General education is at the heart of the undergraduate experience at the University of Idaho. It brings together almost all students, regardless of major, regularly during their time on campus, and is designed to lay a foundation for lifetime learning.
As director of General Education, I read with interest Claire Whitley”s Friday column, “Waste of time,” about her Integrated Seminar (ISEM) 301. I had a similar experience as a UI student. I found myself in an irrelevant course – or so I thought – taught by a professor whose teaching style was over my head. I saw the class as only a box to be checked on my degree checklist.
Kenton Bird
General Ed. Director
Years later, I came to appreciate that class. In hindsight, I realized I had been exposed to a field that I knew little about but became more curious about as time went on. By being forced to read and write outside my comfort zone, I learned critical thinking skills. I suspect that”s true of many courses in our General Education program.
Ms. Whitley asks legitimate questions – what are students supposed to learn in an ISEM 301? Why should she have to take a course that doesn”t directly relate to her major?
Our General Education curriculum is the result of a decade of discussions by students and faculty to create university-wide learning outcomes and strategies to achieve them – ISEM 101 for first-year students, ISEM 301 for sophomores and juniors, and a senior experience. In addition, all students must complete an American Diversity course and an approved international experience.
In these courses, students work closely with faculty who choose a topic to reflect their own passions. ISEM 101s are capped at 38, and with a couple of exceptions, ISEM 301s have no more than 40 students. Through them, students can get to know other students and the instructor to a degree not possible in a large lecture class.
Faculty who teach ISEMs are charged with integrating the university”s five learning outcomes – learn and integrate, think and create, communicate, clarify purpose and perspective, and practice citizenship. The goal is to prepare graduates to be enlightened and engaged citizens, regardless of which careers they pursue.
Employers say they want graduates who can communicate concisely and directly, work in teams to solve problems, adapt quickly to changing demands in the workplace and participate in a global society. Taken as a whole, UI”s General Education curriculum is intended to do all of those things.
Nonetheless, our system is still evolving and improving. Students who came to UI under the 2012-2013 catalog, this year”s seniors, are the first cohort expected to complete ISEMs 101 and 301, along with the senior experience. Through the graduating senior survey, we”ll be able to assess the students” satisfaction with the entire curriculum, not just individual courses.
I invite students to share their experiences, both positive and negative, with me. The University Committee on General Education, which reviews course proposals and advises Faculty Senate, has openings for two student members. Part of practicing citizenship is engaging constructively with the faculty members who are committed to students” success.
I hope that Ms. Whitley”s ISEM 301 gives her an insight into the challenges that faculty face in developing courses to attract students from across the university. And I hope that after graduation, she will see the benefit of courses whose value wasn”t apparent at the time. I did.
Kenton Bird is the director of General Education at the University of Idaho. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @KentonBird1