It is notoriously difficult to change a core curriculum. As credit hours and course requirements are revised, politics quickly come into play and turf battles arise to create obstacles. The author writes that, in her experience, there are two default approaches to curricular change. The first is simply to "tweak" an existing…

Saint Mary's College, a single-gender Catholic institution in northern Indiana with approximately 1,600 students, has just revised a general education curriculum that had been in place for nearly forty years. The board of trustees unanimously approved the new curriculum in April 2010. In this article, the author discusses seven key lessons learned…

A review of the contributions of the 1931 Rollins College conference on progressivism in higher education finds that it made active rather than passive education possible and thus diminished the possibility of a common, shared education. (MSE)

The process by which an interdisciplinary faculty team from California State University-Northridge developed an interdisciplinary program of upperdivision linked courses is described. Short- and long-term changes in the curriculum and practical considerations in making those changes are highlighted. (MSE)

Describes changes at Wesleyan University (Connecticut) since 1997 to foster curricular coherence in the liberal arts without imposing a curricular core. Changes include an on-line registration system, a curriculum plan for the first two years which helps students create sequences of interdisciplinary study in addition to the major, Web-based…

Examines two positions in the debate on how best to teach science to undergraduates: science literacy for all students and doing science as science is done. Notes the reform efforts of Project Kaleidoscope and the Science Education for New Civic Engagement and Responsibilities (SENCER) project of the American Association of Colleges and…

It is argued that, if today's college students are to be prepared for citizenship and careers, they must learn about both the complexity of American society and global interconnections and that this is accomplished best through general education that is both intercultural and interdisciplinary. (MSE)

The curriculum development process leading to Bradford College's new Practical Liberal Arts Education plan, an interdisciplinary core curriculum focusing on the theme of the common bonds of human beings, is discussed. (MSE)

A participant in a conference on interdisciplinary general education at the college level highlights some of the issues addressed there: institutional limitations and opportunities; interdisciplinarity versus the power of deep disciplinary inquiry; cross-disciplinary linkages versus interdisciplinary inquiry; and the role of student development…

A general education reform initiative, emphasizing an interdisciplinary approach, is being developed at the State University of New York-Geneseo by a team of faculty and administrators as the result of a national conference. Emphasis is placed on the process by which the initiative evolved, team membership, the role of the conference, and timing.…

The Jacksonville University (Alabama) experience with reforming its mathematics major is described. The process, designed to meet student career needs while maintaining academic integrity, involved realignment of program objectives with student goals, which often did not include immediate graduate study. Other considerations included…

While curriculum development can be difficult, implementation of changes can be equally problematic. However, implementation of a new program offers many opportunities for campus renewal and curriculum development, reevaluation of academic and administrative practices, and enhancement of community and institutional relationships. (MSE)

Discussion at the Wingspread Conference on the New American College (August 1994) concerning a new model of educational excellence in higher education is summarized. The model emphasizes the need to connect general education with specialized education, theoretical learning with practical learning, and development of intellectual skills with…

Lessons learned while reforming the core curriculum at the College of Saint Catherine (Minnesota) are outlined, including: broad ownership of the curriculum by faculty is essential; sometimes curriculum issues are more about faculty than students; a means for arriving at consensus must be devised; planning should take the curriculum through its…