1. A brief synopsis of the nature and characteristics of an educated person (Question 1a and 1b)

An educated person, in the 21st century or any other, should possess (1) a core of knowledge, (2) a capacity for critical thinking, and (3) the ability to use (1) and (2) to build the decisions of a life.

That being the case, the members of the group, educated persons all, found difficulty applying (2) to question (1a), "What does it mean to be an educated person in the 21st century?" Are we being asked for characteristics or requirements? Shall such traits as we might offer be necessary or sufficient? We settled for a random list. It seemed easiest.

Environmental Literacy. Community involvement. Tolerance of all cultures' beliefs, behaviors, and values, including narrow-mindedness and parochialism. Agreement was reached that the foremost value College graduates should possess is the appreciation of diversity.

None of these traits is even remotely quantifiable. So as a practical matter, question (1a) must be separated completely from question (1b), "What skills, values and knowledge should a graduate of the College possess?" Again, a random list seemed easiest to us, this of skills: quantitative, research, analytical, decision-making, problem-solving, and communication.

2. Results of your discussion on how the college experience (in and outside the classroom) can facilitate the development of a liberally educated person (Question 2a)

In addressing the question of how the College of Charleston can facilitate the development of a liberally educated person, our group felt that there needed to be some form of assessment. One of the College's goals is to ensure a basic knowledge in humanities, mathematics, the natural sciences and the social sciences. The group felt that to meet this goal it is necessary to ensure that students truly acquire the knowledge taught by the faculty. To guarantee that this occurs, students should be held accountable for what they have learned. This accountability was agreed upon in the form of an exit exam or a capstone course. There was a good bit of debate as to when students would be tested. Several scenarios were suggested:

Give proficiency exams at the end of the sophomore year to ensure that students have the reading, writing and math skills to carry them through their major.

Assess students in their senior year. Departments would develop some platform ranging from a cumulative exit exam to a thesis paper or capstone course, whichever was best suited for their particular discipline.

A question that was raised was what should happen to students who fail to pass the exam, paper or course. There are other questions that the College and departments would need to address. Regardless of the details, the group agreed that assessment was critical to hold students accountable for what they have learned and ensure the quality of the College's graduates.

3. Your group's review of the General Education Goals and Objectives with substantive recommendations noted (Question 2b)

It was the consensus of the group that the following modifications be made to the existing list of goals and objectives as found on page 3 of the undergraduate catalogue:

Numbers 1 through 5, as well as number 7, were found to be valid and in keeping with the current philosophy of this institution.

Number 6 we felt was a place where the idea of fostering collaboration among our students could be stated. In general, we agreed that the art of collaboration was a highly valued skill that definitely has its place in the general education at the College and in a liberal arts education. As the list stands now, there is no mention made of the idea of collaboration. Since many of the general education classes already incorporate collaborative projects, we felt the idea needed to be represented in the goals and objectives. Certainly, our group, (in an attempt to collaborate!) agreed on how significant this skill was in school, in the work place, and in life. We agreed on the following rewording of number 6:

To help students understand, respect, and collaborate with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures, and to encourage development of a global outlook.

Numbers 8 and 9 we agreed were already implied in the other objectives and therefore were not needed.

Number 10 we agreed was simply not concise and delved into detail that was beyond general education goals and objectives. Specifically, we agreed that 10a, b, and c were implied in the first sentence of number 10. We did feel that 10d needed to remain, but incorporated into the first sentence/idea. We propose the following modification of number 10:

To help students acquire a meaningful depth of knowledge and competence in at least one academic discipline and be able to relate knowledge in that discipline to other disciplines.

We also suggest that, before considering any change to the goals, mission, or curriculum of the College of Charleston, careful attention should be paid to possible repercussions under the Commission on Higher Education's new plan for "Performance Based Funding."

Thomas S. Gibson
Gibsons@cofc.edu
803 953-5635