The Core Curriculum Review Committee could implement revisions to Marquette’s common core by fall 2017.
John Su, director of the Core of Common Studies and review committee member, said the committee is moving beyond data collection and conversations to form work groups that will design potential framework models.
“Ultimately, the goal is to create an academic experience that will prepare our students to thrive on all levels in the 21st century,” Su said in an email. “We want to create this experience by drawing upon our Catholic, Jesuit heritage and best practices at peer and aspirational institutions across the country.”
The other review committee members include Lars Olson, interim chair of biomedical engineering, Sarah Feldner, associate dean for graduate studies and research and Lowell Barrington, chair of the political science department.
Feldner said she wants to make sure the core is doing the best job for the students.
“The goals of the committee are similar to the goals of Marquette,” Feldner said. “We want to transform students – make (the core) unique to Marquette’s way.”
Barrington said he wants to involve as many members of the campus community as possible, improve student experiences with the core and be transparent.
“This is a very important process, the results of which will have an important impact on Marquette for the next two decades,” Barrington said in an email. “Many people have put a lot of work into this process already, but we still have a long way to go.”
Su said input from faculty, staff and students is being taken into consideration. During the fall 2015 semester, the undergraduate colleges hosted two rounds of surveys and conversations.
The committee also had conversations with Marquette Student Government and will be getting a survey from them to obtain more student input.
“In the preparation stages over the past three years, we’ve worked with MUSG to create a student perception and satisfaction survey on the current core,” Su said. “(The committee) held student and alumni focus groups. We have great student representatives on the Core Curriculum Review Committee.”
Aliya Manjee, vice president of MUSG, said student involvement is vital to the core revision process. She said MUSG is in the process of planning a survey for early next semester.
“It will either survey students on their satisfaction of the current core, or some knowledge areas that they see as priorities for the updated one,” Manjee said in an email.
Su said he hopes more students will join work groups that are forming to develop proposals and frameworks that will structure the next core curriculum.
The decision to revise the common core curriculum came after University President Michael Lovell and Provost Daniel Myers issued a charge to update certain academic areas.
Su said change in the world is another driving force for continual improvement.
“Workplace environments change, research trends change, students change, even our traditions change as they are continuously enlivened,” Su said. “We are committed to helping students develop their fullest capacities in all dimensions of their human experience, and to do that requires us periodically to calibrate our curricula.”
