Live & Learn @ siue
Preliminary Proposal
Melanie Brimer
Kathy Bueno
Lisa Israel
Skip Larkin
Barbara Nwacha
Michelle Sears
Kim Kolweier, Student Consultant
Simply stated, the traditional delivery mode of higher education has not evolved with contemporary work life, and does not reflect the social development of our country. The fragmented, isolationist delivery that underlies the distribution model served the Industrial Age, but we are now driven by information distribution and consumption, which requires an interdisciplinary, collaborative environment. By encouraging structures and relationships that emphasize discovery, integration, and application, our design approach accurately reflects how people learn and work in their professional occupations and personal lives today.
An academic major is appropriately aimed at producing specialized skills and a deep analytic understanding of the distinctive content and methodology of the major discipline, providing students with the tools to successfully compete in a specific job market and pursue a satisfying career. A general education program compliments this pursuit by producing flexible/transferable skills and a broad synthetic vision of the values and aspirations common to all academic endeavors, ultimately providing students with the ability to seriously engage complex social issues and pursue a meaningful life.
With this in mind, we propose a general education program with two principle features that are designed, respectively, to (a) integrate a student's major into a larger interdisciplinary framework and (b) integrate a student's academic experience into their lives outside of the classroom. To promote the first kind of integration, we propose that distribution and skills requirements be clustered around unifying themes. Each cluster will include at least one course drawn from a discipline in each of three main categories: fine arts and humanities, natural sciences and mathematics, social sciences. The students will also take an interdisciplinary course that ties those courses together and two connected skills modules, namely writing and formal or quantitative reasoning. To promote the second type of integration, we propose that students be organized into (residential and non-residential) learning communities. Each community will consist of students participating in the same cluster of courses and have a designated space in a residence hall or the university center where they can come together on a regular but informal basis.
“Live & Learn @ SIUE” will incorporate the many strengths that already exist: the freshman seminar, interdisciplinary studies, service learning and study abroad, professional internships and practicum experiences, focused interest communities, and the senior capstone project. By linking courses in learning clusters that include skill development, a foundation in the liberal arts and sciences, and an interdisciplinary seminar focusing on interrelationships among the skills and knowledge represented in each learning cluster , the model provides greater articulation among the courses taken each semester and from each year of study to the next. The emphasis on a strong interdisciplinary component prepares students to navigate the information deluge and make linkages between diverse fields of knowledge. It allows students to develop analytic, problem-solving, and decision-making skills that serve graduates well in their professional, civic, and personal lives. In addition, the students will participate in a diverse learning community that will help them develop interpersonal skills and an open disposition toward a variety of perspectives and values. Furthermore, the model links in-class and out-of-class experiences that guide students to a fuller and richer education. Finally, the model encourages cooperative and active learning within learning communities that will foster a greater sense of institutional community and collaboration. Overall, this model helps students transition from high school, to their first year, to their second year, to their major, and beyond.
The success of “Live & Learn @ SIUE” will depend on the active participation of departments, colleges, and professional schools in developing freshman seminars, interdisciplinary courses, and learning clusters. Faculty recruited to develop and teach courses will need to be sufficiently supported and rewarded. Collaboration opportunities and collaborative workspaces will be essential. We foresee a number of structural, personnel and resource needs, such as creating and filling new positions to coordinate this effort. The Excellence in Learning and Teaching Initiative, Excellence in Undergraduate Education, Assessment Office, and Faculty Technology Center will need to develop support for implementation. The Housing staff will continue to foster the learning communities already established. Our hope for “Live & Learn @ SIUE” is to create an environment that is transformative for all of its participants.