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MCC Daily Tribune Archive

Building General Education at St. Louis Community College: Innovation and Tradition


Building General Education at St. Louis Community College: Innovation and Tradition by Ann Roberts Divine

Nothing is more traditional in higher education than the core of general education on which specialized study is founded. In recent years, there has been much focus on general education, as states and institutions throughout the country have re-examined and revised general education requirements with the intention of better preparing students for the challenges of greater complexity, diversity, and technology. Missouri and, by extension, St. Louis Community College (SLCC) are no exceptions. What is exceptional is the bold approach that SLCC has taken toward general education, resulting in a well-considered, unified program of general education that gives students a firm foundation for continuing their studies in any specialized area.

In June 2000, the Missouri Coordinating Board for Higher Education
introduced new guidelines for general education that apply to both two- and four-year institutions and are intended to ensure the transfer and articulation of general education work among public institutions. One change is that the total credit hours required for lower-division general education rose from 39 to 42. But more significantly, instead of the old distribution model – one from Column A, two from Column B – the program is now competency based. Instead of loose assumptions about the content and effect of courses, the state introduced knowledge and skill goals, to be attained by the student through the achievement of competencies in the standard general education disciplines.

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Dr. Susan Salvador
Office for Student Services
10/19/2004