GenEd Task Force Report - May 2010

Click on the link below to read the General Education Task Force report on its progress thus far. Please feel free to react with comments on this blog!

GenEd Task Force Report - May 2010

Faculty "gut" reactions about desired outcomes

At the February plenary meeting of the Martin Luther College faculty, the "question of the month" from this blog was posed to MLC faculty members, seeking their quick, instinctive reactions to our big question:

What knowledge, skills and attitudes should ALL graduates of MLC end up acquiring?

At the following link, you can read a report concerning the faculty's brief reactions:

Faculty Reactions -- Knowledge - Attitudes - Skills

Describe (in general) an MLC graduate

Time for another Question of the Month! ... Okay, well, actually it's a new question about every other month. :-)

A big part of planning general education for a college is thinking in terms of the OUTCOME we want at the end of the process. So for the January/February Question of the Month, we ask you to think about what kind of person comes out as a graduate of our college. Think NOT in terms of job-specific competencies (like Biblical languages for pastors or pedagogical techniques for teachers). Rather, think in general:
What knowledge, skills and attitudes should ALL graduates of MLC end up acquiring?

• What should every MLC graduate know?
• What should every MLC graduate be able to do?
• What should every MLC graduate have as desirable dispositions or qualities?

What does a GenEd course look like?

Previously, we posed a question about what an overall general education curriculum should look like.

This month, we'd like to put the focus on planning a single course.

Question of the Month for November/December:

• How would you describe an ideal general education course? What, in your view, should be the goals or aims of any single general education class?

Thanks! More to come soon!

Many thanks to the many of you who have shared your thoughtful comments on this blog over the past month or so. The General Education Task Force at MLC values your input.

Look for a new "Question of the Month" to be appearing soon! Meanwhile, if you have a question you think we should ask, suggest it with a comment in reply to this note.

- David Sellnow, GenEd Task Force chairman

Question of the Month: What will it include?

MLC's GenEd Task Force will be using this web location as a place for all interested persons to provide input on the general education program of our college. Each month we will post a new "Question of the Month," asking bloggers to weigh in with thoughts on a variety of issues.

Here's the question of the month for September/October:

Pretend that you are starting from scratch to create a Lutheran college of ministry that will operate in the 21st century. Think about the general education such a college should offer ALL of its students. What sorts of knowledge, abilities or skills should all students acquire?

Please note:

• We're not asking for specialized knowledge (like pastors learning Greek or preschool teachers understanding young children's development). Think of common aims for ALL graduates of a college for called workers.
• We are looking broad ideas, not specific course descriptions. Think in terms of aptitudes or attitudes or understandings. For instance, don't so much say, "I think you'd need a Western civilization course," but perhaps, "Students will learn to understand how past history has shaped the world in which we live today," etc. We want this to be a thought exercise which will build a list of essential ingredients in a general education program.

So, you have your question of the month ... now get talking! You need not list every possible aspect you can think of. Mention the item(s) that seem especially important to you, and tell us why you think so.

Note: The blog lets you post comments anonymously if you wish (you do not have to sign into Google groups in order to comment). However, whenever possible, if you are willing, we urge you to sign your own posts with your name and who you are -- MLC student, alumnus/alumna, faculty or staff member, etc.