The Practice and Innovation of General Education at University of Maryland: A Case Study

Abstract

Abstract

Universities in the U. S. have adopted new curriculum to meet changes in the world. But how bold is the change, and how expanded is the reform vary by institutions. In this article, we look at the new curriculum for general education at the University of Maryland as a case study. We will first conduct a review of literature, which provides readers with an overview of the evolvement of general education and how it leads to the current types of reforms. We then present the reform at the University of Maryland, highlighting some key changes such as the addition of the I-Series courses, to illustrate the depth and breadth in reform in general education, and finally we reflect on the innovation and challenges of the reform.

With changes in modern society, undergraduate education has been under-going reforms in the U. S. and the world. What defines the quality of an undergraduate education nowadays resides in a sound general education providing students with rich liberal learning experiences and equip them with skills to function in an increasingly complex and interconnected world. Hence, universities in the U. S. have adopted new curriculum to meet changes in the world. But how bold is the change, and how expanded is the reform vary by institutions. In this article, we look at the new curriculum for general education at the University of Maryland as a case study. We will first conduct a review of literature, which provides readers with an overview of the evolvement of general education and how it leads to the current types of reforms. We then present the reform at the University of Maryland as a case study in reform in general education, and finally we reflect on the innovation and challenges of the reform.

Literature Review

According to the newest report 1 of AAC&U, 78% of AAC&U member institutions claim that they are concerned about the learning outcomes of undergraduate students, 56% administrators say general education has increased as a priority for their institutions, and 89% of institutions are assessing or modifying their general education programs. General education reform is under way presently.

In reality, arising from the early 20th century in the U.S., general education experienced three periods of reforms. In 1869, Charles Eliot became the president of Harvard and started to implement the elective system which gave students individual choices on course selections, and students were allowed to tailor their studies to their own needs and interests meanwhile faculty gained the freedom to pursue their own research interest. 2 “By enabling faculty to teach their specialties, the elective system freed faculty time for specialized research and supported the growth of research universities.” 3 However, this elective system created problems such as fragmentation and incoherence, with a lack of standard. During the 1910s, some educational scholars and leaders began to realize the negative sides of the “elective system” which became dominant gradually in major universities and colleges. These institutions had a rising enrollment and diverse students because of a number of social changes by the mid-19th century, such as industrial Revolution, and the Morrill Act of 1862 for the expansion of Higher Education, etc. 4 The elective system was seen as providing no common learning and low standard. A few universities, such as the University of Chicago, began to restrict the number of electives during the first two years, and Yale University restructured their undergraduate curriculum to keep consistence of specialization and distribution in an attempt to increase coherence. Many well known individuals such as John Dewey and Richard Scholz in the early 1900s called for an expansion of educational goals which were to be embedded in general education, such as education for civic participation, promoting the students’ well-rounded personal growth, creating reflection, creativity, centered and critical thinking. 5 The University of Chicago also moved to stress a commitment to demanding academic standard, and also began the creation of interdisciplinary curriculum structures. 6 Robert Maynard Hutchins, while being the president of the University of Chicago in the 1930s and 1940s, also argued passionately for the Great Books Program. 7

The second general education reform occurred in the mid-1940s after the World War II. To assure that all students, regardless of major or intended career, receive a broad general education rooted in the liberal arts and sciences, 8 Report on General Education in a Free Society put forward the idea that general education was to “promoted a shared, coherent, and purposeful general education for every student to help protect American democracy from totalitarian systems of government like those that led to the World War II.” 9 The report stressed that both general and specialized education are vital and that general education should constitute one-third of the undergraduate degree. This report helped to shape undergraduate degree program in many universities in subsequent years. 10

In the 1960s and 1970s, undergraduate education increasingly became focused on the interests of individual students and their responsibility for dealing with social problems and changing the social environment. General education went into low ebb. 11 In the late 1970s and early 1980s, new general education reform appeared because of the decreased institutional control over programs and students’ achievement and behavior. 12 In 1977 the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (1977) issued a report that called general education a disaster area. This report gave impetus to a new and intense round of general education reform during the 1980s. 13 In 1987, Allan Bloom’s book, The Closing of the American Mind: How Higher Education Has Failed Democracy and Impoverished the Soul of Today’s Students, was published. Blooms blasted the giving up of the old core curriculum focusing on Great Books in return for inferior learning that short-changed the students. This book caused nationwide debates on how American education should reflect on itself and what should be offered to students. The criticism was widely echoed by critics who argued that undergraduate education had lost its liberal arts roots and that students lacked fundamental skills. 14 Since then, the reform of general education becomes one of the most important and complex challenges for universities and colleges. Many conversations were conducted and many articles and books were published about how to improve the quality of general education programs. However, “the reforms were initiated much more slowly.” 15 Following the social and environmental changes in recent years, more and more elements were planted into the continuing general education reforms, such as multiculturalism, globalism, new information technology, and social justice.

