Title
General Education at Boise State and Around the Country
Document Type
Student Presentation
Presentation Date
April 2017
Faculty Sponsor
John Bieter
Abstract
Boise State University, like many others, is continuously improving its Foundational Studies Program (FSP). The FSP is our version of what is usually known as general education and consists of classes such as English 101 to UF 100 to Finishing Foundations/Capstone courses. Feedback from our students and faculty have suggested the need for change, which has inspired our undergraduate research team to ask the question: how do we make the Foundational Studies Program effective, connected, and understood by students? Through weeks of research, we have gained a comprehensive understanding of the requirements and difficulties of university general education. We began by looking at a variety of other colleges and universities’ general education programs to understand the common themes and best practices across the country. We then looked at the specifics of general education. Namely, we have been investigating programs such as experiential learning, e-portfolios, general education mapping, and mentor programs. Additionally, our research team tested different general education requirements and the language of those requirements at Boise State. We have also been looking through previous Boise State University, Boise College, and Boise Junior College course catalogs to determine if anything can be learned from our rich past. We understand that the program must be consistent across the board and its language must be understood by students. Our next step is to present to various student groups and organizations to communicate our plan for change of Boise State’s Foundational Studies Program. This is an ongoing process, but through our research we understand the changes that must be implemented and will strive to ensure these changes will be communicated to the students and faculty at Boise State University.
Recommended Citation
Hopkins, Daniel; Rodriguez, Eva; and Lee, Cerena, "General Education at Boise State and Around the Country" (2017). 2017 Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Conference.
https://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/as_17/60