Saint Mary's College General Education

Present: Chris Cobb (by teleconferencing and presence at meeting); Christopher Dunlap, Janet Fore, Laura Haigwood, Joe Incandela, Phyllis Kaminski, Fran Kominkiewicz, Nancy Nekvasil, Daniel Party (after 12), Charlie Peltier, Patti Sayre, Joanne Snow, Becky Stoddart, Bill Svelmoe, Julie Tourtillotte, Nancy Turner (morning)

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The meeting began at 9:00 a.m. Joanne Snow offered a prayer followed by announcements. Joe Incandela then began a discussion of the vision of the General Education Program to begin the conversation. Discussion of this vision elicited several assumptions members have as we begin our work.

Results of the Design Team 1 (DT 1) were presented by Fran Kominkiewicz with subsequent questions and discussion. Chris Dunlap then presented the results of Design Team 2 (DT 2) also followed by questions and a discussion. Copies of the summaries of the findings of each of the teams were provided to the members. The committee then discussed how to incorporate or use these results from DT 1 and DT 2. The concept of skills was discussed, and how creative thinking can be accomplished (i.e., interpretation of data). The First Year Seminar idea was discussed, particularly the difference in the proposals by DT 2 and DT 3. In the DT 2 proposal for the First Year Seminar, a narrow definition is utilized, with the First Year Seminar proposed to address only LO 2. The LO 3 proposal stated that other learning outcomes can be addressed in the First Year Seminar along with social responsibility and intercultural competence. The use of a lecture series was discussed, including the idea of whether or not to have this series integrated in the First Year Seminar.

During lunch, discussion was held regarding process considerations for Design Team 3 (DT 3), including which processes were effective or ineffective in completing the work of DT 1 and DT 2. Included in the discussion were possible challenges, including the integration of work for DT 1 and DT 2 and the effect of subcommittees on full committee participation. Governance issues regarding clarification of the goals of DT 3 and how the final decisions regarding the revised General Education Program are made, such as the approval of courses for General Education and the governance of the General Education Program, were discussed. The participation of the Dean was also discussed, as well as insuring the transparency of the DT 3 meetings so that all faculty can remain informed and provide feedback prior to August 22, 2008 (Faculty Development Day). Posting information on the blog was a result of this discussion.

Following lunch, DT 3 discussed LO 1, what students need to do to accomplish LO 1, and what DT 3 may need to do accomplish in order to put LO 3 in place. Discussion included the breadth of LO 1, such as how this learning outcome addresses “humans behaving”; the idea that LO 1 includes a “hint” of disciplines or an interdisciplinary perspective; the characteristic that LO 1 addresses knowledge acquisition of nature and culture, including Catholic culture; how students begin their learning in the General Education Program and carry that learning into the major; and the issue of how to address identity, including how the student locates herself in the social order, her own personal identity, such as how she understand how she fits (i.e., her gifts), and gender identity/gender role. Intercultural, historical, and theological aspects of LO 1 were discussed. Discussion continued regarding the ideas that skills and content need to be defined; that LO 1 is not a “big rubric”; that there are multiple and new ways of knowing, and that this is much more inclusive. For example, students may learn the practice of creative artistry through a poetry course, and art course, or a philosophy of science course.

The principle of integration of knowledge was emphasized. It was discussed that there is not one center, but rather a tri-center, in the General Education Program. Knowledge acquisition was discussed in view of the term, “intricate workings”. Discussion then continued regarding whether knowledge acquisition is entering into a process and if specific knowledge was needed for this process. It was related that we are fostering the development of skills so that a student can continue her learning, but we need to address how much base knowledge a student needs and how broadly the knowledge is distributed to be developmentally and foundationally. The discussion continued with questions related to what a student does with all this knowledge, and that General Education should be providing a breadth of vision but not a march. Members discussed the idea that this was an ongoing process.

Another member raised the issue of the coherence of the Program. One offered the view that a student is coming to Saint Mary’s to be an agent in the world – to learn – so the coherence is not in a “list of things”, but rather in the people acquiring the knowledge. Members discussed that “skill development holds all of this together”, and that we need to look at interconnectiveness. member discussed how disciplines will need to require a new course(s) such as the General Education Chemistry class that discusses such topics as global warming and pharmaceuticals. The information or knowledge students need is in the course but may not be as explicit as in other General Education course titles. Many additional ideas were raised as means to achieve the integration aspect of this learning outcome, including additional collaboration between faculty members, inviting students to specific meetings between faculty, modeling integration to the students, using tandems and inviting an expert speaker in the classroom.

DT 3 members completed a summer schedule regarding their availability, and the next two meetings were scheduled:

June 5, 2008 (Thursday): 4:00-5:30 p.m.
June 18, 2008 (Wednesday): 1:00-2:30 p.m.

To prepare for the next meeting, members were asked to read the materials distributed during the retreat, including the article from the Chronicle of Higher Education.

The retreat ended at 2:45 p.m.