University’s curriculum under construction / consideration

by Brittany Yingling
Staff Writer

William Owens, Ohio University professor of classics, presented a revised proposal of OU’s possible new general education requirements at last night’s Faculty Senate meeting.

The main principles of the draft include the combination of general education courses with major courses, learning through repeated practice and the development of courses with active learning, said Owens, chairman of the university’s Educational Policy and Affairs Committee.

"There was concern among members whether the design was attainable," he said.

OU’s General Education Review Steering Committee, co-chaired by University College Dean Patricia Richard and OU professor Thomas Carpenter, spent two years developing the proposed requirements, Faculty Senate Chairman Gary Pfeiffer said.

The committee envisioned the addition of foundational skills, breadth of knowledge, perspectives and research to every undergraduate student’s degree, Richard said.

Carpenter, professor of humanities, said certain guidelines would accompany the new requirements.

"There will be a committee charged with the overall maintenance of the program," he said.

Pfeiffer said he hopes to have the requirements approved by May.

"We plan to have several more months of discussion," he said. "I really feel this is the most important legacy we will have."

In other business, OU President Robert Glidden presented the results of the National Survey of Student Engagement, a survey taken by freshmen and seniors from 276 four-year colleges and universities in the United States.

Glidden presented OU students’ responses to the survey, which was conducted by the Center for Postsecondary Research and Planning at Indiana University-Bloomington.

"This is the bad news," he said, addressing the gap between the expected response and the actual response from OU freshmen and seniors.

OU seniors responded more positively in the survey, which asked a variety of questions about students’ education in college, Glidden said

"We can be proud of that particular performance," he said, regarding the senior response. "We have some correcting to do at that first-year level."

Areas of concern at OU include students' interactions with teachers, campus environment and active and collaborative learning, Glidden said.

"I think there’s some good food for thought here," he said.

Attracting academically strong students continues to be an issue for the university’s administration, OU Provost Sharon Brehm said.

Brehm said $643,000 will fund Student Achievement Awards, which will be given to incoming freshmen based on academic performance in high school and ACT scores.

"If a student comes in, they meet the criteria, they are offered the award," she said.