Five Colleges Look at General Education.

Overview & Synopsis

A study was undertaken to provide an opportunity for faculty from five small, independent colleges in Iowa to become familiar with current developments concerning general education programs to facilitate planning and evaluation of general education in the institutions. The participating colleges were Briar Cliff, Graceland, Marycrest, Simpson, and Westmar. The report defines liberal education, liberal arts, and general education and discusses goals and implications of goals for curricular structure. Planning of general education programs, implementing changes in general education, and program evaluation are addressed. Three basic kinds of changes that liberal education should make in the student concern knowledge, personal attitudes or dispositions, and skills. An additional goal concerns the world of work: relating liberal education and the world of work and relating general education and specialization are considered. Varying requirement structures and organizational plans for general education programs, methods and evaluation, and the context of general education, particularly its relation to other components of the curriculum, are addressed. A bibliography on general education from 1974-78 and selected earlier works compiled by Leonard J. Bowman and Kathleen Welch is included. (SW)