News
New General Education Program continues to unfold through GEPRC
The Pointer
jmath438@uwsp.edu
After initial approval of a procedure for the new General Education Program by the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point’s faculty senate, the third step of the procedure was approved Wednesday, April 15.
The committee has been established to start from scratch and develop an entirely new program.
The third step of the General Education Policy Review Committee is to “Identify the GEP model (core, distribution, etc.); including its relationship to degree types (B.A., B.S., B.F.A., B.M., etc.).”
“That model recommends that we have a distribution model,” said GEPRC co-chair Greg Summers. “It makes a recommendation about establishing a separate set of degree requirements that would be created by the university’s academic affairs committee.”
According to the UW-SP General Education Research Team Report, the distribution model allows students to choose their own GDR classes from various menus that are divided by category as opposed to set, specific courses as under a core model.
The proposal that was given Wednesday has three main components, the first being that the General Education Program should apply to all students.
“The gen. ed. is for all students,” said GEPRC co-chair Don Guay. “Right now you have a gen. ed. for B.A., gen. ed. for B.S. On the proposal, that won’t exist. Gen. eds. for everyone.”
According the GEPRC’s proposal, the current model is not built around clear learning outcomes and is incoherent and difficult to assess. The new GEP will rest on a foundation of clearly stated, measurable learning outcomes.
Along with the required gen. eds. for all students, a number of classes required for each degree type and major will also be required for individual students.
“The campus has to have a conversation as to what is a B.A. degree, what is a B.S. degree,” said Guay. “There is no standard definition.”
In addition to the aforementioned proposals, a third, stating, “No single course should be allowed to satisfy more than one GEP requirement” was tabled until the completion of step four of the procedure. This proposal would effectively create a new GEP without “silver bullets,” but with less credits.
“I think with the feedback we got from campus about that didn’t feel like they were ready to make a decision about silver bullets until they actually had an idea of what the curriculum looked like,” said Summers.
The GEPRC encourages students to attend their meetings. The meetings are every Thursday from 9:30 – 11:00 a.m.
