History of the General Education Curriculum Revision
Phase I: Curriculum Review
Spring, 2002 - Spring, 2004
The General Education Core Curriculum Review Committee was formed during the spring semester of 2002 to review NCAT's current General Education program with the aim of recommending revisions to the core curriculum that would promote the development of a broad set of intellectual skills in students, introduce students to various methods of inquiry, provide students with the foundational skills needed to succeed in their major and career, and encourage the development of a responsive learning environment providing "visionary and distinctive interdisciplinary learning, discovery, and engagement" (Goal 2 of the FUTURES Vision Statement).
During the curriculum review stage, the Committee undertook a comprehensive review of NCAT's current General Education program, including comparisons with peer institutions, surveys of faculty, student transcript reviews, and student focus groups. The result of this review was a Summary Report, completed in June, 2002. During the fall semester of 2003, external consultants from the University of Minnesota and NC State University visited campus to review the General Education program and provided the Committee with a report of their findings. The Committee responded to the external reviewers' recommendations in spring of 2003 and also developed an initial draft of General Education objectives and expected outcomes.
During the summer of 2003 a General Education Core Curriculum Review Committee Executive Committee was formed to begin developing a detailed General Education Review and Revision Plan, including a timeline.
At the August, 2003 Faculty-Staff Institute the General Education Core Curriculum Committee's draft objectives/expected outcomes and review plan were shared with the faculty. During the fall, 2003 semester the Committee conducted a series of Town Hall meetings to solicit feedback on the initial draft of the General Education objectives/expected outcomes, with the aim of developing a revised set of objectives/expected outcomes that would form the foundation for the revised general education curriculum. These revised learning objectives, as well as a general education mission statement and "guiding principles" were endorsed by faculty in each school/college in spring, 2004.
During late spring and summer, 2004, the committee's work turned toward developing a revised general education curriculum, program assessment process, and governance structure.
Phase II: Curriculum Revision
Spring, 2004 - Summer, 2005
Development of a revised general education core curriculum, assessment process, and governance structure began during spring, 2004, following attendance by three of the executive committee members at the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) annual Assessment Conference in Long Beach, CA, in March, 2004.
In the following two months the General Education Core Curriculum Committee developed drafts of a preliminary model of a revised general education structure for NC A&T based on the highly successful (and nationally-recognized) Portland State University University Studies program. A preliminary draft of the general structure of this model, based on an intentional intellectual development process for students highlighting four knowledge areas (communication; critical thinking; social responsibility, civic engagement, and ethics; and diversity and world cultures), can be found in the
committee's minutes during late spring, 2004. In addition, the committee began to discuss potential governance models.
In May, 2004, North Carolina A&T was selected to attend the AAC&U Institute on General Education (May 21-26) in Newport, RI, following a competitive proposal process. A team of five members of the General Education Core Curriculum Committee participated in the Institute, working on the areas of program structure, program and course assessment, and program governance. During the Institute the team had the opportunity to work one-on-one with a number of nationally-recognized experts in general education revision. The work of the team led to a number of action items to be undertaken during the 2004-2005 academic year.
During the summer, 2004, 21 faculty members were engaged in redesigning current courses to serve as pilot general education courses during fall, 2004 (see
News / Information / Reports ). The objective of this course redesign was to align the courses with the new general education learning objectives, increase the interdisciplinary nature of the courses, and experiment with innovative teaching pedagogy and assessment techniques.
During the 2004-2005 academic year, the General Education Core Curriculum Committee will be meeting with administrators and faculty to share the preliminary revised general education structure and governance structure, solicit feedback, and seek endorsement. At the same time, the Committee will be more fully developing the assessment process that will be used to admit courses into the general education program and assess their success at meeting program learning objectives over time.
The revised general education program will begin being phased in during the 2005-2006 academic year.
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