University General Education Research Articles

Exploring Cross-Cultural Communication Courses in Media Literacy: Case Study of Using the University General Education Program “Citizen Journalism and Actions”

Values are at the center of culture, the core of intercultural communication, and the chief element affecting communication between nations. Currently, educating students regarding appropriate cognitive attitudes and behaviors in intercultural communication, the basis for the acquisition of intercultural citizenship, has become a challenge for educators. This paper presents a case study of an intercultural communication curriculum where students participate in a new community and thereby understand the differences between reality and media representation of foreign immigrants. At the end of class, the concept of “access media” will be presented to train students on producing community videos that voice the reality they have experienced through the curriculum processes to which they have been exposed. This involves training students to take social action against media manipulation of stereotypical images of foreign immigrants. This case study demonstrates how an intercultural communication process of learning transforms students. The data include an analysis and evaluation of classroom observations, student and teacher diaries, questionnaires, and focus groups to explain how students’ intercultural communication competence was developed and led to their acquiring intercultural citizenship qualities that include “action in the community,” in this case publishing their own community video. The article concludes by explaining how intercultural theory plays a significant role in intercultural communication and relationship formation, and provides a guide to assist teachers in Taiwan develop pedagogy of literacy for general education.

Case Studies in Critical Reflection Praxis in University Studies: The Stance and Dance

Abstract This article articulates the experience of three professors from different disciplines, teaching at three levels of University Studies, Portland State University's general education program, for whom the toggling between personal/professional critical practices and use of reflective practices in the classroom has led to transformative learning experiences for them and their students. It describes the specific reflective tools and methods they used for teaching and professional development, and considers the challenges to sustaining critical reflection and how those challenges might be addressed. The authors argue that critical reflection (CR) is an important practice for teachers and students of general education. In particular, CR engages the habits of mind and capacities, such as critical thinking, central to the goals of general education, as well as engaging the practical skills needed to procure jobs and succeed as professionals. As a professional practice for teachers, it contributes to improved and purposeful teaching methods and rationales, and can build rapport, trust, and credibility with students. Because CR takes time and practice, it is important for students to be exposed to many different methods and have opportunities to practice CR methods from a variety of disciplines/backgrounds throughout their general education.

Taking High-Impact Practices to Scale in Capstone and Peer Mentor Programs, and Revising University Studies' Diversity Learning Goal

Abstract University Studies, Portland State University's general education program, is now more than twenty years old; its leaders frequently answer questions from other higher education institutions regarding how the program takes high-impact practices to scale. In this article, three program leaders detail how University Studies' Peer Mentor and Senior Capstone Programs and one recently revised diversity learning goal demonstrate the opportunities and challenges of taking high-impact practices to scale. This article used published assessments of the program, experiences by current program leaders, and interviews from faculty members and peer mentors. Overall, the coauthors conclude that three dynamic qualities contribute to a scaling up of its programs and curricular initiatives: (1) focus on University Studies' aspirational goals; (2) interplay between scaling up and scaling inward—acknowledging the agency of its teaching and learning community to address challenges and effect change; and (3) collaborative and engaged leadership. These findings suggest that, contrary to notions that running a program of this scale only addresses budgets and staffing needs, University Studies adapts to change because it built a dynamic and aspirational framework across its general education program.

Investigating College Students' Reasoning With Messages of Risk and Causation

ABSTRACT Language of risk and causation pervades modern media sources. In response, statistical literacy is often framed as a critical means of understanding such discourse. At Michigan State University, several faculties have worked to create a new mathematics course, entitled Quantitative Literacy, to fulfill the University's general education mathematics requirement. Though the course does not center exclusively on statistical thinking and methods, the curriculum does include attention to science reports in the media, among other topics, which are often based on research using statistical methods. In an effort to begin to understand how students reason with such articles before having taken the course, students in Quantitative Literacy answered several open-ended questions at the beginning of the semester in response to an opinionated news article about risk in relation to processed meats. Analysis of 152 students' responses using Toulmin's framework for argumentation revealed that the majority of the students agreed with the author's misleading message. These results suggest that prior knowledge and preexisting biases serve as potential barriers to the types of reasoning fostered in the course, and thus that the Quantitative Literacy curriculum should specifically attend to students' preexisting beliefs about the real-world contexts encountered in the course.

