scholarly journals PRINCIPLES OF THE U. S. GENERAL EDUCATION CURRICILUM DESIGN

2020 ◽  
pp. 214-223
Author(s):  
Svitlana FEDORENKO ◽  
Keyword(s):  
General Education ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Personal Development ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Curriculum ◽  
Component Composition ◽  
Academic Experience ◽  
Transferable Skills ◽  
General Education Curriculum ◽  
The Arts

On the basis of the analysis of the U. S. general education curriculathe three mainprinciples oftheir design (i.e. content, teaching and learning strategies, assessment and evaluation processes) are identified and enlarged upon: principle of systemicity (supported by identifying components of general education and specify-ing its tasks as a system to ensure its integrity and focus on forming students’ transferable skills); principle of plu-ralism (focused on taking into account constant sociocul-tural changes in globalized pluralistic societywithin dif-ferent knowledge areas of general education); principle of effectiveness (based on defining the outcomes of learning and personal development of students in the system of general education). The general education component in the undergraduate curriculum is highlighted as the core of the undergraduate academic experience developing im-portant intellectual and civic capacities of students. The typical content of general education curriculum at the U. S. higher education institutions is outlined, comprising “thecommunicative component” (composition and rhetoric coursesorwriting studies,and first year seminarson various sociocultural themes), and “the breadth compo-nent” (the arts, natural and social sciences, and mathe-matics). It is stated that the U.S.general education is intended to acquaint students with sociocultural knowledge accumulated by humanity; promote better self-understanding and awareness of their place and role in society; develop the ability to adequately assess the pos-sibilities for their self-realization; teach students to think independently and critically, and to communicate in a civilized and effective way with other people and the world at large

Enhancing Dynamic-Content Courses with Student-Oriented Learning Strategies

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 24-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ioanna Dionysiou ◽  
Despo Ktoridou
Keyword(s):  
Computer Security ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Curriculum ◽  
Independent Learning ◽  
Underlying Structure ◽  
Security Education ◽  
Dynamic Content ◽  
Digital Era

Constant risk to the confidentiality, integrity and the availability of information in our everyday lives and work has increased the need for responsible use and handling of information. Security education is becoming an integral part of any undergraduate curriculum in computer science and information systems. The evolving role of security in this digital era makes it nontrivial to decide the appropriate topics that need to be covered during the course duration in a way that all aspects of security deployment are examined. The only approach to this challenge is to use student-oriented learning strategies to encourage the students not only to recognize relationships between concepts and comprehend the underlying structure of what is being learned but also expose them to methods where they are responsible for their own independent learning. The current study examines the experiences gained in COMP-431 Computer Security, a senior-level undergraduate computer security course using such methods, with an emphasis on the students’ reactions, perceptions, and experiences as well as the educator’s role in the teaching and learning process.

Introduction

1992 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard M. Freeland
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
General Education ◽  
College Education ◽  
Undergraduate Curriculum ◽  
Student Population ◽  
Social Consequences ◽  
Academic Leaders ◽  
Active Involvement ◽  
The Arts ◽  
History Of

This book began as an exploration of a paradox in the history of American universities. In the twenty-five years following World War II, the student population served by these institutions became more diverse and the societal purposes they served became more varied. Yet, during the same period, universities themselves became more alike. The contradictions were easy to observe. It was obvious that the academic and social backgrounds of students—and consequently their needs, skills, and interests—became more heterogeneous in the postwar years, yet the undergraduate curricula of universities increasingly stressed highly academic subjects, especially the arts and sciences. Similarly, universities pursued a well-documented trend toward greater involvement in practical affairs and social problem solving in the 1950s and 1960s, while also adhering to a narrowing focus on doctoral programs and research in the basic disciplines. I wanted to understand the forces, both internal and external to campuses, that promoted this puzzling conjunction of converging characteristics and expanding functions. I also wanted to assess the academic and social consequences of this pattern. The decline of institutional diversity was only the most startling of a number of apparently inconsistent developments associated with an era of historic growth among universities. Almost as curious was the fact that, while expansion occurred mostly to accommodate increased demand for college education, institutional attention to teaching diminished, as did concern about the undergraduate curriculum. Meanwhile, graduate programs, whose chief function was to train college teachers, tended to slight preparation for instructional work and to nurture research skills. Indeed, as growth intensified academia’s role in socializing the nation’s youth, universities dismantled the programs of general education that were the primary vehicles they had created for that purpose. More broadly, the active involvement of universities in the definition and resolution of social problems went hand in hand with the consolidation of an academic value system quite remote from most Americans. Even the increasing heterogeneity of the student population was not free of contradiction. Academic leaders claimed credit for making their institutions more democratic during the postwar years by reducing traditional barriers to admission—including those of income and race.