Today, the reform of general education in U.S. higher education experiences new challenges. New trends and practices have appeared. In the report entitled “General Education in the 21st Century” by the University of California, 16 the authors listed five changes of higher education which impact the reform of general education in the beginning of 21st Century: 1) new trends in organization and culture of institutions; 2) changes in the environment of higher education, such as diversification of students, interdependence of the world, and globalization; 3) changes in the nature of citizenship and citizen participation, such as value and ethical engagement, and increase in critical thought and inquiry; 4) changes in the delivery of education via new information and communication technologies; and 5) consolidation of some structural and organizational impediments, such as current organizational existence of discipline-based department.

With these challenges, universities and colleges were re-assessing and modifying their reform of general education. New trends appeared. In content, they started to focus on development of student’s competencies, moral and ethical reasoning, ability of critical thought, understanding cultural diversity and multi-culturalism, and civic engagement. Compared to the past content-centered model of general education, the habits-of-mind general education model was adopted by University of California 17 and other universities. They preferred to build the students’ ability to read critically, write fluently, and communicate well rather than understand the knowledge simply. In addition, the effective citizen model of general education was becoming more prevalent. 18 This model “focuses on the student and what the student should learn in order to live well and engage fully in society.” 19 It supports “the integration of multiculturalism and diversity into curriculum.” 20 Further, civic engagement became one of priority undergraduate education reforms.

In curriculum, interdisciplinary courses were increased. Courses had to keep up with the major social changes and problems, such as globalization, internationalization, or environmentalism. Courses emphasizing advanced literacy, such as computer skills, quantitative reasoning and skills, and writing, are widely required. Courses designed to cultivate analytical and critical thinking were preferred. 21 Moreover, some new elements in structure such as capstone projects are adopted.

In pedagogy, many universities and colleges started to stress on learning methods of inquiry more than content, emphasize on applications of what students learn, and increase in collaborative learning opportunities. For example, the University of California system encouraged faculties to select contemporary social problems and policy issues related to their own areas as seminar topics for undergraduate students, develop capstone courses for clusters of department together, involve more undergraduate students into research activities, and improve evaluate system and teaching methods. 22

In the process of reform, some universities created new administrative positions to oversee general education programs, adjusted the budgetary process, and modified the structure of inter-departments. 23 They encouraged faculty to re-define their identity in general education programs, develop new courses and pedagogies, integrate assessment into program from beginning, etc. In addition, institutional culture played an important role of impacting on the general education reform. Some universities put significant efforts on building cultures that supporting general education on campus, such as encouraging faculty to teach general education program, developing general teaching skills among graduate assistants, or other advising staff, and integrating parents into the academic orientation on general education. 24

After more than thirty years of reform, a new type of general education becomes embedded in the culture of higher learning institutions. Major universities are assessing and modifying their general education programs facing different social and institutional challenges. The University of Maryland is one of them. The University has been carrying out efforts on curricular innovation to improve its general education.

The following is a case study of the reform in general education in a land-grant university in the United States. It shows that the University of Maryland is trying to meet the new trends outlined above meanwhile also making efforts to be unique and innovative. Two of the authors have worked/studied at the University, and one was visiting scholar for one year. They have participated in the changes and observed the preliminary impacts of the reform and the limitations. Data is hence drawn from participation, observation, personal reflections, and documents produced by the university and materials from the university’s website. We intend to present a macro level study on reform in general education in the U. S. using the University of Maryland as a case.

Background and Goals of General Education at the University of Maryland

The University of Maryland (UMD) has aimed to build a strong undergraduate program that would provide students an education that would have a strong liberal art orientation with features meeting the needs of the modern society. As a tier-one research university with close to 27,000 undergraduate students, how can students get a liberal arts education is a major challenge. This requires a comprehensive curriculum and a diverse array of programs to cater to students’ needs and abilities. A learning/residential community where there are intimate connections among students, where students can acquire experiential learning experience, is essential. All these, hopefully, would lead to a culture of learning, inquiry, community and civic and social engagement.

