Gen Ed

Trends in general education

• late 50's
  • Increase in amount of general education
  • Spreading general education through four years
  • General education to "even" student skills
  • Ability to elect from specialized courses
  • More English composition
  • More social science
• post-Vietnam era
  • Lessening of requirements
  • Get a job
  • The Closing of the American Mind
• 90's
  • Liberal arts schools return to the "core"
  • The others are close behind

Common features

• Writing Across the Curriculum
• First year experience
• Capstone courses
• Getting dirty hands
  • Experiential
  • Service learning
  • Undergraduate research
• The "core"
  • Designated core courses
  • Thematically-focused interdisciplinary Courses
  • Course clusters

A couple of other things to deal with

• Attrition
• Assessment
• "Helicopter" parents

A look at some nearby colleges

• Western Carolina
• Appalachian State
• Warren Wilson
• Brevard College
• Clemson

A couple of colleges in Cambridge

• MIT
• Hahvahd

UNCA

• ILS

old stuff

• UNCA 10 years ago
• Really old catalogs