U N I V E R S I T Y  O F  P I T T S B U R G H

Volume VIII, Number 3.

Integration of skills across courses is key to CAS curriculum revisions

The Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) has begun implementing comprehensive curriculum guidelines it adopted last spring. This implementation culminates a curriculum review process “ensuring we have a general education curriculum…that will adjust and adapt to advances in knowledge, changing pedagogical procedures, and changing student needs for decades to come,” according to FAS Dean N. John Cooper.

The revised general education curriculum emphasizes the integration of oral, written, information technology, and quantitative skills across College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) courses, as well as capstone experiences. Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies Patty Beeson is working with the 31 CAS departments on their plans to implement the changes.

Explaining the attention that FAS is giving to its curriculum, Beeson observes, “A liberal education enriches students’ lives and prepares them for a variety of pursuits by helping them develop the knowledge, understanding, analytical tools, and communication skills that contribute to lifelong learning. The general education requirements are a key part of this education as they help students develop the foundational skills that facilitate learning and expose students to the broad range of approaches to knowledge found in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences.”

Beeson continues: “In reviewing our curriculum the faculty saw a need to provide students the opportunity to integrate the skills and approaches studied in individual classes in ways that reinforce and extend their learning, so that our graduates are prepared to continue exploring and learning long after they leave the College.” Thus, the curriculum changes are “minor in terms of student course requirements, but major in terms of what is expected in individual classes.” FAS approved development of a curriculum that provides students the opportunity to develop their oral and written communication, modern information technology, and quantitative skills. The faculty is adopting a decentralized approach whereby each department integrates these skills into their curriculum in the way most appropriate to their discipline. For example, a scientist has to know how to communicate results to other people and how to gather information using modern technologies in ways appropriate for the discipline.

Currently, departments are evaluating the needs of their students as they develop plans for curricular change. Beeson and members of an ad hoc committee have been working to determine the best ways to assist departments with these efforts and are exploring with departments the skills that are foundational to their disciplines as well as more general competencies. Employing models of Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) and Speaking Across the Curriculum (SAC) used in other universities, initiatives are under way to integrate effective communication skills. To facilitate the process, the CAS and the provost’s office are providing financial support for faculty development and enhancement of writing and speaking centers.

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