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Date: Mon, 07 Apr 1997 10:14:47 -0400 (EDT)
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From: Arch McCallum
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Arch McCallum
Dept. of Biology
College of Charleston,
Charleston, SC 29424, USA
office (803) 953-6557
dept. off. 953-5504
FAX 953-5453
email: mccalluma@ashley.cofc.edu


Final Report of Inquiry Group 1 for Spring 1997

Seeing the excellent work toward answering the assigned questions by some other groups, we decided to indulge ourselves in imagining how to improve curricular support of these goals, an exercise that, indirectly, does speak to these questions. At our second meeting Jim Deavor broached the idea that certain goals, such as "interdisiciplinary understanding," are met by existing courses, but that we currently have no requirements that students take such courses. Most of us (perhaps all) were not enthusiastic about the creation of new interdisciplinary courses, particularly team-taught ones. Our discussion led us to suggest that additional graduation requirements be levied to ensure that goals on the list that are not covered by existing requirements be met. We propose that each graduate be required to pass a prescribed number of courses marked in the catalog with icons for goals that are not currently codified. After some discussion, we agreed that one course bearing each of the following icons should be required:
1. interdisciplinary understanding
2. writing across the curriculum
3. computer literacy
4. globalism

Other subjects discussed but not advanced with consensus include: group learning, active learning, and oral communication.

Were these requirements implemented overnight, many of our graduates probably would meet them without changing their schedules. We just have no way of ensuring that all do. This seems to be a worthy objective even though much discussion may be required to decide on which goals should be iconized, and how to qualify courses to display the icons, particularly those taught by different individuals. We can also look forward to interesting discussions of iconography, iconoclasm (currently totally undocumented here), iconophilia, and iconophobia.