GENERAL EDUCATION IN AN AGE OF STUDENT MOBILITY

This monograph in "The Academy in Transition" series explores the problem of curricular coherence as students working toward a bachelor's degree move among multiple institutions. The focal article by Robert Shoenberg, a Senior Fellow of AAC&U, cites the absence of clear intentionality in most states' general education requirements and their concerns about credit hour transfer rather than course purposes as major contributors to the lack of coherence in many students' academic programs. He argues that states need to develop statements of purpose for their general requirements and make these clear to faculty members, academic advisors and students in order to respond cogently to the perennial student question, "Why do I have to take this course?"

Seven responses to this article, most by community college presidents, support the argument in various ways but also raise questions about such matters as the actual desirability of coherence, institutional autonomy, students' attitudes and legislative roles. The monograph also includes three cognate articles. James Palmer documents the "swirl" of student transfer among all kinds of institutions and surveys state practices in defining general requirements. Carolyn Praeger defines an important role for accrediting associations in promoting curricular coherence. William Maehl suggests some lessons from adult learning that might be applied to promoting curricular coherence for mobile students.