The Big Picture and Specifics of College General Education

In recent years, general education has developed considerably in Chinese universities, but it still faces many challenges and problems.1 Among the various negative factors, four problems may be the...

Defining According to its Essence: An Analysis on the Concept of Tong Shi Education (General Education) in the Native Chinese Context

The authors review the concept of Tong Shi (通 识) in ancient Chinese philosophical texts, illustrate the Chinese cultural attributes unique to the characters Tong and Shi, and confirm that the name and essence of Tong Shi Education has a clear directivity and irreplaceable coverage to university general education in contemporary China. To use Tong Shi to refer to general education can facilitate the establishment of a modern higher education concept that deeply rooted in Chinese traditions. Based on substantial historic sources, the authors also argue that Tong Shi Education as an educational concept that links both the past to the present and has global significance, was created out of the internal requirements of China’s reforms as Chinese universities are facing modern transformations.

A Rational Examination of Integrating “Classics” into University General Education Curriculum: An Empirical Survey Based on N University

The power of general education curriculum comes from the enduring classics. The authors apply research methods such as questionnaire survey, interview, and observation to investigate the state of general education curriculum implementation at N University and analyze problems faced by incorporating classics. Based on this, the authors propose that universities should rationally review the practical value of “classics” in general education and enhance the effective integration of classics into general education curriculum by improve the texts for teaching, instruction methods, teaching personnel, and assessment modes, to achieve general education’s objective of cultivating the “whole person.”

How to Mutually Advance General Education and Major-Based Education: A Grounded Theory Study on the Course Level

The author employs grounded theory to investigate the teaching process of an interdisciplinary general education course at A University as a case. The author finds that under the condition of rather concrete relations between the subject of a major-based course and that of an elected general education course, if the major course is taught with a certain breadth and depth, students would adopt the strategy of using knowledge from their major course in their general education course and using knowledge from their general education course to reflect on the major course. This kind of “two-way insertion” learning model reflects the mechanism of mutual facilitation between major education and general education on the course level. This conclusion has important insights into university general education reforms and general education course building and management.

Institutional Problems and Solutions of General Education in Chinese Universities

Embedding general education in the Chinese university education system is a considerably complex systemic project, and a lack of institutional arrangements beneficial to general education has always been a key barrier in implementation. Currently, the main institutional restricting factors for university general education include substantial major-based education systems, scattered credit management systems, lack of a distributive elective system with interdisciplinary integration, and a vertically segmented course management system. In the process from popularizing to deepening general education, Chinese universities must move from imitating and transplanting toward local construction; establish the new ideal of undergraduate general education; focus on building featured, university-based fundamental general education curricula; and seek out a path that suits the institutional environment of Chinese universities.

Decolonizing Pathways Through Indigenous Education: Native Student Conceptions of Nation Building

