Curriculum Content and Change in the 1980s. ASHE 1985 Annual Meeting Paper [microform] / Robert M. O'Neil.
Perspectives concerning the current disenchantment about undergraduate curricula and the bachelors degree are offered in this keynote address. It is suggested that rising expectations and unfulfilled hopes for higher education from the 1960s may be a factor. In the 1960s a sense of reform and redisc...
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| Format: | Microfilm Book |
| Language: | English |
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1985.
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| Summary: | Perspectives concerning the current disenchantment about undergraduate curricula and the bachelors degree are offered in this keynote address. It is suggested that rising expectations and unfulfilled hopes for higher education from the 1960s may be a factor. In the 1960s a sense of reform and rediscovery later created an expectation among students and faculty of something radically different. On the other hand, some have felt that much of the 1960s' reform was temporary and that curricula would return to "normal" after the student protest period. Disenchantment may also result from the passive response to student demand for certain professional baccalaureate curricula (e.g., business administration). Another factor may be the relatively poor general understanding of the process of curricular change. Some falsely assume that because course headings remain about the same, course content does also. Finally, there tends to be a failure to stress positive trends, including increased curricular offerings, greater scrutiny of degree programs, and rigorous admission/graduation requirements. It is suggested that major reports on issues in higher education be distributed on campuses. Suggestions concerning freshmen seminars, senior exams, and achieving a balance between undergraduate liberal and professional studies are also offered. (SW) |
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| Item Description: | ERIC Note: Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education (Chicago, IL, March 15-17, 1985). ERIC Document Number: ED259647. |
| Physical Description: | 16 pages |
| Reproduction Note: | Microfiche. |
| Action Note: | committed to retain |