Background of General Education Reform at UMD

At the University of Maryland, College Park, students are required to complete a minimum of 40 credits of general education. In the spring of 2008, after more than a year of debates, consultation and discussion engaging the whole university, UMD adopted a new strategic plan, entitled Transforming Maryland: Higher Expectations. This plan is to guide UMD on its course to achieve “excellence” among world-class research universities. The core purpose of this Plan is to enhance the quality and rigor of the undergraduate programs and its common foundation—general education. General education takes up one third of undergraduate students’ curriculum and is critical to the development of students, so the University gives particular attention to it.

To craft this vision, the Office of the Provost and the University Senate jointly created the Task Force on General Education in 2008, comprised of faculty and students from disciplines across the campus and chaired by Professor Ira Berlin. The new general education program would provide an intellectual context for academic, personal, civic, and professional life and challenge students to explore how various disciplines contribute to knowledge and to an understanding of human conditions and society.

Rationale for the Reform

For thirty years, the University of Maryland used a Core program to provide general education, which was rather traditional with a narrow set of courses drawn from various colleges focusing on contents (to gain a comparison of the Core Program prior to the reform vs the current general education program, visit: http://www.gened.umd.edu/documents/GeneralEducationSummaryChart.pdf). To reflect the new needs in the society, the task force was charged to come up with new thinking. To provide continuity as well as creativity, the new program was conceived to be both conservative and innovative. This means the fundamentals for a sound liberal arts education are maintained while new elements are to be introduced. The general education courses would introduce the great ideas and controversies in human thoughts and experiences. These courses would teach what are essential for a person in a modern society in terms of skills, and provide the breadth, perspective, and rigor that allow graduates of UMD to claim to be “educated people.” 25 It is also reasoned that most Americans change their career three times during their lifetime, hence a solid general education should provide a strong foundation for the life-long learning that makes career-change goals attainable.

Since 2009, a host of pilot courses have been offered in general education at UMD that aim to provide students with breadth of knowledge and disciplinary diversity, allowing them to explore unfamiliar fields and to develop new intellectual and professional passions. This means students are exposed to the arts, the humanities, and the social and natural sciences, as well as to multiple combinations of these approaches to knowledge.

Breaking down silos across the colleges and departments is aimed at by the new general education program. For students, the re-designed curriculum provides more opportunities for cross-disciplinary classes outside of their chosen major. For faculty, it meant a great opportunity to offer innovative classes and adopt creative educational methods.

One of the striking elements in the new general education is the introduction of the I-series courses—a new general education requirement unique to UMD, which introduces students to inquiry-based learning in their first two years on campus. These courses invert the curricular pyramid by focusing on a major, specific problem or issue, rather than just giving students the broad disciplinary survey common in introductory courses. Students in I-series courses will discuss, debate, explore big ideas and significant issues and present results of research to their peers. The courses have been very popular since they began to be offered.

Goals of Reform

In sum, general education at UMD has the following goals for all students:

• Develop the skills necessary to succeed in academic careers and in professional lives by establishing habits and understanding of clear writing, effective speaking and presentation, and critical and analytic reasoning.

• Strengthen knowledge in major areas of study.

• Broaden knowledge of civilizations past and present.

• Establish the ability to thrive both intellectually and materially and to support themselves, their families, and their communities through a broad understanding of the world in which they live and work.

• Define the ethical imperatives necessary to create a just society in their own communities and in the larger world.

• Foster intellectual dexterity.

These goals can be found in the general education programs in many universities in the U. S. All in all, the new general education at UMD aim to: call for an intellectually rigorous and demanding curriculum; increase flexibility; prepare students for an increasing more connected world; reduce class size; consider out-of-classroom experiences; and finally, enhance opportunities for innovative and improved teaching methods. In the next section, we will provide more details on these aspects.

The General Education Curricula and Programs

Geographically, UMD is located in the capital area of the United States, and the university capitalizes on this to provide students with learning opportunities in general education. The university advertises itself in this way:

University of Maryland—with its global reach, diverse student body, outstanding faculty, and proximity to Washington, Annapolis, and Baltimore—is uniquely situated to fulfill the imperatives of a broad-based general education. Students at UMD can draw on the university’s connections to the capital of United States and the state of Maryland and to the offices of numerous national and international associations and resources such as the National Institution of Health, the Smithsonian Institution, Dumbarton Oaks, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Centre, the Library of Congress, and the National Archives (http://www.provost.umd.edu/GenEdReport/GenEdPublic-Dec2010.pdf).

