Interdisciplinary General Education

General Education programs pursue a variety of goals. Some of these are institution-specific. Yet many others are often recommended as goals for all or at least most programs. Our purpose on this set of pages is to show how and why interdisciplinary approaches can aid in the achievement of these various goals.

We note that interdisciplinarity does not only inform each of these generally espoused goals of General Education but also provide an overall coherence to Gen Ed programs (and to undergraduate education more generally in countries without specific Gen Ed requirements). Indeed, we will argue that only interdisciplinarity can give coherence to the sort of undergraduate education that students need.

We have identified a set of goals by consulting two recent reports on General Education (cited below). These reports are then cited throughout the discussion. We would stress three points before proceeding: See Three Critical Points Regarding General Education

General/Integrative Knowledge

Specialized Knowledge

Skills

Values

Citizenship

Retention

Interdisciplinarity and Curricular Coherence

The AAC&U/Global Perspectives Institute report commissioned by the Department of Education on "A Crucible Moment: College Learning and Democracy's Future" (October, 2011) [hereafter CM] focuses attention on education for citizenship, and suggests that answers should be sought under four headings: knowledge, skills, values, and collective action experiences. William H. Newell, "Contributions of interdisciplinary studies to civic learning: An addendum to A Crucible Moment," Issues in Interdisciplinary Studies 31 (2013), 192-200, outlines how interdisciplinarity can serve the various goals outlined in that report.

The more general Lumina Foundation's Degree Qualifications Profile (which also was co-authored by AAC&U) [hereafter DQP] has five components: it breaks knowledge into two components – general/integrative and specific – lists skills and civic learning as well, but also speaks of applied learning.

The AACU has sponsored many other relevant publications that deserve mention here, especially those that refer to integration.

The AIS Board approved a task force report on GenEd in 2002. Many of its recommendations, regarding both curriculum and administrative structure, are still useful. The introductory remarks are very good.See l http://www.units.muohio.edu/aisorg/PUBS/reports/genedaccred.html

Seabury, Marcia B. (ed). Interdisciplinary General Education: Questioning Outside the Lines. New York: The College Board, 1999. An anthology based on the University of Hartford’s All-University Curriculum. Includes material on course development and pedagogy, team teaching, and dynamics of asking questions, crossing boundaries, framing issues, dealing with problems, and creating supportive campus culture, accompanied by sample syllabi.