JESSICA GIANNONE, GENERAL ASSIGNMENT REPORTER:
With any new program, there are “ups” and “downs,” as faculty agree. Southern’s
new Liberal Education Program, which will be initiated in the Fall 2011 semester, has attracted support and criticism. The discussion of this new curriculum has been over a 15-year process.
The LEP is designed to focus on sequential building blocks of knowledge and course experience
through the progression of levels of course organization called tiers, which focus on “goal groups.”
New categories of courses include: intellectual competencies, Tier 1; areas of knowledge and experience, Tier 2; and synthesis of tiers and discussion of values, Tier 3.
Current students will still be under the current All-University Requirement arrangement, but incoming freshmen will be the first to learn under the new program.
Aside from some new courses, the LEP differs from the AUR, which has been around for over 40 years, in the way courses are structured. Students are encouraged to take certain tier courses before they can move on to the next tier, as some are required, and some are guidelines.
Supporting faculty agree the LEP will be beneficial because new organization will provide a better learning structure and education environment.
Some opposing faculty said they anticipate complications in different aspects of the program such as completion of courses and education in general.
Students can refer to the LEP page through the Southern website for detailed information on the new program.
