2008 Woodie Awards
Faculty discusses curriculum changes
Michelle Caffrey
Issue date: 2/8/08 Section: News
Three proposals to change Drew University's general education requirements are up for discussion by the faculty. Work on changing the requirements began last year, and has come down to a proposal presented by Associate Dean of Curriculum and Faculty Development Wendy Kolmar at a faculty meeting Feb. 1. Two other proposals, one sponsored by Professor of English Robert Ready and Religion Department chair Chris Taylor, and another sponsored by Associate Professor of Mathematics Chris Apelian are in the works, Kolmar said.
The Draft Proposal for Revision of General Education presented by Kolmar contains the most major changes to the breadth of courses required for students to take. It includes a complete "re-imagining" of the First Year Seminar, called "The College Seminar," and a "learning portfolio" that students will work on throughout their Drew years, Kolmar said. "We want students to be thinking ahead and really thinking about what they want to get out of their Drew experience," Kolmar said.
The draft states that students will be required to take at least one course in five different areas: natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, arts and interdisciplinary courses.
More controversial, however, is the added requirement for a "quantitative reasoning" course, such as statistics, calculus, or computer science. A course applying these skills is also required. "We're very unusual not to require quantitative reasoning already," Kolmar said. "And the different departments are very committed to redesigning non-major courses to incorporate that."
Minors would also be optional in the proposal, Kolmar said. The reasoning, she said, is that, while most students seek out minors, not requiring them gives the opportunity for students to build a unique college experience. "They can broaden and gather a cluster of courses to enhance their major," Kolmar said. "It's really opening things up, providing more flexibility."
Other changes include a mandatory off-campus experience-anything from an internship, a semester abroad, or a civic engagement experience. Also, a "capstone" experience established by the major (such as a senior seminar), and the option to propose your own breadth requirements are among the most drastic changes in the first year experience.
The Draft Proposal for Revision of General Education presented by Kolmar contains the most major changes to the breadth of courses required for students to take. It includes a complete "re-imagining" of the First Year Seminar, called "The College Seminar," and a "learning portfolio" that students will work on throughout their Drew years, Kolmar said. "We want students to be thinking ahead and really thinking about what they want to get out of their Drew experience," Kolmar said.
The draft states that students will be required to take at least one course in five different areas: natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, arts and interdisciplinary courses.
More controversial, however, is the added requirement for a "quantitative reasoning" course, such as statistics, calculus, or computer science. A course applying these skills is also required. "We're very unusual not to require quantitative reasoning already," Kolmar said. "And the different departments are very committed to redesigning non-major courses to incorporate that."
Minors would also be optional in the proposal, Kolmar said. The reasoning, she said, is that, while most students seek out minors, not requiring them gives the opportunity for students to build a unique college experience. "They can broaden and gather a cluster of courses to enhance their major," Kolmar said. "It's really opening things up, providing more flexibility."
Other changes include a mandatory off-campus experience-anything from an internship, a semester abroad, or a civic engagement experience. Also, a "capstone" experience established by the major (such as a senior seminar), and the option to propose your own breadth requirements are among the most drastic changes in the first year experience.
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