We’ve all had to fit those Gen-Ed requirements into our busy schedules. Many groan at the thought of taking another class that has nothing to do with our majors or that is impossibly boring. Beyond the struggles of course registration, the system is outdated. The current “check-list” process we have now was developed decades ago, and the requirements are not as suited for the current real-world environment outside of the college. The consensus is that something has to change.
Since last year, the momentum of Gen-Ed reform has picked up speed, and an immense amount of work has been put into creating a new model for education goals at Connecticut College. The downfalls of our current system have been realized, and with the Education Planning Committee at the forefront, alternative methods are being sought. A massive amount of collaboration has taken place between individual faculty, departments, centers and programs to form the future of our school. This educational reform will redefine what it means to be a Conn student and what it means to have a liberal arts education.
This summer, a working group was set to the task of developing a few guiding principles to base future curricula around and to set as interdisciplinary goals for the College. The principles were voted upon and approved by the faculty at their meeting this past Wednesday, Dec. 4. They are based off of the College’s core values and centered around a few key concepts: intentionality, local and global engagement and inclusive excellence.
That first point, intentionality, is the desire for the education experience to be applicable to the modern living experience by making each class valuable in the student’s life here at Conn. It’s important to encourage the student’s desire to learn, while also making sure that the knowledge is relevant and varied enough to enable success as a student and beyond.
“Global and local engagement” is a reinvigoration of the College mission statement (“Connecticut College educates students to put the liberal arts into action as citizens in a global society”). This emphasizes the importance of understanding our lives in a multilayer of social platforms as well as widespread student community involvement.
The last concept, inclusive excellence, addresses the need for diversity awareness and encouragement. This concept has been the most contested – over what it truly means and how it can be applied in situations where diversity seems to be irrelevant (say, a science lab). It has been acknowledged though, that diversity is something that permeates every aspect of a college student’s life, and life inside the classroom cannot be isolated from that reality. Despite concerns of application, there has been a lot of positive feedback about the possibilities this concept has as a highly held value of our school.
Some are wondering – without a ‘check-list’ to guide us, how will students become well-rounded? Professor Loomis of the Biology department explained at the Student Government Association (SGA) last month that it would be more of a self-designed education package, where the student will work more closely with advisers to create a rounded and fulfilling experience at Conn.
The prospect of changing that system is exciting…even if it won’t directly affect current students. That’s right – the majority of these changes will not happen for a couple of years. Professor Loomis assured SGA that it will take a while – “You can’t really just plop it on the ground and implement it – it’s a process of trial and error”.
If you want to be a part of the action, you can get involved now by joining a Student Advisory Board – they will have a major part to play in the way that the new model will be applied to their individual departments.
Although it won’t get the current students out of that last Area Requirement, this reform will pose a major alteration in the way that the students, faculty, and staff function at the school. This model will last for years to come, and it’s an incredible opportunity to change the lives of future students and the face of Connecticut College. •
