General Education and the Community College. ERIC Digest.

Autor/in	Cohen, Arthur M.
Institution	ERIC Clearinghouse for Junior Colleges, Los Angeles, CA.
Titel	General Education and the Community College. ERIC Digest.
Quelle	(1988), (6 Seiten) PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Reihe	ERIC Publications; ERIC Digests in Full Text
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Monographie
Schlagwörter	Stellungnahme; College Curriculum; College Role; Community Colleges; Core Curriculum; Curriculum Problems; Educational Objectives; General Education; Two Year Colleges + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Community college; Community College; Kerncurriculum; Educational objective; Bildungsziel; Erziehungsziel; Allgemein bildendes Schulwesen; Allgemeinbildung
Abstract	General education is the process of developing a framework on which to place knowledge stemming from a variety of sources. Its goals are to help students think critically, develop values, understand traditions, respect diverse cultures and opinions, and, most importantly, put that knowledge to use. Even though its goals parallel socially supported values, general education has met with opposition within the academic community. Examples of the problems encountered by general education include the following: (1) it is difficult to measure whether a general education program has fulfilled its goals, since changes in students' actions beyond the institution do not lend themselves to assessment by easily administered and scored examinations; (2) the organizational structure of community colleges, based on the university pattern of academic departments, is antithetical to general education; and (3) universities have not been supportive in granting transfer credit for general education courses. In addition, some educators openly oppose general education requirements, arguing that students with specific and limited educational goals do not have the time for such courses. However, the community college's mission and the characteristics of its students both support arguments favoring general education for all students. To provide common learning, most institutions have developed some type of course distribution list with offerings arrayed under the major headings of science, social science, humanities, and communication. A less widespread approach involves an attenuated list of interdisciplinary courses that fulfill general education requirements. Despite barriers on one hand and the innovative contributions of certain colleges on the other, the prognosis for general education is no better or worse than it has been at any other time in the history of the community college. (AJL)
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC