Attending: Joe Hightower, Sarita
Adve, Bill Wilson, Tom Rabson, J. D. Wise, Bart Sinclair,
Derek Dylan, Walter Chapman, Clarence Miller, Bob Jump, Mark
Wiesner, Joe Hughes, Ka-yiu San, Phil Bedient; for the
committee, John Hutchinson and Sid Burris. The discussion focused primarily on
what could be provided by general education that is not
provided without such courses. Two types of general
education course models were presented: a "great books and
great equations" approach, and a "thematic" approach (e.g.,
study spiders). The goal of the first type is to provide a
common ground based on the argument that all educated people
should know certain things. The goal of the second type is
to give varied viewpoints on a subject and encourage
students to find the connections between the different
perspectives. Both goals and courses were considered
reasonable but should not be confused with one
another. A major goal of general education
discussed is the creation of the ability to learn on one's
own, so that training is adaptable to many situations.
Students should, after graduation, be able to pursue a
variety of interests. Another significant goal is the
creation of a socially aware student, capable of becoming an
informed and effective citizen. Engineering students are
often focused too narrowly on their own disciplines and are
uninformed about pressing social issues and needs.
Other goals of general education
include: effective speaking skills; writing proficiency;
critical thinking skills; self-critical discipline; ability
to make interconnections between subjects and ways of
thinking; scientific literacy; and discussion in small
groups. Two major concerns were raised:
It was felt by many that major
requirements are currently so burdensome that there is no
room to add general education requirements. On the other
hand, ABET requirements include items that might and should
be included in the general education requirement, so
dropping general education might simply increase major
requirements. An advantage of a Great Books
course (e.g., HUMA) is that it permits engineering students
to interact with and learn to communicate effectively with
non-engineers, e.g., future MBA's and managers. One member of the group proposed
outlawing multiple majors. One member of the group proposed
elimination of all general education requirements.
The freshman seminar concept seemed
favorable to most everyone present, although resources are
of concern.