THE APPLE DOESN’T FALL FAR

When asked about the reasoning behind their decision between the Core and Gen Ed, most seniors speak not of pedagogical distinctions but of practical considerations. Most chose the program that allowed them to take fewer courses to complete their requirements.

“I had fulfilled most of my requirements anyway. It wasn’t a great hassle to continue with the old curriculum,” said Catherine W. Yang ’12, who remained on the Core. “In terms of actual education, I don’t get the impression that it changed that much.”

“Honestly, they’re making very pragmatic decisions,” Aidinoff said.

The study cards of students who chose Gen Ed often looked quite similar to those of their peers on the Core. Not all Core courses were approved as Gen Ed classes, and many had to revise their syllabi to gain approval under the new system. But Calareso wrote that the Program in General Education ensured that every new course that was approved for the Gen Ed curriculum also received a designation into one of the categories of the Core.

A course might fit Gen Ed’s Ethical Reasoning requirement as well as the Core’s Moral Reasoning, Empirical and Mathematical Reasoning as well as Quantitative Reasoning, Culture and Belief as well as Foreign Cultures. But not necessarily vice versa.

With such similar names and a concerted effort to ease the transition by making the same classes count for both plans, students find cause to question whether the students in the Class of 2012 who chose Gen Ed received a meaningfully different education.

FLIPPING THE CLASSROOM

Though students’ course selection might not look very different under Gen Ed, professors have seen a more significant set of options open up to them over the past three years of Gen Ed.

Under the new program, they are encouraged to try experimental teaching methods in order to win the Gen Ed stamp of approval for their classes. So far, those methods have included case studies and interactive activities to supplement the traditional lecture format.

Dean of Undergraduate Education Jay M. Harris said that an education focused on methods of learning rather than specific bodies of knowledge is better suited to a rapidly changing world.

“This is a time of experimentation,” Harris said. “What does it mean to teach students who look at screens much more than they look at pages?”

“Gen Ed is a nice place for faculty to experiment,” he added. “For example, some have adopted elements of the flipped classroom, where lectures are posted online and classrooms are for discussion.”

Harris said that the Standing Committee on General Education, which approves courses for Gen Ed, will look to clarify the program’s requirements in the coming years based on the success of early Gen Ed courses.

“Did we frame some of these categories with the precision that we should have?” he asked.