "coherent rationale" behind general education. The feeling of the group was that we do not--we might have had one at one time, but it has been lost or resides only within the minds of the curriculum's original creators. We then talked about what we want our students to be like--what kind of "product" do we want to send out on graduation day? We want our students to be "mindful," balanced, enriched by the experience at the College, independent learners, critical thinkers, be able to apply what they have learned to new situations, and understand not just the content of learning, but the process as well so that inquiry will continue throughout the lifetime. Part of that process is helping students recognize that life is characterized by uncertainty and ambiguity. If we are successful, students will not fear uncertainty, but recognize it as an opportunity for further discovery and learning. We want students to graduate with more questions than they had when they arrived.
Most importantly, we want students to begin to develop a responsible and thoughtful "philosophy of life." We want this philosophy to include values. We had a long discussion about whether values could be taught and if so, how? Is it even appropriate for us to be considering values? We decided yes, but it required us to be sensitive to a range of values and give students the skills to reflectively consider all values, keeping some while rejecting others. We considered the role of ethics in this development. We had an initial discussion about whether there were some values that were "absolutes" and that we could agree were important to affirm as a campus community. We didn't have the time to even adequately begin this conversation leading to several recommendations:

1. That as a campus-wide community, we undertake what one member called a "vision quest". During this time we would consider our "point" and what makes the College of Charleston experience unique. We could address the "values question" as well as our mission statement and supporting documents. This would also allow us to begin to share an identity so that faculty, students and staff could adequately answer the question, "what are we about?"

2. Begin to address the intellectual atmosphere on campus. As a part of this, we need to think carefully about who are students are, their range of prior experiences, and whether they have had the opportunity to develop strong intellectual habits. We had a long discussion about our "mixed message" to faculty and students. We can't expect students to develop strong reading, analytical, and critical thinking skills if they don't have opportunities outside of class to practice them. This means creating space on campus where there is no TV, where reading materials like the New York Times, New Yorker, Atlantic Monthly , Economist, Scientific American, etc are available and can stimulate intellectual dialogue among students and faculty. One member suggested a "big snack bar" meaning a large commons area, without a TV and where seating is structured to encourage conversation and study. One member described students as "embryonic scholars." We need to set a good example for students if we expect them to develop as "mindful" adults and responsible citizens.

3. Our ultimate recommendation was that in order to "Affirm the value of uncertainty and Ambiguity in life" among our students, we have to create an intellectual atmosphere on campus where creative inquiry through study and dialogue is valued and encouraged. To do that we need dedicated and appropriate space.

Strong General Education Programs should embody institutional mission.

Overview of the Discussion

There was really only a little discussion of Principle #2 in our combined discussion group. What discussion there was sidestepped the issue of the appropriateness of the current mission to general education. The group felt that there was little reason to look closely at the mission because few people within the institution consider it a "defining" document. Happily, however, the group felt that the College of Charleston Statement of Institutional Goals, adopted in March 1986, remains a valuable set of guiding principles for general education. The group did not discuss the substance of the goals. Nor did it identify which goals are relevant to general education. [Perhaps the assumption was that those goals listed under "Instruction" are the only ones which define/impact general education. If so, this assumption should be examined carefully.]

Action Step

The group felt that regular faculty [and administrative?] review of the institutional goals statement is crucial if these goals are to be the basis for defining and measuring our general education program. After a brief deliberation, the group recommended that the Academic Planning Committee convene regular, campus-wide discussions to review the statement of institutional goals.


Prepared by D. Cohen 8/23/95

Principle #4: Strong General Education Programs are self-consciously value-based and teach social responsibility.

Points made in committee discussion:

As an institution we need to define our values. What assumptions do we make? Whose values will we promote and teach? We need to articulate that one of our values is the strength of our diversity.

The faculty is often more diverse in perspective than our students. We teach what we think is valuable. If we give credit for it, we value it.

Faculty need to learn how to talk about complicated areas. While we cannot provide students the answers, we can raise questions and teach students how to ask value questions of themselves. Faculty can share how we struggle with value questions in class or through panel discussions and other forums.

Points made in forum Principle #4 discussion.

Education is, indeed, value based, and we need to reflect that fact in our teaching, being unashamed of the values we hold and willing to defend those values.

Faculty of departments need to come together to discuss the values we have and how those values affect what we teach.

We need a clear rationale or statement of objectives that, in general, reflects the purpose of "general education" and, specifically, the values taught through the general education program.

General education needs a home; that is, a faculty committee charged with oversight.

