VWC Committee on Curricular Reform (CCR)
Problems with the Status Quo
What We Say Our Curriculum Does VWC’s course catalog describes the Educational Program at the college as combining general studies, majors, and electives to provide “depth, breadth, and flexibility” and states that “[a] strong liberal arts program has flexibility which allows students to choose courses which add to the dimension of breadth provided in general studies, and which may also supplement the dimension of depth provided by their major.” Flexibility is not necessarily a bad thing, but a closer look at VWC’s curriculum reveals that we offer more flexibility than we have the resources to provide, and that, too often, flexibility trumps coherence. The catalog description furthermore emphasizes mastering disciplinary knowledge at a time when the college is trying to emphasize critical thinking, synthesis, and relevance of disciplines to real world problems. The Committee for Curricular reform’s sample of a replacement catalog description is meant to better describe what we do now, and what we can do even more effectively under an enhanced course curriculum. Too Much Flexibility, Too Few Resources The documents linked below help to illustrate how flexibility in General Studies and major/minor programs can contribute to thinly stretched faculty and college resources. All data comes from the original 2/28/08 Curricular Reform Committee Report. · Faculty Overloads, Fall 2007 · Adjunct Instructor Use, Fall 2006-Spring 2007 · Faculty vs. Adjuncts Teaching Classes · Data on Classroom Use Student Focus and Engagement The original Curricular Reform Committee compiled the following data: · “Drawbacks of the Current System” · NSSE Data (2007) General Studies: Lack of Resources, Coherence, and Rigor Key points from Stu Minnis’s Report of 1/26/09 to the Committee outlining his observations and concerns about the current General Studies Program including · Too much flexibility · Too much complexity · Problems in staffing the letters (especially the W)
· Proposed Motion and Appendices · Process from Initial Charge (2007) to Present · Value of the 4x4 Curriculum · Problems with the Status Quo · Examples of how Majors could adapt to a 4x4 curriculum · Curricular Reform Committee Full Report (18 Feb 2008) · VWC Blackboard Page (log in and browse for the “Curricular Reform at VWC” page) · CCR Home Page maintained by M. Schaus (mschaus@vwc.edu)