To achieve the above goals, the University has programs such as the Global Semester in Washington D. C. (http://www.globalsemesterdc.umd.edu/), Federal Semester (http://www.federalsemester.umd.edu/), and Beyond the Classroom (http://www.beyondtheclassroom.umd.edu/). These are instituted to take students to Washington DC to intern and study in various federal and international organizations, non-governmental organizations, and various civic organizations for the disadvantaged groups or other social causes. The University also institutes Spring Break service learning programs and Study Abroad programs to enrich students’ service learning experiences outside of the area and in international contexts. These endeavors intend to enhance students’ social and civic engagement, enabling them to explore societal problems and policy solutions to them.

Generally, the new general education program includes four main categories of requirements and offerings. These are: Fundamental Studies, Distributive Studies, Diversity, and Experiential Learning.

1. Fundamental Studies

Students are required to take 15 credits, 5 courses in fundamental studies. This is an increase from 9 credits in the previous Core program. In the previous Core program, Academic Writing, Professional Writing and Math, and students were required but could be exempted. In the new program it is strongly argued that in the modern world, students need have both writing and speaking abilities, and also capacity for analytical reasoning. Hence in Fundamental Studies the new general education program requires students to achieve proficiency in four areas: academic writing, professional writing, mathematics, oral communication, and analytic reasoning. The importance of writing skills is reflected in required courses in English and, and in assignments that require students to make a sound argument in essays and give presentations in various occasions. In Mathematics, students’ abilities are demonstrated by the variety of problems that can be modeled and solved by quantitative means. To satisfy this requirement, students are to pass one in a series of courses at the level of pre-calculus courses that include Elementary Mathematical Models, Introduction to Probability, college algebra or pre-calculus, or statistics and probability. In Analytic Reasoning, courses focus on student’s ability to use mathematical or formal methods or structured protocols and patterns of reasoning to examine problems or issues by evaluating evidence, examining proofs, analyzing relationships between variables, developing arguments, and drawing conclusions appropriately.

2. Distributive Studies

In Distributive Studies, students are required to take 25 credits/8 courses (2 Humanities, 2 Natural Sciences [1 must be a lab course], 2 History and Social Sciences, and 2 Scholarship in Practice [only 1 may be in student’s major]). Within Distributive Studies, I-Series courses are a subset of Distributive Studies. Course will be designated as I-Series courses and students are required to complete two I-series course (6 credits).

The Distributive Studies intend that all students acquire an exposure to a variety of disciplines even as they concentrate on a chosen field of study. Students are offered insights into the methods of the different disciplines, the kinds of questions disciplines ask, and their standards for judging the answers. Courses hopefully will lead students to new perspectives and also challenge students to apply their new understandings. Distributive Studies include four areas: natural science, history and social science, humanities, scholarship in practice, and I-Series courses.

Specifically, Natural Sciences introduce the concepts and methods of the disciplines that study the natural world. They include courses in the traditional physical and life sciences, environmental science, animal and avian science, and plant science, among others. They also include a requirement for a substantial, rigorous laboratory experience.

History and Social Science courses introduce students to history and to the social science disciplines, with their combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. They include courses in criminology, economics, history, psychology, sociology, and other social sciences.

Humanities courses are in the foundational humanities disciplines that study the history and the genres of human creativity. They includes courses in literatures in any language, art and art history, classics, and music and music history, as well as in the disciplines of linguistics and philosophy, among others.

There is a new and unique element in Distributive Studies that is called Scholarship in Practice. The courses are defined by learning outcomes and a distinct mission. Courses in this area teach students how to assess and apply a body of knowledge to a creative, scholarly, or practical purpose. They usually go beyond the traditional survey and interpretation culminating in, for example, a final paper or activity. One specific goal is that students can articulate the processes required to bring about a successful outcome from planning, modeling, and preparing, to critiquing, revising and perfecting. Another goal is to produce an original analysis, project, creative work, performance or other scholarly work that reflects a body of knowledge relevant to the course (http://www.gened.umd.edu/elements/elements-sp2.php).

The I-Series Courses

It is in the I-Series courses that we see some unique innovation and creativity in general education at UMD within the category of Distributive Studies.