Decolonizing Pathways Through Indigenous EducationNative Student Conceptions of Nation Building Leola Tsinnajinnie Paquin (bio) Celina listened intently at a celebratory event while a political leader of her Native1 Nation spoke enthusiastically about the opening of its newest economic enterprise: a gas station.2 She attended this presentation armed with knowledge about Native sovereignty and nation building attained through her studies at the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI) a federally operated college for American Indians (AI) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. An eager learner concerned about AI issues, she took as many Native studies-oriented courses as possible at SIPI. Celina had obtained an Indigenous-oriented education made possible in large part by the rise of Native American Studies programs across the nation resulting from Indian demands for culturally relevant education in post-secondary institutions.3 A faculty-driven movement at SIPI sought to establish a strong Native nation building foundation within the framework of the college's general education program. That objective of empowering Natives with useful [End Page 93] knowledge eventually became a value that transcended all facets of SIPI.4 Although SIPI did not offer a specific degree in Native American Studies (NAS), its curriculum included a number of courses with Native content. Those offerings enabled her and her advisor to develop a program of study within an NAS framework to accommodate her career goal (to teach Native children). Thus, she exemplified this vision in terms of what qualities and Indigenous-centered perspectives a Native Nations community college graduate should embody. Returning to Celina's thoughts while at the gas station, as the political leader's speech gained momentum he proclaimed that the business represented an act of nation building. Because Celina understood that the new enterprise was solely a profit-making venture, she reached a conclusion saying to herself: "That is not nation building." INTRODUCTION What is nation building? This article explores the perspectives of a group of students at Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute in 2014 during a time of cultural revitalization and upon the restoration of Higher Learning Commission (HLC) accreditation. As demonstrated by the vignette, nation building has become a popular term in academia as well as in the words spoken by Native leadership. From the vantage point of various roles, but primarily as an educator, I wanted to uncover how nation building was articulated through the eyes of tribal college students who: studied nation building curriculum; heard from the experiences of speakers invested in Indigenous communities; engaged in service learning projects that served Native children; and who were immersed in an educational setting that was grounded in valuing the sovereignty of tribal nations. Celina shared her story with me during an interview. She was a key participant in a phenomenological study that was completed shortly after the gas station event described above. The purpose of the study was to capture the collective phenomenological experience and pay tribute to the many projects that led to the accomplishments of students like Celina. These students shared the common experience of taking a set of Native Studies–centered courses and attending SIPI from 2013–14 during a general education movement in cultural relevancy. These [End Page 94] courses were designed to establish an understanding of nation building through Indigenous education pedagogy. The research study sought to answer the question "How do Indigenous students plan their academic, career, and cultural goals in relationship to nation building in practice?" The use of the word "practice" was to highlight the theme of what nation building really looks like to those who serve Native communities. Furthermore, the study explored three subquestions. How do students define nation building? What are the core values that guide student engagement with nation building as a learning process? Do students identify and apply decolonization in this process? My hope was that the students who took the courses could demonstrate immediate applications of the lessons they learned to their future trajectory. In Celina's case, she based her assessment of the gas station on the readings, guest presenters, lectures, discussions, and, most significantly, her participation in service learning projects. In her mind, nation building encompassed the finding of common ground and unity, education, core values, community, self...

Improvement on University General Education of Intellectual Property under the Perspective of Deepening Reform to the Innovative and Entrepreneurial Education

The reform to college students' innovative and entrepreneurial education need to promote the development of university general education of intellectual property. There exist inner unity and integration between innovative and entrepreneurial education and university general education of intellectual property. In view of the current prominent problems during general education of intellectual property in colleges and universities, education target should be clarified, combination of general course and personalized curriculum system be built up, the diversified and modern teaching method and means be used, and the construction of teaching staff be strengthened, in order to improve the effectiveness of university general education of intellectual property and the innovative quality of college students.

Factors Influencing Information Literacy Competency of College Students

This paper analyzes multiple factors from current university students' high school experiences, including demographic, educational, and economic factors, and current standing and grade point average (GPA), to evaluate the students' information literacy skills associated with a 1000 level course on information literacy which is part of the university's general education requirement. The pre-test indicates that students lack sufficient skills needed to do college-level research. Results of regression analyses demonstrate that only current university GPA and standardized test scores have any influence on information literacy test scores.

