Align Gen Ed Curriculum
The general education curriculum is the pivotal point for all majors. With the proposed
changes to the general education curriculum, CAS will be crucial to OSU’s
imperative of appropriately “aligning curriculum and programming to support the generation of
Ideal Graduates.”
Initative 5
Create foundational, transdisciplinary general education for a new generation entering 21st century careers.
Objective 1: Define and evaluate student success
To ensure consistency across courses and disciplines, CAS will develop clear definitions of the diverse aspects of student success and guide appropriate evaluation methods.
Objective 2: Implement student-success strategies
Implement appropriate strategies for student success across the University within the newly restructured general education program. This will begin with a list of nominations of appropriate trails and then working groups and brainstorming sessions within and across pillars and colleges.
Objective 3: Encourage transdisciplinary education
To understand the degree of complexity involved in the issues confronting the world in the 21st century, students must be able to deal with ambiguity and uncertainty and be able to think and act with a transdisciplinary mind. Considering this, the college will encourage transdisciplinary education in the following ways:
- Programs that are already transdisciplinary will be organized in a department of interdisciplinary programs to leverage the skills across those programs and provide an attractive home for faculty in transdisciplinary disciplines.
- The College will support and encourage the development of transdisciplinary courses, particularly those in line with transdisciplinary research initiatives, by developing policies that reward faculty for team teaching and cross-departmental collaborations.
- The College will actively engage in discussions throughout the University to encourage students to interact with faculty, students, and concepts from various disciplines outside of their chosen major to prepare them to think and act with a transdisciplinarily mind.
Objective 4: Utilize micro-credentials and certificates
The College will investigate using micro-credentials and certificates to encourage students to obtain skills across disciplines. One approach will be to consider planning professional certificates and master’s degrees as a sequence of micro-credentials.
Objective 5: Increase 4+1 degree programs
The College will evaluate current graduate programs for improvements and realignments, explicitly looking for opportunities to add 4+1 programs or professional master’s programs and thereby materially improving students’ career prospects.