The I-Series is a new requirement of 2 courses, which may be double counted with Distributive Studies and/or Diversity. The I-Series is the signature of general education at UMD. It was invented with the University’s Strategic Plan urging the creation of a unique signature or brand. In the title of I-Series, I stands for: Issues, Imagination, Intellect, Inspiration, Innovation, and Implementation (http://www.gened.umd.edu/documents/I-SeriesCallforProposals.pdf). To reflect these “I”s the new courses that are brought into the series should spark the imagination, demand intellect, arouse inspiration, and lead to innovation and implementation.

In general, the I-Series courses have two purposes: first to investigate a significant issue in depth, and second to understand how particular disciplines and fields of study address the problems. They are expected to provide students with the basic concepts, approaches, and vocabulary of particular disciplines and fields of study as well as an understanding of how experts in those disciplines and fields employ terms, concepts, and approaches. Cross-campus collaboration and interdisciplinary exploration are encouraged. Uniquely, the I-Series invert the common pedagogical pyramid. Rather than starting with a survey of existing knowledge, these courses approach large problems from particular (inter-)disciplinary perspectives. While I-Series courses ask questions, they are not necessarily meant to answer them. Rather, they aim to examine the ways in which diverse intellectual traditions and disciplinary protocols address big questions.

The first group of I-Series courses was piloted in the Spring of 2010. Today, I-Series courses have become a normal part of the undergraduate curricula. All UMD students are required to take two I-Series courses starting Fall 2012. This would require the university to mount about 80 I-Series courses per semester. To ensure renewal in the courses, a policy is established that every year 10-15 percent of the courses would be removed.

“The Big Problem” approach is innovative, as students who are new in a university approach learning not from standard methods of learning a series of basic courses before tackling some major problems in the field. Rather, they begin asking big questions and learning how different disciplines address those problems from the start of their university education. It alerts students to what are significant and major issues in the world, and the courses guide the students to delve into the political, social, economic, and ethical dimensions of the issues. Many courses address equity and social justice issues.

Faculty throughout the university are urged to propose I-Series courses. Any new and innovative courses can be proposed. The courses originally are expected to enroll 60-120 students, and faculty will receive $5000 in salary for the course development. Teaching Assistants will be assigned to assist the faculty with the teaching of the course. Courses are reviewed and approved within a short span of time, like a month or two, and faculty are expected to teach the course for at least three times, at least once a year, and some courses will become permanent courses.

The topics that have been proposed by the faculty and are being offered are wide ranging, many touching on acute issues in the world. Some adopt creative means to engage students, and others deal with topics usually not included in general education. Below are some examples of courses:

• Greening Cities: Who Wins, Who Loses and Who Cares?

  This course asks these questions: Can people, plants and animals coexist in cities? If people only think of their immediate needs, what happens to cities? By studying urban ecosystems and the relationship between people, plants, natural resources and the built environment, Greening Cities will guide students to discover how cities can be transformed into better environments.

• Genetically-Modified Humans: Physical Performance in the Post-Genomic Era.

  This course addresses this question: In this post-genomic era, can society pursue optimal health and maximal physical performance without changing what it means to be human?

• Philosophical Issues: The Rights and Wrongs of Killing People.

  Students in this course discuss these questions: Is it permissible to kill an innocent human being intentionally? Why is killing wrong? What makes it wrong? What implications do our answers have for war, the beginnings and ends of lives, punishment, saving people from starvation.

• Acting Human: Shakespeare and the Drama of Identity.

  Through an in-depth reading of key plays by Shakespeare, Acting Human will examine what acts of knowledge, understanding imagination and courage are required for people to become complete human beings.

• Rise of the Machines: Artificial Intelligence Comes of Age.

  This course asks these questions: Can a machine be intelligent, and if so, is that dangerous? Modern artificial Intelligence, or AI, systems can converse in natural language, diagnose some medical conditions more accurately than the best doctors and drive vehicles in traffic on public highways. Rise of the Machines will demystify the methods used to create such machine intelligence, investigate how existing AI technology differs from that presented in science fiction and assess the potential benefits and dangers of this technology.

Without going into the details of the many courses, the following list gives the readers a glimpse of the courses the first and second year students at UMD can take through the I-Series courses:

• ANSC225 Love Me, Hate Me, Use Me, Save Me: Our Conflicting Views of Animals

• BSCI135 Amazing Green: Plants that Transformed the World

• ASTR 220 Collisions in Space: The Threat of Asteroid Impacts

• ASTR230 The Science and Fiction of Planetary Systems

• PUAF 2891 Cross-examining Climate Change

• GEOL200 Earth’s Fury: Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Tsunami

• JOUR 2891 Information 3.0: Exploring Technological Tools

• MUSC 2891 The Power of Musical Performance in Social Engagement

• BMGT289F Is America Destined to Fall by 2076?