Action Statement:
We should consider a capstone course with strong value-based components for all students, or, as an alternative, required interdisciplinary, team-taught courses that do the same thing.

General Education Forum
August 15-16, 1995

Principle Number 5: Strong General Education Program Attend Carefully to Student Experience


The group identified the following student characteristics or factors that should be considered when developing a strong general education program that addresses student experience.

*Age
*Learning Styles
*Employment status
*Family background
*Current family structure (single parents, independent, dependent etc.)
*Global awareness and experience
*Student purpose for education
*First generation college student
*Commuter student/resident student
*Race/cultural diversity
*International students
*Gender
*Financial stability
*High school experience/expectations
*Learning disabilities
*Level of involvement (athletics, student activities etc.)
*Volunteer work experience
*Resistance to the general education requirements, i.e. how much background and experience do students have regarding the purposes of general education
*Religious background and commitment (this may be more prominent in the South and may affect the approach to learning)

Most Important Goal:. Increasing the global awareness with an appreciation of the value of general education.

Recommendation to Accomplish This Goal: Require a freshman level seminar course that has as a major component a theme or question that crosses several disciplines. There should be a separate seminar for older, non-traditional students.

Other Suggestions:

1. Replace the requirement of History 101- 102 with a course that incorporates global awareness.

2. Change the General Science requirement to one of the following:
a) Develop a single course that is interdisciplinary in sciences
. b) Students take two semesters of two different sciences, each of which is a one-semester introductory course.

Principle #5,
Page 2

3. Establish a faculty seminar that deals specifically with how to find out about differences between students and how to cope with these differences.

Principle 6 : Strong General Education Programs Are Consciously Designed So That They Will Continue To Evolve.

Group 6 answered the three questions posed at the Retreat.

I. What are we doing now?

A. There is no central or organized oversight of General Education.
B. Each Department is responsible for and somewhat autonomous in regards to General Education.
1. Some departments are reluctant to change.
2. Changes must go through the Curriculum Committee.
3. Sometimes Academic Standards Committee is involved.
C. Student Orientation with regards to General Education is attempted, with mixed results. Efforts to orient new faculty, part-time faculty, adjunct faculty is unknown, or if attempted, not particularly successful.


II. What can we do better?

A. Improve the orientation of students, parents, all faculty as to the philosophy and content of general education programs at the College of Charleston. This might include, as it does at some institutions, a questionnaire distributed to parents of incoming students as to what they expect for their students of a liberal arts education.

B. Some sort of College-wide oversight of General Education, that is, oversight involving students, staff, administrators, faculty, alumni, etc. should be instituted.

III. What Action Steps are needed to accomplish these improvements?

A. Two Possible Plans were considered.
1. Create a Standing Faculty Committee, The General Education Committee, plus a General Education Advisory Board of Students, Staff, Administrators, Faculty, Alumni, Members of the community, etc. The Faculty Committee would meet frequently, the Advisory Board less so.

2. Designate a Staff/Administrative/Faculty position to oversee the General Education Program at the College on a part-time or full time basis. Periodically, every 3 years or every 5 years, this person would see to the review of the General Education Program with the formation and convening of a Faculty Committee and an Advisory Board.

3. Create a specific General Education Handbook for faculty and students. This handbook would articulate the philosophy/rationale for General Education as well as the details of fulfilling the specific course requirements.

4. Orient all new faculty and students, especially full-time, part-time, and adjunct faculty as to the role of the General Education Program in meeting the needs of the liberal arts education provided by the College of Charleston.


Principle #7: Strong General Education Programs Require and Foster Academic Community

The faculty group assigned to discuss this principle began by affirming its veracity. A strong sense of academic community is indeed vital in the pursuit of a liberal education. After- discussing for an hour the situation at the College of Charleston, the group posed several recommendations. Of these, the following was chosen as the most important:

Recommendation:

We Recommend the College of Charleston Establish a Greater Sense of Community by Taking a Number of Actions to Create Greater Student-Faculty Interaction

The group agreed that, in addition, it is important to establish greater interaction between faculty; in fact, the group came close to forwarding the recommendation that plans for the Faculty House be accelerated so that faculty could see definite benefits from paying,, dues and spending time together at the House. The group also discussed the desirability of more student-student interaction and considered choosing as its primary recommendation that more shared curricular experiences be implemented as part of the General Education experience.

After agreeing on its primary recommendation, the group proposed the following action steps:
* Develop a campus-wide colloquium periodically featuring well-known speakers on subjects of interest to a broad segment of students and faculty. These colloquia should become major events with appropriate publicity and encouragement to faculty and students to attend.

