This study examines the differential status of psychological critical thinking and generic critical thinking as predictors of test performance and as outcome measures in a large human development course. Psychological critical thinking proved to be the better predictor of test performance and more responsive to instructional procedures in the…

During the last decade, growing numbers of faculty have been conducting inquiry about teaching and learning in their own classes. This initiative, first called the scholarship of teaching, sought to redefine faculty roles and elevate teaching. The initiative is now known as the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL). Its proponents recognize…

A feature article in the "Chronicle of Higher Education" reported a campus controversy over an innovative general education program that received praise and attention nationally. In this essay, two administrators, prompted by that article, both tell the story of institutional change and raise theoretical questions about what the controversy…

This article examines the process of general education curriculum reform at Western Protestant University (WPU), a pseudonym for a religiously affiliated liberal arts college in the western United States. The theoretical framework for describing the process comes from two areas: institutional culture and a typology of academic change developed by…

The potentially unifying elements of a baccalaureate education are often presented as unaligned parts in separate courses. Thus, general education remains inchoate--unhitched from the somewhat more unifying pull of the major disciplines. This essay explains how application of assessment principles can help to align the parts and hitch them to the…

Many educators and administrators are looking to broaden the discussion about attracting and retaining students in the liberal arts. The goal of this study is to broaden the discussion amongst those concerned about higher education regarding the importance of including appropriate experiential courses in the traditional liberal arts program of…

Using an institutional-structural model of inquiry, this study identified the degree to which ethics education exists in 173 Christian colleges and universities. The results indicated almost all students receive some form of ethics education. However, only one-third of these institutions require an ethics course within their general education…

The acquisition of information literacy (IL) skills is recognized as an important component of undergraduate education. An integrated, multi-tiered approach to teaching these skills is proposed to build upon students' evolving abilities, while challenging them to become more sophisticated in their use of information. The purpose of this article is…

Effective listening is fundamental to learning, yet it is seldom taught in a systematic, comprehensive way. The Integrative Listening Model provides a unique and practical framework to address this teaching/learning process. It stresses contextual and personal filters, as well as self assessment and goal-setting, to promote ongoing listening…

This essay asks and answers ten questions that the author believes can serve as a primer or heuristic for educators who are considering character education as a meaningful part of their pedagogical objectives in both the university core curriculum and specific disciplines. All of the questions and answers are premised around the key assertion that…

If John Henry Newman were to publish a blueprint for liberal education here in the United States and now in the twenty-first century, what would he call it? Many aspects of higher education have changed since 1852, the date of his "Idea of a University," and the U.S. is not Britain. In this essay, the author contends that Newman's work still…

This paper shares research findings about Millikin University's University Capstone, which is the culminating general education course for all seniors. Results of the research discuss the extent to which key elements of the university's curriculum were perceived by students as integrated into this course, compared to courses in the major.

Universities and colleges are increasingly recognizing the need for programs in oral communication across the curriculum. Many small colleges that do not have faculty in communications do have faculty in theatre who are skilled in oral communication. This article describes a pilot program in oral communication coaching for undergraduate students…

This study examines intercultural sensitivity development from a diversity curriculum in two university general education courses. The results indicate that instructional strategies addressing complex levels of student engagement elicited movement from an ethnocentric to an ethnorelative worldview as described in Bennett's Developmental Model of…

This study looked at undergraduate students' scores on a mathematics placement exam, mathematics courses taken and grades received, and persistence toward a degree. It was determined that a student's timely progress toward a four-year degree is influenced by the student's initial score on the mathematics placement exam and by subsequent…