• BMGT 2891 Why Good Managers Make Bad Decisions

• HIST 289A Hot Spots: Violence, Catastrophe and Civilian Conflict Worldwide in Historical Perspective

• HIST 289B Carbon: Element at the Center of History

• FMSC298F Future of Families: Issues and Controversies

• PUAF3591 Contemporary Issues in Political Leadership and Participation: The Art and Science of Philanthropy

• EDCI 246 Good Stories: Teaching Narratives for Peace and Justice

• WMST 298D Women’s Bodies in Contention

• INFM 289K The Ethics of Information Technology in a Multicultural World

• PHIL 209I Spooky Action at a Distance: Where Physics Meets Metaphysics

• NFM 289J Social Media Campaigns for the Well-Being of Humankind.

As we can see, these courses tackle big issues, big questions, and from the perspective of a particular field. They are primarily taught at an introductory level and for students from all over the campus. Many renowned faculty in their field teach these courses. The main goals of these courses are to make students think, and beware of big problems facing the world. Specifically, the University states that at the completion of an I-Series course, students will be able to:

• Identify the major questions and issues in their general course topic; describe the sources the experts on the topic would use to explore these issues and questions.

• Demonstrate an understanding of basic terms, concepts, and approaches that experts employ in dealing with these issues.

• Demonstrate an understanding of the political, social, economic, and ethical dimensions involved in the course.

• Communicate major ideas and issues raised by the course through effective written and/or oral presentations.

• Articulate how this course has invited them to think in new ways about their lives, their place in the university and other community, and/or issues central to their major disciplines or other fields of interest.

In all, the I-Series courses help establish a culture of inquiry and thinking from the moment the students set foot on campus, and do so by dealing with major questions to which we don’t necessarily need to know the answers but which may have great impact in the world. The courses also demonstrate an intention by the faculty for students to become socially aware and to be concerned for the world, and to have a big heart and mind to work for the improvement of the world.

3. Diversity

“Diversity is in our DNA,” declared former University of Maryland President C. D. Mote, Jr. in reaffirming the university’s commitment to developing and maintaining a student body that mirrors the composition of the American society. At UMD, diversity is claimed to be a top priority in learning. Diversity courses (4-6 credits, 2 courses required) investigate the complexities of human difference and commonality and emphasize the promises and problems of plural societies and the challenges that must be addressed to achieve just, equitable, and productive societies. Two types of courses comprise the Diversity requirement: Understanding Plural Societies and Cultural Competence.

Understanding Plural Societies courses are offered by various departments and programs in the University. They recognize that life in a globally competitive society of the 21st century requires an ability to comprehend both theoretical and practical dimensions of human difference. Courses speak to both the foundations—cultural, material, psychological, historical, social, and biological—of human difference and the operation or function of plural societies.

Cultural Competence courses are to provide opportunities to gain an increased understanding of cultures and cultural practices, while learning to communicate effectively across cultural differences in a diverse society and world. Courses in this category must have an experiential element that need to be central in the course. These courses must reflect a developmental, on-going process through which students learn about the lived experiences of individuals as members of socio-cultural groups and the complex interactions between groups. Cultural Competence courses emphasize acquisition of new knowledge, thoughtful consideration of issues of equity and justice, critical thinking, self-reflection, empathy, engaged global citizenship, and the development of skills necessary to work effectively with individuals, groups, and teams from diverse identities and perspectives.

4. Experiential Learning: Programs for Research and Experiential Living-Learning Community—Honors Program and College Park Scholars Program

A liberal arts education is featured by intimate community, often provided by a boarding/residential arrangement, explorative spirit, small class size, and integration of personal interest with social responsibility. At UMD, besides the above-mentioned courses, UMD greatly stresses the importance of mentored research or internships and a living-learning environment. The University provides research and experiential learning in a number of forms: residential programs, specially designed research programs and courses, internships, studying abroad and service-learning.

