I had no idea just how many colleges had revamped their liberal arts core requirements–sure Harvard has been commented on a lot, but “18 percent have adopted changes in the last five years, 30 percent are assessing learning outcomes to consider possible changes, 22 percent are in the process of discussing proposals for changes, and 19 percent are conducting formal reviews of their requirements.” In fact only 11 percent of those surveyed are leaving them alone. Why so much change?
Educators at some colleges that are moving away from distribution requirements said they had never been convinced of their effectiveness. With traditional distribution requirements of specified credits in the humanities, social sciences and physical and biological sciences, “all of the courses tend to be ‘introduction to discipline X’ and you have lots of bottom-heavy, 100-level courses,” said Judy J. Tizon, associate provost of undergraduate education at the University of Southern Maine. “Students aren’t dumb. They will try to conserve their energy and take courses that are easy and that are convenient for them.”
Just what do colleges require?
Areas of Knowledge in Learning Goals
| Humanities | 72% |
| Science | 71% |
| Social sciences | 70% |
| Global cultures | 68% |
| Mathematics | 68% |
| Diversity in the United States | 57% |
| Technology | 48% |
| U.S. history | 39% |
| Languages | 33% |
| Sustainability | 18% |
Intellectual Skills in Learning Goals
| Writing skills | 77% |
| Critical thinking | 74% |
| Quantitative reasoning | 71% |
| Oral communication | 69% |
| Intercultural skills | 62% |
| Information literacy | 59% |
| Ethical reasoning | 59% |
| Civic engagement | 53% |
| Application of learning | 52% |
| Research skills | 51% |
—read the whole article at Inside Higher ed
