Appendix A

“3A.Identify the approach to general education at WSU as either alternative 1 or 2 (as outlined below) with consideration given to the concerns and recommendations of the Ad hoc General Education Committee. Based on the collective experience of the Ad hoc General Education Committee members, some issues were found to be extremely relevant to the continued assessment of the General Education program. A primary concern is “program identity”. Intuitively, the Ad hoc General Education Committee has identified two basic philosophies behind the prescription of a general education program among the WSU faculty. Both appear to have broad support on campus and both address the Wichita State University educational mission. However, a major difference between the two models can bee seen in how they affect the underlying general education program structure.

Alternatives:

1. On one hand, general education can be considered equivalent of a broad liberal arts education. The Wichita State University institutional mission, the goals and objectives are all consistent with this philosophy. It also corresponds with the course structure of approximately 85-90 introductory courses, 300 or more Further Study courses, and approximately 26-30 Issues and perspectives courses reflect this perception. Indeed, in such a model, all upper level courses in Liberal Arts and Sciences listed with proper prerequisite could be Further Study studies. Introductory classes would continue to be monitored in the manner of the currently implemented model.

2. Alternatively, General Education can be viewed as a more clearly defined core component (see original General Education program objectives) of an otherwise broad liberal Arts and Science based educational experience. In such a model, there is a call for greater definition of the objectives of the program, thus a corresponding definition of the nature of the courses in the curriculum. This model, although it addresses the same mission, goals and objectives, should be defined more specifically to address particular components such as writing, numerical skills, and introductory level exposure across the existing program divisions (Humanities and Fine Arts, Social Science, Biological and Natural Science).

Ad hoc General Education Committee Recommendations:

a. Were WSU faculty to accept the former model (1.) the General Education committee charge should be changed to monitor program assessment, intro and basic skills courses.

b. If the latter model (2) is selected, the curriculum should be limited with a clearly defined focus. Course selections for the Introductory and further study courses should be reviewed regularly for their content and program specific substance. Courses should be judged on content and not division or discipline. Limits on numbers of courses in this alternative model should be enforced strict enforcement of the prescribed formats

c. The committee suggests that a General Education program with a limited number of course is more difficult to administer and maintain but that it could be meaningful if a focus is defined in relation to a broader Liberal Arts education while remaining a distinct component thereof. Without such a distinction, there is little basis for identifying what the program stands for and less basis for defining the course curriculum comprising the program.

The findings of the Ad hoc General Education Committee:

The category of courses identified as Issues and Perspective is currently conceived as "a way to address the need for a component in the general education that exposes students to certain valuable subjects and methodologies including courses having as their focus issues or problems which have merged as matters of concern from contemporary conditions of life and culture."

The number of Issues and perspective courses comprises a small group of listings (approximately 25) many of which are irregularly offered. The current general education program requirement of at least one Issues and Perspectives course is currently not enforced in degree audits. Advisors cite the regular unavailability of courses in this category as the primary reason for making this exception although no formal guideline for making this exception is in place.

Based on a limited study of course offerings during the academic fall semester from the period 1998-2001 the committee identified a total of 85 sections of 25 courses offered in the Issues and Perspectives category. Only 18 of the courses were offered more than once during the four semesters included in the study.

Ad hoc General Education Committee Recommendations:

The committee recommends that the Issues and Perspectives category be dropped from the General Education program. The committee is concerned that the category is not clearly defined and courses in this category are not offered frequently enough to facilitate the implementation of this requirement of the General Education program. The Committee also expresses concern that there is not sufficient distinction between the Further Study and Issues and Perspectives categories of courses in the current curriculum. Finally, the committee finds it a serious concern that transfer students who frequently fulfill their General Education elsewhere are not exposed to an "integrative" course such as originally intended by the Issues and Perspective category of courses. To address these concerns, the committee recommends replacing the Issues and Perspectives requirement with an "integrative" graduation requirement to be taken by ALL graduates regardless of transfer or other status. The course should be based on a general Liberal Arts perspective but the focus can be college specific. This change will have the effect of simplifying the structure of the General Education program while also enhancing the potential achievement of the University educational mission by assuring exposure to this level course to all future WSU graduates.

3B. Adjust the Further Study Courses (Upper Division) course component of the WSU general education program to suit any changes resulting from the taskforce’s recommendation in 3A.

1. The Ad hoc General Education Committee discussed the renaming of the Further Study category to "Upper Division". Awaiting the larger debate over the role of the General Education program, the committee recommends maintaining the current distribution requirements of 12 hours in Humanities and Fine Arts, 9 hours in Social Science, and 9 - 12 hours in biological and natural science. In accordance with its decision on the question of program identity, the faculty senate should act accordingly and either open up the further study courses to include all upper division courses in the College of Arts and Sciences. One requirement of all courses is that to qualify as general education, they should carry a defined prerequisite (Introductory course or category) facilitating proper advising.

Please observe that the taskforce is encouraged to interact with other groups working concurrently on issues concerning general education at WSU. This is especially important because of the related tasks assigned to different committees.