The Honors College and the College Park Scholars Program are two key programs for selected students. Admission is by invitation and is competitive. Invited students will be notified of their invitation in the university’s acceptance letter. For the Honors College, and similarly for the College Park Scholars, admission is by invitation and based on students’ high school academic achievement, their GPA and SAT, their application essays and letters of recommendation, participation in extracurricular activities, and expressed interests.

The Honors Program is the long-established program for the most talented students on campus in their first two years. It offers students the opportunity to become part of a close-knit community of faculty and intellectually gifted undergraduates committed to acquiring a broad and balanced education. Ranges of courses are offered to students in all disciplines, and class enrollment is limited to 20 students. Although other students can take the Honors’ courses, priority is given to Honors’ students.

The Honors Students will choose from one of the seven living-learning program: Advanced Cybersecurity Experience for Students (ACES), Digital Cultures and Creativity, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Gemstone, Honors Humanities, Integrated Life Sciences, and University Honors. Every year about 1000 students out of the 4000 newly admitted students are admitted into the Honors College, and they have 400 courses exclusively for them.

Gemstone Program, as one of the Honors College programs, admits about 200 students each year, or the top 5% of the students. The Gemstone Program is a unique multidisciplinary four-year research program for selected undergraduate honors students of all majors. Under guidance of faculty mentors and Gemstone staff, teams of students design, direct and conduct significant research, often but not exclusively exploring the interdependence of science and technology with society. Gemstone students are members of a living-learning community comprised of fellow students, faculty and staff who work together to enrich the undergraduate experience.

College Park Scholars Program is another living-learning program. Interested students apply to the University and the University makes decision based on their information in the application profile, similar to that of Honors students. The College Park Scholar Program is a two-year program for academically talented students. Students of similar interests stay in the same dorm and mingle daily while also attending courses together. Practical experiences such as internships, research, community service and study abroad are provided, which emphasize the interdisciplinary nature of knowledge and promote the early development of professional competencies. The intention is to build a learning community among students, and between students and faculty, to multiply students’ learning and provides ongoing support to meet the challenges of their academic experiences at Maryland.

In the College Park Scholars, invited freshmen are enrolled in one of 11 interdisciplinary programs, each housed in the Cambridge Community on North Campus. The 11 Scholars Programs are: 1) Arts; 2) Business, Society, and the Economy; 3) Environment, Technology, and Economy; 4) Global Public Health; 5) International Studies; 6). Life Sciences; 7) Media, Self and Society; 8) Public Leadership; 9) Science and Global Change; 10) Science, Discovery, and the Universe; and 11) Science, Technology, and Society. (http://www.scholars.umd.edu/prospective/aboutscholars#sthash.zA2ZqmTS.dpuf). The curriculum and activities for each program—and for Scholars overall—provide the interpersonal benefits of a small college paired with the intellectual advantages of a major research university. Each Scholars program is directed by a faculty member appointed by the sponsoring college’s dean and supported by a small staff. Programs each admit about 75 first-year students annually. See more at: http://www.scholars.umd.edu/prospective/aboutscholars#sthash.zA2ZqmTS.dpuf

These programs are devoted to multidisciplinary teaching, so they choose students from different subjects, and programs can have students from natural sciences to engineering, from history to criminology, and from law to music or from education to astronomy. What is common among the students is that upon their admission they are identified to have strong academic credentials; demonstrate societal concerns in their admission essay and resume; show involvement in team related and other co-curricular activities; and demonstrate intellectual inquisitiveness and interest in research.

The Gemstone program in the Honors College especially focuses on the cultivation of students’ research capacity. Students share their interests and brainstorm topics for potential research; and they form into research teams by their own decision. Their research cover a wide range of topics, from space fuel to ecological environment, from city traffic to educational reform, from network security to stock market, and from housing problem to mental illness. Whether it is the research problems of forefront natural sciences or thorny social problems, the research objectives are to apply knowledge into practice. Their research must ultimately serve the society and improve the life of people. Over all, the Gemstone research topics follow two principles: one is to reflect students’ research interests and abilities and education backgrounds from different disciplines, second is to closely relate research and social problems and manifest the practical value of research. One of the authors was a faculty mentor for a Gemstone team on peace education. 26 The students were highly engaged and used their different background to supplement each other’s knowledge in the research project. Most importantly, they learned collaboration and acquired leadership abilities through the project.