Levels of reflection on teaching a leadership and positive youth development subject

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hildie Leung
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
General Education ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Positive Youth Development ◽  
Personal Development ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
University Curriculum ◽  
Education Environment ◽  
The Impact

AbstractTo promote holistic development in Chinese university students in Hong Kong, a general education subject entitled “Tomorrow’s Leaders” was developed and has been fully implemented in the new 4-year university curriculum since 2012. In the present article, the Onion Model is used as a framework for conducting systematic teacher reflection to enhance professional development. Challenges and issues central to the environment, behavior, competencies, beliefs, identity, and mission, as experienced and observed by a teacher of a leadership and positive youth development subject in Hong Kong, are discussed. Issues include the Hong Kong education environment, the impact of reinforcement, and the role of culture in teaching and learning, as well as postulations on leadership and human development. The article concludes with implications of the core reflection on my personal development.

scholarly journals Didactics and corporative education: the entrepreneurial challenge of continuous education

2009 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-82
Author(s):  
Eliane Maria Pires Giavina Bianchi
Keyword(s):  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Personal Development ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Corporate University ◽  
Corporate Education ◽  
Corporate Universities ◽  
Important Player ◽  
Technical Teaching

The expressive increase of corporate universities, as an answer to changes in the economic scenario and to the perceived deficiency in the formal education; turn those entities in an important player in the educational process. The preoccupation with teaching and learning strategies is fundamental to the establishment of human competencies: keys to personal development, enterprise growth and, consequently, to the progress of the nations. This article has the objective of promote a reflection on didactics practices used in corporate education, using a case study in a corporate university of an international information provider company. It is not conclusive, but the corporation has a rich environment to use technical teaching and learning resources, but the transformation of the organizational managers into educator is not in place yet.

scholarly journals Reflective Writing as an Assessment for Student Analysis and Synthesis Ability in a Landscape Design Course

2010 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 668-671 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann Marie VanDerZanden
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Curriculum ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Landscape Design ◽  
Reflective Writing ◽  
Writing Assignments ◽  
Practical Applications ◽  
Analysis And Synthesis

Horticulture graduates entering the field of landscape design and installation must be able to integrate technical skills with practical applications. This requires higher-order thinking skills such as critical thinking, which can be practiced through various teaching and learning strategies in an undergraduate curriculum. The objective of this project was to develop a series of three reflective writing assignments in a landscape design course to help students improve their critical thinking skills of analysis and synthesis. Scores on an 18-point quiz question for 110 students enrolled in Beginning Garden Composition (HORT 380) from 2005 to 2009 were compared. The comparison was between 2 years when the reflective writing assignments were not part of the course and 3 years when the assignments were included in the course. Quiz scores increased significantly for the students who completed the reflective writing assignments (average of 16.2 out of 18) compared with students who did not complete the assignments as part of the course (average 10.2 out of 18).

Teachers’ views of a new general education program in Hong Kong: a qualitative study

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel T.L. Shek ◽  
Lu Yu ◽  
Florence K.Y. Wu ◽  
Wen Y. Chai
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Education Reform ◽  
General Education ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Curriculum ◽  
First Year ◽  
Implementation Quality ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
New Education ◽  
Academic Year

Abstract Under the new education reform in Hong Kong, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has expanded its undergraduate education from 3 to 4 years since the 2012–2013 academic year. Along with the transition, the General University Requirements (GUR) has been developed as an integral part on general education of the new 4-year undergraduate curriculum of PolyU. The present study examined the implementation quality and effectiveness of the GUR in the 2012–2013 academic year based on focus group interviews with teachers. Twenty teachers who taught GUR subjects were interviewed for their perceptions and experiences about the GUR. Results revealed that the teachers generally had positive perceptions of the GUR in terms of its rationales, teaching and learning modes, and implementation quality. GUR subjects were also considered effective in helping students to develop in a holistic manner. The findings suggest that the first-year implementation of the GUR at PolyU was basically successful.

