The University of Auckland Senate Committee is currently reviewing and revising Auckland University's general education program for the first time in nearly 20 years.
General Education Curriculum Revision Committee (GEPRC) is the Higher Education Commission (HLC) Update to new model.
Currently, OU's general education program operates on a distributed model.
“Current general education programs require students to complete several categories of courses. They have [to take] Courses in social sciences, courses in natural sciences and technology…there are these checkboxes,” said GEPRC co-chair Laila Guessous. “Many universities in the country, in fact probably the majority, are moving away from that model.”
The committee includes representatives from the advisor, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, all professional schools on campus, and more.
Gessus said the committee is currently conducting a “listening tour” across campus to gather information and feedback from various departments and departments. In early March, the committee will meet with the University of Auckland Student Council.
“Our aim here is to hear what kinds of skills, dispositions and background knowledge the various units want all of their students to take away from their general education, but also to ask all “It's about asking what college students should take away from their general education…and maybe identifying some of the gaps that we're looking at,” Guess said.
In addition, some committee members attend the Institute for General Education, Pedagogy, and Evaluation. Association of American Universities Learn about alternative general education models.
GEPRC Co-Chair Maria Paino said the importance of updating the general education model is to ensure OU graduates have flexibility in their academic and professional careers.
“We want to design a program and create a new general education curriculum that really helps students. It's modern and updated and it's going to give them the skills to get into all kinds of different jobs. ” said Paino. “Right now, I think there is a disconnect between current general education curricula and programs and what students need from a job market standpoint.
“We want Oakland University students to have the confidence to try out different types of jobs, because so many people don't stay in fields that align with their major,” Paino said. added.
“We ultimately want something that is exciting and engaging, and that gives students the opportunity to explore different fields and perhaps take a series of courses based on what they are passionate about. We want to provide that,” Gessos said. “This is not about preparing students for a specific job, but rather providing them with the skills and confidence in their abilities to be adaptable and continue to learn throughout their lives. That’s why.”
However, due to the scale of the project and the need to ensure a smooth transition for students, changes are not expected to occur for at least another year and a half.
“Our hope is to submit some proposals to faculty over the summer for them to vote on and fine-tune, so it will take at least one more school year after that before we can begin piloting the program. We think it will take a year,''' Paino said.
“Others say that general education reform typically takes three to seven years. We really don't want to do seven years,” Gessos said. “We really feel this is a very important issue and very timely. We want to get through it as quickly as possible, but not create new problems by rushing through it. Don't forget to do the same.”
Soon, surveys and focus groups will be conducted with students to gather feedback. However, students can now submit input by contacting their field's committee member, Paino. [email protected] or by guessing [email protected].
“We want to hear from the student side,” Gessos said. “We may have ideas, but we are not the ones taking the classes.”