Reflections and Discussion

This article presents the practice and reform and innovation in general education at the University of Maryland. It demonstrates that the University is trying to meet the modern trends for students in higher education but is also trying to be innovative. We illustrate that the various aspects of general education at UMD attempt to build a culture of learning and inquiry, an appreciation of diversity and engagement, and to cultivate students’ ability for research and hands-on practice. We gave some special attention to the I-Series courses, to show that general education reform is taking up new forms in the U. S. We demonstrate that in a large, research university, features of a liberal arts education can be provided, through programs such as the Honors College and the College Park Scholars program.

How can schools and universities cultivate an educated person? This is a major challenge for education in the U. S. and around the world, and general education has a focus on this challenge. The new general education program at UMD intends to maintain what has worked in the traditional general education programs, but to also try to go beyond the tradition to introduce students to new skills and to frontier issues in the world. Under the I-Series courses, the range of courses students can choose from is amazing, and the faculty have been mobilized to propose interesting and significant courses.

The pedagogy prevailing in the UMD general education curriculum is inquiry, participation, independent thinking and team work. Further, all the I-Series courses and the multicultural and experiential learning courses are also to be pedagogically innovative, integrating learning and doing, providing a process of inquiry, and participation and interaction along with serious intellectual pursuits. These endeavors indicate that in a large land-grant university, liberal arts education can be provided with great vitality and can mesh individual interests with a common core learning in a serious manner. Students can explore and grow as individuals as well as a member of the larger community.

In the process of faculty promoting new courses and bringing students to the frontier of knowledge and social problems, an organizational culture of innovation seems to be on the rise at UMD. The students see the possibility to think outside of the box, and faculty capture the opportunity to teach what they hold dear and important. However, there is also reluctance by many faculty to be involved in the I-Series courses, for example, as teaching undergraduate students or teaching general education courses often involve larger classes, unpredictability in students’ ability in learning and behavioral problems. Hence often times faculty need to be urged to propose a course. The university in fact has to adjust the number of enrollment requirement so that now faculty can teach a much smaller class.

Diversity, cultural competency, and a global perspective are very much stressed in the UMD general education program. Embracing diversity is a key mission of many universities in the United States, including the University of Maryland. At UMD besides courses that focus on race, gender, class, sexual orientation, and cultural diversity, there are also intergroup dialogues, involving students in debates and mutual learning through dialogues of issues on religion, races, gender, sexual orientations, etc. Also, student residential houses enable students of different background to live and learn together. Besides those programs mentioned in the Honors College and the College Park Scholars programs, there are other initiatives: The Global Learning Living Community is a student dormitory that enrolls about 100 students from all backgrounds and countries to learn together; the Language House provides an environment for students to practice a foreign language 80% of the time during their living there. Indeed, the University has been making some significant efforts in enabling the building of a community for diversity and multicultural/global learning.

The university also wants to address the difference in abilities in students. Hence, students in the upper 25-30 percentile during admission are provided with programs that cultivate research capacities. For example, the Gemstone program which we have discussed is such a program. It is a highly collaborative program to cultivate students into researchers and leaders. These endeavors attempt to push undergraduate education from learning of knowledge to explorative research and leadership building.

How do universities maintain a quest for common learning, address students’ individual interests and needs, maintain high standards, and provide a rich and dynamic learning environment for students? How does undergraduate education provide a large mindset, cultivate imagination and inspiration and the potential for innovation? How can a large university provide an intimate environment like the small-sized liberal arts colleges? The University of Maryland’s reform in general education helps us to reflect on these questions. The reform is still at an initial stage, and it will be meaningful to come back to study the case some years down the road to see the impact on students comprehensively.

Levin 27 has called the wave of reforms in liberal learning as “enhancing the powers of the mind.” Indeed, the UMD courses stress the basic skills and abilities such as reading, writing, math, and communication. Further, many courses at UMD offered to students strive to train students’ analytical ability. What we would add that the trend demonstrated at UMD and other universities is also to “enhance the powers of the heart.” Courses in diversity, emphasizing multicultural and intercultural competencies, courses in the I-Series, focusing on major challenges to the world and developing an awareness and concern for them, and courses in research oriented and experiential learning, stressing the connection of research with solving social problems, all aim at broadening the heart of the students to be inclusive, to care for others and to care for Nature. To a great extent, general education can cultivate students’ intellectual capacity as well as their capacity for moral, emotional and spiritual intelligences. 28 However, to fulfill the goal of education as exemplified in the Junzi in Confucian’s teaching, that is, learning needs to ultimately improve the world, higher education today must forever evolve, innovate, improvise to solve the problems of our world.