2008 Woodie Awards
Committee to decide on curriculum reform
Peter Travis
Issue date: 9/19/08 Section: News
Many of Rollins students may spend their entire four years of college without ever hearing of the Curriculum Review and Renewal Committee. However, it is very possible that this committee of faculty, staff, and students will be making big news in the academic realm of Rollins College. On September 5th, faculty and staff from all departments attended an Organization Colloquium in the Galloway Room of the Mills building. The meeting was held by the CRRC, a committee that was created in the fall of 2007 by the Academic Affairs Committee to assess the curriculum at Rollins College and propose any beneficial changes for the future. At the Colloquium, the members of the CRRC gave a presentation of their exciting new proposal for Rollins' curriculum.
The committee's message was simple: the current system for general education requirements has much room for improvement. Summarizing the problem with the current "Gen. Ed." requirement system, committee member Rachel Simmons said that students' Gen. Ed. classes are "disconnected courses that don't overlap in any meaningful way." Thus, the CRRC is proposing a completely new system for general education requirements. Instead of having an assortment of letters to fulfill in four years, the committee is proposing what they are calling the "Rollins Plan." The Rollins Plans are "multiple themed tracks that students can choose to work through their Gen. Ed. Requirements," in the words of committee member Carol Lauer. These "tracks" include a variety of courses that are tied together by a common theme. Possible themes for different Rollins Plans, or RP's, could be anything from "Reproduction" to "Florida: a Global Laboratory."
Students would take one course in their RP each semester starting in the spring of their first year, and ending in the fall of their senior year. There would be somewhere around five or six RP's for students to choose from each year. No specific RP's have been decided upon, and one of the functions of the Colloquium was to hand out RP design sheets to the faculty. The committee is encouraging the faculty to come up with ideas for RP's as long as they fulfill certain requirements. First, the RP has to be interdepartmental. The way this is judged is by a list of "learning outcomes," or certain skills and abilities that the faculty feels are necessary for a liberal arts education. These learning outcomes include skills such as quantitative literacy, civic engagement, and the expressive arts. In order to have an RP put into the curriculum, the designer has to confirm that each learning outcome will be taught in at least two of the RP's courses.
After the presentation of the Rollins Plan at the Colloquium, the committee opened the floor for questions and comments. Main concerns that were voiced from some faculty members stressed the possibility of limiting the students' interests and possible unhappiness if students don't like the RP they signed up for. However, the committee made it very clear that this is a work in progress, and they are very flexible to change. One goal, at least, will remain constant: RP's are designed to excite the student about their general education requirements and possibly get them talking about them outside of class. "We think it would be a good idea if students would have more common education experiences," committee chairman Tom Cook told the faculty. The committee will be proposing the Rollins Plan officially during a faculty meeting on September 23rd. If the plan is passed, two pilot RP's could be in effect as early as 2009.
The committee's message was simple: the current system for general education requirements has much room for improvement. Summarizing the problem with the current "Gen. Ed." requirement system, committee member Rachel Simmons said that students' Gen. Ed. classes are "disconnected courses that don't overlap in any meaningful way." Thus, the CRRC is proposing a completely new system for general education requirements. Instead of having an assortment of letters to fulfill in four years, the committee is proposing what they are calling the "Rollins Plan." The Rollins Plans are "multiple themed tracks that students can choose to work through their Gen. Ed. Requirements," in the words of committee member Carol Lauer. These "tracks" include a variety of courses that are tied together by a common theme. Possible themes for different Rollins Plans, or RP's, could be anything from "Reproduction" to "Florida: a Global Laboratory."
Students would take one course in their RP each semester starting in the spring of their first year, and ending in the fall of their senior year. There would be somewhere around five or six RP's for students to choose from each year. No specific RP's have been decided upon, and one of the functions of the Colloquium was to hand out RP design sheets to the faculty. The committee is encouraging the faculty to come up with ideas for RP's as long as they fulfill certain requirements. First, the RP has to be interdepartmental. The way this is judged is by a list of "learning outcomes," or certain skills and abilities that the faculty feels are necessary for a liberal arts education. These learning outcomes include skills such as quantitative literacy, civic engagement, and the expressive arts. In order to have an RP put into the curriculum, the designer has to confirm that each learning outcome will be taught in at least two of the RP's courses.
After the presentation of the Rollins Plan at the Colloquium, the committee opened the floor for questions and comments. Main concerns that were voiced from some faculty members stressed the possibility of limiting the students' interests and possible unhappiness if students don't like the RP they signed up for. However, the committee made it very clear that this is a work in progress, and they are very flexible to change. One goal, at least, will remain constant: RP's are designed to excite the student about their general education requirements and possibly get them talking about them outside of class. "We think it would be a good idea if students would have more common education experiences," committee chairman Tom Cook told the faculty. The committee will be proposing the Rollins Plan officially during a faculty meeting on September 23rd. If the plan is passed, two pilot RP's could be in effect as early as 2009.
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