4) What changes in the General Education program would allow it to better serve your department, our students, and the University as a whole? (set 2)

The general education program should be more flexible.  Topical or special topics approaches to general education might be interesting.  Perhaps a wider range of courses should qualify for general education credits, especially in the Social Sciences; perhaps we should allow any Social Science class to serve as general education credit.

We need to do more to foster numeracy, the ability to learn how to use numbers; we need to promote numeracy either in the context of Math 155 or in a different course.  Data suggests that numeracy is essential for students to succeed in college and after graduation.  Computer literacy also should be covered in general education.

Protect credit hours from being swallowed by the majors by setting aside hours for Absolutely Free Electives.  On the topic of the current Social Science requirement, there was a range of views: drop the requirement from 6 hours to 3; don’t drop the requirement; don’t reduce the number of hours required by general education. 

Separate oversight of general education is necessary.  Don’ t create another administrative-level position, but assign to a Dean or to an Associate VCAA. 

Humanities might be reduced to 12 hours (4 courses, 3 credit-hours each).  Some faculty, however, would consider this to be a mistake.  Separate history courses and humanities courses. Recommend a thematic rather than a chronological approach to the humanities.

Reduce disciplinary courses in Gen Ed.

Reduce total Gen. Ed. hours.  Here's how to reduce them: Humanities ­ 12 hours (3 hour courses); offer outreach programs to community colleges and local high schools; offer UNCA classes in local high schools (Lang. 101/102, Math 155, and perhaps others). These classes could then be transferred in to meet Gen. Ed.  requirements. Look at competencies developed in Gen. Ed. courses, not just hours.  Gen. Ed. should list those competencies and give credit for achieving competencies in other courses.  For example, accept Intro. to Education as a social science. Think of how the general education goals are achieved and be flexible in allowing other courses to meet those goals.

The last Humanities is a capstone course. It should be integrating science along with economics, political science, and literature. (A question rose as to whether Humanities 414 could do that if students had taken a variety of different science course. It was noted that if they could learn to approach a problem as a scientist or understand as scientist, they could use that ability in Humanities.)

There is no need to add a new course every time a new objective is identified. Courses should be designed or redesigned to meet the objectives. General Education should be dynamic. There is no need for more courses, but there is a need to change the courses we have to make sure the qualities we want are, in fact imbedded in the courses we provide.

We need to identify ways to get an attitude of focus and problem solving--removing fear of trial and error.

Times should not be blocked out to serve the needs of one set of classes.

We should not be graduating people who have no computer skills.