* Establish a "mini-speakers" bureau. This bureau would provide instructors a list of names of faculty who are prepared to come to their classes for a portion of a period to speak on topics that would be relevant to the subject matter. The purpose would be to provide students additional exposure to ideas and to other faculty members. It could impart an interdiscliplinary flavor to a large number of courses.

* Establish a college calendar that would provide more effective ways of communicating academic events to student and faculty who might be interested. It was suggested that this calendar might best be electronic in nature and should appear on the campus network.

* Establish an on-line bulletin board for the same purpose.
* Encourage students to communicate with their instructors by e-mail.
* Revise non-major advising to promote additional interaction. For example, it would be highly desirable if faculty members can retain the same student advisees until they choose a major. This would promote a greater sense of community among the student advisees as well as between the students and faculty advisor.

* Consider altering the orientation schedule to provide short seminars of an academic, interdisciplinary nature. All students would attend the same seminar and would get a shared experience, albeit brief.

* Offer faculty sei-seminars, perhaps through the Faculty Development Seminar series, on ways to promote additional faculty-student interaction.

* Encourage more student participation in departmental seminars.

* Train faculty advisors, or alternatively, especially selected departmental resource people, to enable them to articulate effectively to students the goals and values of the General Education curricular requirements.

Principle #8: Strong General Education Programs Have Strong Faculty and Administrative Leadership.

Initial discussion centered around the need for the President to have a vision for the institution and that the Provost must bear the responsibility for the curriculum. After significant discussion about whether our primary purpose is as a research or as a teaching institution, the group proposed a structure which would allow the college community to "rediscover the soul of the institution".

The proposed structure would include faculty, students, administration (including Board members), and community members. The group would be charged with the following:
misunderstand the institutional mission
*define what a "quality" undergraduate program is (make it real)
*consider how General Education can flourish at the various levels:
-individual faculty
-departments
-schools
-institution

After considering these factors, the group would draft a report to be circulated to the Board, President, faculty, administration, staff, and students. The discussion group felt that in order for people to be willing to be a part of this undertaking a reward structure would have to be developed. In addition, the discussion group saw the following challenges facing the institution as we discuss General Education:
* FTES , Space, and $
*Clarity of Vision
*Pursuit of Vision
*The Future

Recommendations from Retreat, STRONG FOUNDATIONS

PRINCIPLE 9
Premise

The College of Charleston lacks an organizational structure and process to articulate the purpose of a liberal education and cultivate substantial and enduring support from multiple constituencies", either within the College community or in the larger community of parents, secondary and graduate schools, local professional, business, or cultural centers, or city or state government.

Therefore, we recommend:

[Internal]

That a Liberal Studies Coordinating Committee be established as a standing faculty committee by act of Senate and President to provide an internal :framework and external reach:

- to articulate purpose
- to coordinate activities
- to evaluate
- to make recommendations through Curriculum Committee, Senate, and Faculty for curricula and degree changes, if deemed necessary
- to establish connections with larger community

This might lead, ultimately, to the creation of a Liberal Arts and Sciences Institute, with a physical location and a staff.

[External]

That an Advisory Council for Liberal Studies be recruited by the Liberal Studies Coordinating Committee and appointed by the President, consisting of alumni, parents, cultural, professional, business, and political leaders:

- to articulate purpose
- to advise on curriculum and assist in special events
- to recruit, mentor, and place students
- to support programs, financially and otherwise

L W Jordan, History

General Education Retreat

Principle #10 Strong general educational programs ensure continuing support for faculty, especially as they engage in dialogue across academic disciplines.

The group that discussed Principle #10 felt that one of the most significant ways in which all faculty could be supported in their efforts to realize the goals of general education would be through the strengthening of the writing skills of all students. At present, the burden falls heavily on the required core curriculum courses in English composition and literature. The group recommended the following overall goal and appropriate action steps designed to increase faculty responsibility for improving students' writing skills.

1. Develop faculty awareness and responsibility for student writing skills
* Prepare a goal statement on writing including the expectation of writing requirements In all courses. This should be prescribed in the Faculty Handbook and course syllabi and in the Student Handbook.

* Distribute the Harbrace Handbook and Strunk and White s Elements of Style to all faculty and require that all students purchase these books. These books should serve as reference books in all courses.

* Provide all faculty and students with a list of standard symbols to be used in editing students' written work in all classes.

