A new upper–level General Education requirement that will be required of all students who entered the University of Massachusetts after fall 2010 has invoked mixed reactions from students.
Some students are unfazed by the new Integrative Experience requirement, which was announced over winter break. But other students are frustrated by the new requirement that they view as problematic to their plans to graduate on time.
“I have a strict schedule to follow to graduate a whole semester early, and this is just one more thing I have to add to the schedule,” said sophomore Charlotte Olson. “I’m not thrilled about it, but I’ll make it work.”
Sophomore transfer student Lorenzo Castillo had a similar reaction to the requirement.
“Being a transfer is enough as it is, so I guess this is just like the cherry on top,” said Castillo. “I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into. It really isn’t that big of a difference to me, but I imagine [for] someone who’s been here a little bit longer, it would be.”
While some people are upset, many students are indifferent to the new requirement.
“I need to take extra Gen. Ed. classes to get to the 120 credits,” said sophomore Tori Leo. “I guess it helps to fulfill the 120 credit requirement to graduate.”
Sophomore Sean Halloran is excited for the new Gen. Ed.
“I already got all my Gen. Eds. out of the way by now,” said the sophomore math major. “[So the integrative experience] is kind of cool. I don’t see anything negative about it.”
Vice Provost of Undergraduate and Continuing Education Carol Barr sent an email to the campus community yesterday, reminding students of the requirement before class registration starts Monday, April 2.
“The requirement aims to provide every student on campus with an opportunity to pursue an upper level course or learning option within their major that addresses the key components of their learning experience and experience,” said Barr in the email.
The new Gen. Ed. is designed to integrate the Gen. Ed. experience so that students can learn how their Gen. Eds. intersect with their major, according to Stephen Olbrys Gencarella, associate professor of Communication and member of the IE Steering Committee.
“IE answers the question that undergrads have had for years about how Gen. Eds relate to a major,” Gencarella said in an email interview on Jan. 30. “Through IEs, students make these connections and apply them to the real world questions raised by their majors.”
The requirement is designed to be filled by a class. However, internships, independent studies and regular courses with an add-on module could fulfill the requirement, according to a Jan. 23 article in the Collegian.
Some students believe that being able to use an internship to fulfill the requirement makes the IE Gen. Ed. more valuable.
“If internships count, I mean, whatever helps you in your major is kind of important,” said sophomore economics major Amanda Lambert. “I took a class and my teacher said that if you don’t have an internship by the time you’re out of college, it’s kind of like you’re a high school dropout.”
According to Gencarella, the requirement helps students to apply classroom knowledge the way they would in a real world setting and see the bigger picture.
“It’s not revolutionary to say that a good education encourages students to become well-rounded and self-reflective people,” he said, “but what is unique about the [integrative experience] is that it’s a practical way to achieve those goals.”
Sarah Fonder can be reached at [email protected]. Katie Landeck can be reached at [email protected].
