GENERAL EDUCATION IN AN AGE
OF STUDENT MOBILITY
What Do Our Students Value?
by Rod A. Risley
Robert Shoenberg is absolutely right in calling for systemic approaches
to defining the purpose and objectives of a general education curriculum.
Indeed, such initiatives are decades late in coming. However, if
we consider these issues from a student's perspective, we can't
help but realize that a major piece of this puzzle is missing, and
without it Shoenberg's point is moot.
Educators must understand that students today see themselves as
consumers, and they view education as a product. To many, this notion
is distasteful. But it is reality. The challenge before us is to
not only define objectives and minimum standards for general education
but also to offer these consumers a solid rationale as to why a
general education has relevance. It is not enough to provide for
seamless transfer and a coherent curriculum when the students themselves
fail to see the value in general study.
Many students enroll in community colleges not with the thought
of purchasing a broadly based education, but rather to register
for the minimum number of courses needed to get a better job. They
are mesmerized by the salaries commanded in the high-technology
arena. Forget general education-they want the bare-bones number
of courses that will get them out of college and into the job market
as quickly as possible. They are savvy consumers of training and
credit, but they are not necessarily well-informed consumers of
education.
But who is responsible for making the case as to the purpose, objectives,
and value of a general education? Can two-year college administrators
take on this role? Not likely-as they come under increasing
pressure to provide contract training for local businesses, they've
been forced to give higher and higher priority to work-force development.
Our problem demands, I think, the unlikely partnership of faculty
members and corporate and public leaders. Given the present dynamics,
they are the ones most likely to take an introspective look at the
general education curriculum, and they have the most freedom to
communicate its value.
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