The Liberal Arts Endeavor: Enacting Values in General Education Reform

The Liberal Arts Endeavor: Enacting Values in General Education Reform

Where Did They Go Wrong? Identifying Student Strategies Used in Analytic Thinking, Evaluating Data, and Problem Solving

This formative study was undertaken to identify and evaluate strategies students use solving nutrition problems so that ineffective strategies can be addressed in instruction to improve future course outcomes. Exploring strategies students use in answering nutrition questions will help instructors tailor instruction to improve learning. One hundred and twenty-three student volunteers (129 undergraduates enrolled) from 2 sections of an introductory nutrition course completed a 10-item quiz administered at the end of the semester. Students included nutrition majors and nonmajors seeking general education science credits. At this university general education science courses must demonstrate analytical thinking, problem solving, and interpreting/evaluating data. These types of learning are incorporated into topics on healthy eating, introductions to macronutrients, micronutrients, and food safety, with face-to-face instruction for 16 weeks. Students described methods used to solve 3 quiz items. Investigators reviewed methods and the correctness of the solution. To interpret body mass index values, students who used a table (48%) were correct more often than those relying on memory (51%). To identify food group deficiencies given relevant data, most students partitioned food to groups (71%) but only one-fifth obtained necessary information from charts defining quantities and specific recommendations (21%). To calculate Estimated Energy Requirement, students used the given formula (70%) or guessed (20%). Over 60% of students using the formula gave incorrect answers due to difficulty with computations or converting units. Encouraging students to use appropriate tables should increase success over relying on memory. Mastering unit conversions and reviewing order of operations should improve problem solving successes.

Classics Reading and Reading Education as University General Education

Classics Reading and Reading Education as University General Education

University General Education Curriculum Setting and Intercollegiate Cooperation

University General Education Curriculum Setting and Intercollegiate Cooperation

Educational Research Based on the Nature of Computational Thinking

The cultivation of computing thinking is not a requirement of computer science, but the important part of the University's general education. Thinking is not subject to professional restrictions, students with different backgrounds in the professional perspective of thinking, problem-solving methods, and methods of dealing with issues such as commonalities. The popularity and development of computer science make the connection between itself and each specialty more and more closely. The interdisciplinary network research with computer science as the center is gradually forming. Based on the peculiar nature of computational thinking, this paper can explain the proof and the related world, and discuss the relationship between computational thinking and other disciplines.

Making connections: Replicating and extending the utility value intervention in the classroom.

We replicated and extended prior research investigating a theoretically guided intervention based on expectancy-value theory designed to enhance student learning outcomes (e.g., Hulleman & Harackiewicz, 2009). First, we replicated prior work by demonstrating that the utility value intervention, which manipulated whether students made connections between the course material and their lives, increased both interest and performance of low-performing students in a college general education course. Second, we extended prior research by both measuring and manipulating one possible pathway of intervention effects: the frequency with which students make connections between the material and their lives. In Study 1, we measured connection frequency and found that making more connections was positively related to expecting to do well in the course, valuing the course material, and continuing interest. In Study 2, we manipulated connection frequency by developing an enhanced utility value intervention designed to increase the frequency with which students made connections. The results indicated that students randomly assigned to either utility value intervention, compared with the control condition, subsequently became more confident that they could learn the material, which led to increased course performance. The utility value interventions were particularly effective for the lowest-performing students. Compared with those in the control condition who showed a steady decline in performance across the semester, low-performing male students randomly assigned to the utility value conditions increased their performance across the semester. The difference between the utility value and control conditions for low-performing male students was strongest on the final exam (d = .76).

3. 大学一般教養の場合 : 東北大学教養部における物理教育(非専門家のための物理教育,学会報告)

3. 大学一般教養の場合 : 東北大学教養部における物理教育(非専門家のための物理教育,学会報告)

Study on the Teaching Strategy of the Class II General Education Course in Clinical Medical Undergraduates After the Reconstruction

This paper made a simple explaination about the reconstruction of class II university general education course in clinical medical undergraduates. We particularly focused on the reseach of its teaching strategy. The author based on the questionnaires which were done by some teachers, students and managers as well as referring from the experience of teaching reform in our cooperated colleges or universities. Starting from the connotation and characteristics of each disciplines, this paper did a systematic research on how to choose the course, the distribution of credits and periods, the arrangement of teaching time, the teaching method and evaluation, which would provide reference for the teaching and learning of the class II general education course in clinical medical undergraduates.