Future incoming freshmen might see a revised Ball State University core curriculum that promotes team-teaching, immersion and a well-rounded learning experience.
The University Core Curriculum Task Force II has proposed a three-tier model for a revised core curriculum, Juli Eflin, chairwoman of the task force, said Wednesday at the Student Government Association meeting. The proposal marks the first time in 20 years the core has been subject to revision.
The revised curriculum, not yet set in stone, would most likely not take effect until 2008, Chris Kurtz, SGA vice president, said.
"I think there are a lot of good ideas," Kurtz said. "When you're going into your major and going to get a job, you're going to need in-depth experiences."
The proposal is the result of two years of research and discussion as well as mandates and guidelines from the Provost, Senate, Academic Policies Council and Undergraduate Education Committee.
The task force consists of about 20 administrators, faculty and students, Kurtz said, who serves as one of the tasks force's student representatives. To develop its proposal for a revised curriculum, the task force examined two bodies of evidence.
One body of evidence included internal documents, particularly those that measure the strengths and shortcomings of the present core. The second body included external studies of changes in the core curricula at colleges across the nation throughout the past 15 years.
Ball State's recent assessment identified areas in which the present core does not meet its own goals. The assessment made several recommendations, including addressing the lack of integration between the core and the majors and remedying the lack of courses that focus on diversity and multicultural studies.
In its review of the UCC Final Report in February 2004, the Undergraduate Education Committee and the Academic Policies Council agreed with the recommendations, and in November 2004 the University Senate approved a motion stating that no change in the present core "is unacceptable."
According to the proposed three-tier model for the core curriculum, the first tier would focus on fundamentals, helping students develop writing, speaking, quantitative, critical and creative thinking skills.
Courses in Tier 2, which would focus on integration, would explore more deeply major themes and issues from each of four domains -- Fine Arts, Humanities, Natural Science and Social Science/Business/Technology. UCC Tasks Force II assumes all Ball State colleges will be represented in the four domains.
Tier 3, which focuses on capstone and immersion, would require students to apply the knowledge they have gained in an immersion experience. Examples include independent research, senior projects and theses, student teaching, internships and intensive field research.
Kurtz said the task force is in the process of giving several groups an overview of the revised curriculum, including Student Senate, Interfraternity Council, Panhellenic Council, Residence Hall Association and the multicultural organizations.
A revised curriculum will enhance undergraduate education for all Ball State students, Eflin said.
"At Ball State we're really good at teaching content," she said. "What we need to do now is help students learn how to take the knowledge and use it to make sound judgments."
Ball State e-mails concerning the core curriculum should be sent out Tuesday, Kurtz said. A core curriculum forum open to all students will also take place at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Teachers College room 101, he said. Kurtz said many questions still need to be answered about the core curriculum and he encourages all students to provide their input.
"We're affecting our own degrees," he said. "A revised curriculum would definitely draw a lot of national attention. We'd be doing stuff other major public universities don't usually do.
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