Despite efforts of both administration and faculty, the intent and the execution of new curricular initiatives are not always in alignment. To understand how the declaration of a campus-wide general education initiative was being implemented, this article combines analyses of syllabi and courses from across disciplines. In an initial review, the…

Written communication and oral communication are inextricably linked as essential life skills and as desirable educational outcomes. However, there is a clear disconnect between what Alabama colleges expect of their graduates and what they are providing them in terms of oral communication education. The steps taken to develop the general studies…

This essay explores why, despite repeated affirmations of the importance of civic education in undergraduate education, preparing students to understand and play an active role in democratic life is, for the most part, a marginal and episodic part of the undergraduate experience. After describing various factors that have contributed to its…

The international branch campus is a relatively new but growing phenomenon that raises many questions of values, pedagogy, and culture and is also receiving increasing scrutiny. What an international branch campus imports unchanged from its home country, in terms of curriculum, student services, and culture, and what it adapts to local populations…

The desirable future direction of a liberal education is discussed. (CK)

Documents the close interrelationship of science and technology to all areas of human endeavor. Cites important issues for general education to address. Recommends a favorable academic structure, a climate of support, a system of recognition, and specific institutional strategies for successful general education programs with science and…

Focusing on general education literature published in the last five years, summarizes current concerns. Focuses on definitions of general education, its content and outcomes, and new curricular developments. (DMM)

Reviews Bode's criticisms of "General Education in a Free Society: Report of the Harvard Committee" (1945). Relates Bode's views of the purposes of general education, underscoring his concern with epistemological issues and democracy and his faith in the scientific enterprise. Envisions Bode's probable response to Harvard's report on the…

Describes the rationale, process, and organization of an integrated, cross-disciplinary undergraduate program known as the Integrated Business Common Core (IBC) at the University of Idaho. Indicates that IBC's goal is to provide students with an understanding of key business issues, with emphasis on processes. (2 tables and 11 references) (JDI)

Considers the applicability of the Socratic model of education for curriculum revision today. Argues that traditional learning in the liberal arts provides the foundation on which critical abilities, and then creative solutions to problems, can be developed. (DMM)

Offers an overview of Nigerian higher education. Analyzes three approaches being taken to introduce general education into the university curriculum (i.e., proscribed course of study, distribution-across-disciplines, and core general education courses). Discusses the difficulties being encountered, including faculty disinterest and rigid academic…

The three-year bachelors degree program is an old part of American educational tradition. Herein, the author discusses the implications for use of the three-year baccalaureate. (RK)

Describes the goals which the faculty at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Massachusetts, set for its new program (particularly for engineering education) and the new teaching and implementation strategies developed to attain those goals, and then examines the tentative results. (Author/RK)

Describes the new general education program at James Madison University (Virginia) and the process by which it was developed. Indicates that the program is organized by five broad areas of knowledge that are defined by interdisciplinary clusters of learning objectives, which in turn were developed using input from every academic department on…

Discusses Lyotard's view of the narrative as a story through which meanings are legitimated. Reviews the development of the core curriculum of New York's Columbia College, arguing that it represents a "grand narrative" of the college. Discusses the effect of this narrative on students and faculty. (26 citations) (AJL)