Comparison Analysis of Civil Engineering Undergraduate Curriculum among Universities in China, US and Europe

2014 ◽  
Vol 638-640 ◽  
pp. 2402-2408 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yun Zhou ◽  
Jun Kai Zhang ◽  
Lin Jin Li ◽  
Sha Liao ◽  
Zhi Fang
Keyword(s):  
General Education ◽  
Civil Engineering ◽  
Undergraduate Curriculum ◽  
University Education ◽  
Comparison Analysis ◽  
Course Structure ◽  
General Education Curriculum ◽  
Basic Stage ◽  
Foreign Universities ◽  
Practical Teaching

University education is a basic stage of engineers’ cultivation. The purpose of this paper is to draw instructive conclusions by analyzing differences between Chinese and foreign universities on civil engineering undergraduate education. Teaching methods were taken into consideration. Statistical data in thirty famous universities in China, US and Europe were collected. After comparing differences of civil engineering curriculums from selected colleges, four aspects were analyzed such as the total number of teaching hours, course structure, general education curriculum and practical teaching. It is obvious that specialized courses are taken seriously in Europe universities while general education lessons are valued in American universities. There are also many differences among universities in three regions when referring to approaches of practical teaching.

Active Learning and Student Engagement via 3D Printing and Design: Integrating Undergraduate Research, Service Learning, and Cross-Disciplinary Collaborations

MRS Advances ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (56) ◽  
pp. 3703-3708 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lon A. Porter
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
3D Printing ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Ethical Awareness ◽  
The Arts ◽  
Active Learning Strategies ◽  
Service Learning Projects

ABSTRACTIn order to provide students with the training required to meet the substantial and diverse challenges of the 21st Century, effective programs in engineering, science, and technology must continue to take the lead in developing high-impact educational practices. Over the past year, faculty across several departments collaborated in the establishment of a campus 3D printing and fabrication center. This facility was founded to offer opportunities for exploring innovative active learning strategies in order to enhance the lives of Wabash College students and serve as a model to other institutions of higher education. This campus resource provides the infrastructure that will empower faculty and staff to explore diverse and meaningful cross-disciplinary collaborations related to teaching and learning across campus. New initiatives include the development of courses on design and fabrication, collaborative cross-disciplinary projects that bridge courses in the arts and sciences, 3D printing and fabrication-based undergraduate research internships, and entrepreneurial collaborations with local industry. These innovative approaches are meant to open the door to greater active learning experiences that empower and prepare students for creative and practical problem solving. Furthermore, service learning projects, community-based opportunities, and global outreach initiatives provide students with a sense of social responsibility, ethical awareness, leadership, and teamwork. This paper shares initial successes of this effort and goals for future enrichment of student learning.

Building protfolios in teaching literature arts forwards developing students’ competency

2021 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-45
Author(s):  
Tong Truong Thanh
Keyword(s):  
General Education ◽  
Language Arts ◽  
Teaching Methods ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Teaching Literature ◽  
Teaching Perspectives ◽  
General Education Curriculum ◽  
Writing Portfolios ◽  
Teaching And Learning Environment

The objectives of Language Arts and Literature in General Education Curriculum are ahered to developing students’ competency and quality. Accordingly, the diversity of teaching methods and techniques is considered as an apporirate pathway to educational innovativons from basic to comprehensive in the 21st century. Strengthening learning activities for students therefore become essential. And designing learning portfolios in the teaching of Language Arts and Literature is one of the useful ways to enhance learning activities for students; consequently, students’ compentency and quality are sharpened. Based on theoretical basis on portfolios, designing processes, designing purposes and their usage of reading portfolios, writing portfolios and E-portfolios are built in order to strengthen students’ learning autonomy. The findings show that building eanring portfolios is definitely suitable to contemporary teaching perspectives and its application to teaching and learning environment at high school sounds fruitful.

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