* Provide instruction for faculty in teaching writing skills and grading written work

* Give preference to all entering students for registration In l00 level courses, especially English 101-102.

The group affirmed that improving students' writing skills is the responsibility of the entire faculty.

In addition, the group made the following additional recommendations,
1. Create a faculty committee with resources with responsibility for general education.

2. Add a course on contemporary issues to the general education core curriculum. This course should be designed so that it could be taught by all faculty, have speakers on issues covered in the course and coordinate special events (extracurricular) with the topics In the core course.

3. Provide grants to faculty for the development of new teaching methods or improvement of teaching methods,

4. Improve the resources for adjunct faculty (salaries, development funds, orientation, advising).

S. Provide resources for interdisciplinary teaching.

Submitted by Sam Hines

General Education Forum
August 15-16, 1995

Principle Number 11: Strong General Education Programs Reach Beyond the Classroom to the Broad Range of Student Co-curricular Experiences.

The group identified the following co-curricular activities, situations or programs that should be considered when developing a strong general education program that addresses experiences outside the classroom.

*Advising
*Orientation Programs
*Community Service Experiences
*Student Affairs Activities
*Residence Hall Programs (Adopt a faculty)
*Symposia
*Faculty, student and staff expectations for co-curricular activities.
*COMMUNICATION AMONG THE CAMPUS CONSTITUENCIES REGARDING THE USE OF CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES TO ENHANCE GENERAL EDUCATION.
*Co-sponsorship with student activities
*Student organizations
*Work Experiences
*Cooperative, Internships, and Field Experiences
*Leadership Class
*International Travel
*Create an Environment to expose students to other cultures.
*Athletics and Intramurals

Most Important Goal: To establish a block of time in the schedule for these activities, for example Tuesday and Thursdays from 12:05 to 1:30

Recommendation to Accomplish This Goal: Establish a committee to oversee the planning of the activity time and schedule.
*Could be a subcommittee of the Faculty Committee on Student Affairs and Athletics, Chaired by a committee member.
Additional representatives from Residence Life, Student Affairs, College Relations. Cougar Pause, Faculty, staff and students could be added to this subcommittee.

The charge of the committee would be to develop a master plan or calendar for a year in advance. "Theme months", such as Black History Month, Women's History Month etc. could be incorporated into the calendar. With advance notice faculty could build appropriate programs into the curriculum.

Certain days (second Tuesday of each month) could be reserved for student organization or department meetings, etc
.
Principle # 11
Page 2

A two week calendar should be published to provide better communication. among all constituencies on the campus and allow for the inclusion of programs planned more recently.

Au gust 24, 1995


To: General Education Discussion Group
From: John Newell
Subject: Principle 12
The major recommendation form the faculty addressing principle 12 ( Marcie Desrochers , Henry Donato , Julia Eichelberger , Larry Fulton , Frances Welch, and myself was the creation of a Faculty Committee on General Education. In the view of our group, this committee should be a standing committee like the Curriculum Or Academic Standards Committee. Its responsibilities should include
1. reviewing the General Education curriculum, including the General Education requirements and the specific courses that meet those requirements,
2. making recommendation to the Faculty Senate to change the general education requirements, as deemed necessary,
3. making recommendation to the Faculty Senate to add or delete courses from the list of courses which satisfy the general education requirements, as deemed necessary (there needs to be on-going evaluation of whether or not courses do what they say they will do-- concurrent validity),
4. making the primary assessment of the general education program and forwarding those results to the Assessment Committee, in the same way that departments forward their reports of the assessment of majors to the Assessment Committee, and
5. managing funds that may be awarded as part of a system of competitive grants for improving general education courses, like the awarding of grants by the Faculty Research and Development Committee.
In order to accomplish its goals, this committee would need access to student records, departmental assessment plans and reports, and information about who teaches general education courses in each department. The committee should consist of 7 members, at least 5 of whom are currently teaching courses that satisfy general education requirements, with at least one member of the committee coming form each of the following: School of the Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, School of Math and Sciences, School of Education, and School of Business. Some mechanism should be devised to ensure communication between this new committee on General Education and the following already existing committees: Assessment, Curriculum, Academic Planning.

The group strongly and unanimously recommends the creation of such a committee as soon as possible. The group believes that only through the creation of such a committee can there be the kind of continuing dialogue about general education that is needed.

This group also recommends that the administration examine the connection between planning, and assessment with the intent of streamlining the process and of eliminating duplication. For example, the annual assessment report and the annual goals and objective report should be combined. Majors or Concentrations: French