As students begin to turn the page to a new semester, many may have noticed campus flyers showcasing a new core curriculum and evolving majors. This in response to the alignment of mount mercy and a need to update general education courses. Dr. Ella Johnson, associate professor in the theology department, is leading the effort to enhance the general education experience.
“Probably not a big surprise that a lot of students just take the courses to check them off, right,” says Dr. Ella Johnson. “It really aligns with what students were telling us they wanted and needed. A lot of them were saying our professors are great, but we’re just not quite feeling like these courses are relevant to our majors, our future lives, or even to us personally.”
Dr. Ella Johnson explains that as students work their way through the core curriculum, each class is based around a question.
“A question that’s meant to be aligned with the topic of the course, but also to be really personally and professionally engaging with the students,” she says. “So here’s an example: The new creative art class that has been developed asks the question: how does engaging in the creative process enrich our understanding of ourselves and others?”
Each class’s lectures, assignments, and projects guide students toward an answer. Dr. Ella Johnson goes on to tell SAU Weekly other changes coming to the core curriculum.
“The big thing that students will probably really recognize with the new core curriculum is that there’s a smaller footprint. That means there is fewer requirements, or fewer credit hours. So the new core is going to entail 36 credit hours, and that will be divided over 12 courses. We’re hoping that allows students to pick up more minors, a second major, a certificate. Those are things we know that students are really interested in right now.”
As Dr. Ella Johnson said, the focus is on improving the student experience.
“We’re a very student-centered university. We want to think about what our students today need to know and what they’ll need to know 10 years from now.”
