http://dailycollegian.com/2009/09/23/umass-announces-changes-to-general-education-requirements/ New England's Largest College Daily Online Fri, 19 Mar 2010 05:49:38 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 http://dailycollegian.com/2009/09/23/umass-announces-changes-to-general-education-requirements/comment-page-1/#comment-199 Karen, UMass Alum and PhD Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:31:20 +0000 http://massdailycollegian.com/?p=2111#comment-199 I really doubt that this is anything other than an effort not to hire more faculty. It's no secret that the Five Colleges are not hiring right now. For UMass, which has seen a significant increase in enrollment, this means that there are not enough professors for its students. This move to cut the number of Gen Eds goes against long-existing pedagogical reasons behind the Gen Ed program, particularly that of introducing students to a breadth of subject matter. It's no coincidence that UMass has suddenly seen a need to re-evaluate the Gen Ed program at the same time that it is determined not to hire new faculty. Don't be fooled. I really doubt that this is anything other than an effort not to hire more faculty. It’s no secret that the Five Colleges are not hiring right now. For UMass, which has seen a significant increase in enrollment, this means that there are not enough professors for its students. This move to cut the number of Gen Eds goes against long-existing pedagogical reasons behind the Gen Ed program, particularly that of introducing students to a breadth of subject matter. It’s no coincidence that UMass has suddenly seen a need to re-evaluate the Gen Ed program at the same time that it is determined not to hire new faculty. Don’t be fooled.

]]> http://dailycollegian.com/2009/09/23/umass-announces-changes-to-general-education-requirements/comment-page-1/#comment-190 Justin Thu, 24 Sep 2009 04:14:22 +0000 http://massdailycollegian.com/?p=2111#comment-190 Your major should be your focus, not GenEds. Now if a student does poorly in a GenEd class, their GPA will be punished because the grade will weigh more. Someone who came to college intending to focus on English because they are weak in the sciences will now have to take science classes that weigh more than the English classes in their major. We are naive to think that this is not solely an excuse to have less teachers on the payroll. Your major should be your focus, not GenEds. Now if a student does poorly in a GenEd class, their GPA will be punished because the grade will weigh more. Someone who came to college intending to focus on English because they are weak in the sciences will now have to take science classes that weigh more than the English classes in their major. We are naive to think that this is not solely an excuse to have less teachers on the payroll.

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